When Summer Isn’t a Break: Why the Long Summer Holidays Can Be Difficult for Neurodivergent People
Family on summer holiday
For many people, the long summer holidays are associated with freedom, relaxation, family trips, and sunny days spent outdoors. Social media often presents summer as a season of adventure, spontaneity, and making memories.
But for many neurodivergent people, the summer holidays can feel anything but relaxing.
Whether someone is autistic, has ADHD, is dyslexic, dyspraxic, has Tourette syndrome, sensory processing differences, or another neurodevelopmental difference, the six-week break can bring significant challenges. The disruption to routines, increased uncertainty, sensory demands, and changes in expectations can leave both children and adults feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and anxious.
The Loss of Structure
One of the biggest challenges of the summer holidays is the sudden loss of routine. During term time, many neurodivergent children rely heavily on predictable schedules. School provides a framework for the day: waking up at a consistent time, travelling the same route, seeing familiar adults, knowing when lunch happens, and understanding what comes next.
Even when school itself is challenging, the structure it provides can be deeply regulating. When summer arrives, this structure often disappears overnight. Days can become unstructured, activities may vary from week to week, and expectations can feel unclear. Questions such as:
What are we doing today?
Who is looking after me?
What time are we leaving?
When are we coming home?
can become a constant source of anxiety.
Many neurodivergent children feel safest when they know what to expect. The unpredictability of long summer days can increase stress, emotional dysregulation, shutdowns, meltdowns, sleep difficulties, and feelings of insecurity.
Adults can experience similar difficulties. Taking annual leave, working altered hours, having children at home, or losing the routine provided by colleagues and workplaces can leave neurodivergent adults feeling untethered. Without the external structure of work or regular commitments, time management can become more difficult, motivation may dip, and feelings of guilt about being “unproductive” can emerge.
Hot Weather and Sensory Overload
Summer also brings sensory challenges. Many neurodivergent people experience sensory sensitivities that can make hot weather physically and emotionally draining.
Some common difficulties include:
Feeling overwhelmed by heat and humidity.
Sensitivity to sweat, sunscreen, or sticky skin.
Discomfort from lightweight summer clothing, sandals, or swimsuits.
Bright sunlight causing visual discomfort.
Increased noise from open windows, lawnmowers, outdoor events, and busy public spaces.
Changes in food preferences because familiar foods feel different in warmer temperatures.
Sleep can also be significantly affected. Warm bedrooms, lighter evenings, and disrupted routines may lead to later bedtimes, poorer sleep quality, and increased irritability or reduced capacity to cope during the day.
For children who are already using considerable energy to navigate sensory experiences, the cumulative impact of heat can reduce their ability to manage other demands.
Adults are not immune to this. Many neurodivergent adults describe feeling mentally foggy, exhausted, more emotionally reactive, or unable to concentrate during periods of sustained hot weather. Tasks that are manageable during cooler months may suddenly require much more effort.
Uncertainty About September
As the summer holidays progress, another challenge often begins to emerge: uncertainty about the new school year.
Many children spend weeks or months wondering:
Who will my teacher be?
Will my friends be in my class?
Will my support staff stay the same?
What classroom will I be in?
What if I don’t like my teacher?
What if things are different?
For children moving to a new school, these worries can be even more intense. Transition periods can involve visiting unfamiliar buildings, meeting new adults, learning new routines, and adapting to increased academic and social expectations. While some children may appear excited, they may simultaneously experience considerable anxiety beneath the surface.
Parents often notice increased questioning, sleep difficulties, emotional outbursts, reassurance seeking, or withdrawal during August as anticipation builds. Even positive changes can be stressful when they involve uncertainty.
New Holidays and Unexpected Disruptions
Summer often includes events that do not happen regularly during the school year.
Families may encounter:
Bank holidays and altered opening times.
Community festivals.
Family gatherings.
Holidays abroad.
Visitors staying in the home.
Changes in childcare arrangements.
Summer clubs with unfamiliar staff and children.
Parents taking annual leave at unusual times.
