Back To School: Helping Your Child with Autism Transition

August has made its debut! The introduction of the month means that the new school year is among us. Transitions (big or small) are often a difficult task for individuals with autism.

A new year, a new teacher, a new classroom, and sometimes a new school! Wow! That can be a lot. As we end the summer months and work towards our transition into school, some learners have a difficult time.

As a parent or caregiver, you may be feeling anxiety and asking yourself “will they be okay?”, “how will my child react?”, “what do I need to do?”. Questions like these often lead to worrying more about the upcoming days. However, it doesn’t have to be difficult. Completing a few small steps can help your child transition into the school year with ease.

5 Tips to help your child transition:

1. Prepare for the first day: Review what the school day will look like, talk about which day is the first day, provide an outline the schedule. Continuing to talk about the start of school and repeating the process will allow your learner to be comfortable with the first day!
2. Practice: Begin implementing the school schedule by practicing waking up earlier and walking through the evening routine at night. This way you have time to make adjustments if you need to. During this time, you might consider creating a visual schedule to easily walk through the steps.
3. Visit The School: Schedule a time with teachers to come