For neurodivergent people, even enjoyable experiences can be exhausting if they involve unfamiliar environments, different rules, crowded places, or unpredictable schedules. Something as simple as discovering that a favourite café is closed, a swimming session has changed times, or a grandparent is visiting unexpectedly can significantly increase anxiety.
The issue is rarely that neurodivergent people dislike fun or novelty. Rather, many benefit from preparation, predictability, and opportunities to process change in advance.
The Pressure on Families
The summer holidays can place enormous pressure on families.
Parents and carers may find themselves trying to balance:
Employment commitments.
Childcare arrangements.
Financial pressures.
Siblings with differing needs.
Managing emotional regulation difficulties.
Organising activities that everyone can tolerate and enjoy.
Supporting children through transitions while also meeting their own needs.
There can also be societal pressure to create a “perfect summer”. Families may feel guilty if they cannot afford holidays, days out, or expensive camps. Social media images of smiling children at beaches and theme parks can intensify feelings of inadequacy. Yet many neurodivergent children do not necessarily need a packed schedule of exciting activities. For some, the most meaningful summer experiences involve familiar places, favourite foods, quiet walks, gaming, reading, crafting, spending time with trusted people, or simply knowing what tomorrow will look like.
Summer Challenges for Neurodivergent Adults
The impact of summer extends beyond childhood.
Neurodivergent adults may experience:
Disruption to established routines.
Difficulty maintaining executive functioning without external structures.
Sensory overload from heat, crowds, and noise.
Increased social expectations.
Pressure to attend barbecues, festivals, weddings, or family gatherings.
Changes to commuting patterns or work schedules.
Reduced access to support services that close over the summer.
Parents who are themselves neurodivergent may face the additional challenge of supporting children who are dysregulated while simultaneously managing their own sensory needs, exhaustion, and need for predictability. The constant demands of planning activities, preparing meals, negotiating screen time, and responding to unexpected changes can lead to significant burnout by the end of the holidays.
Supporting Neurodivergent People Through Summer
Summer does not have to look like everyone else’s version of summer.
Helpful strategies may include:
Creating a loose visual timetable for the week.
Sharing plans in advance whenever possible.
Building predictable anchor points into each day.
Maintaining consistent sleep and mealtime routines.
Allowing recovery time after busy activities.
Preparing children for September transitions gradually.
Using photographs, social stories, or school transition materials.
Respecting sensory needs during hot weather.
Recognising that rest is productive.
Letting go of expectations that every day should be exciting.
For neurodivergent people, wellbeing often comes not from constant activity, but from feeling safe, understood, and prepared. The long summer holidays can be a season of joy, but they can also be a season of uncertainty, sensory overload, and emotional exhaustion. Recognising these challenges allows families, schools, and communities to offer greater understanding and support.
Perhaps one of the most helpful messages we can give neurodivergent people during the summer is this: it is okay if your ideal summer is quieter, slower, more predictable, and different from what others expect. A summer that protects wellbeing is every bit as valuable as one filled with endless adventures.
Need Support This Summer?
If the long summer holidays feel overwhelming for your child, your family, or for you as a neurodivergent adult, you do not have to navigate these challenges alone.
At LB Education and Therapy, we understand that summer can bring unique difficulties, from disrupted routines and transition worries to sensory overwhelm, emotional regulation challenges, and increased family stress. We offer compassionate, neurodiversity-affirming advice and support tailored to the needs of children and young people.
Whether you are looking for practical strategies to create more structure over the holidays, support with preparing for a new school year, guidance around anxiety and emotional wellbeing, or simply someone who understands the realities of neurodivergent life, we are here to help.
The summer months can also be a valuable time to reflect, plan ahead, and put supportive approaches in place before September arrives.
To find out more about how LB Education and Therapy can support you and your family over the summer, please get in touch. We would be pleased to discuss your individual circumstances and explore how we can work together to make the holiday period feel more manageable, predictable, and positive for everyone involved. For families in St Andrews and Dundee I also offer in person consultations at the St Andrews Practice.
Because every family deserves a summer that prioritises wellbeing, connection, and feeling understood.
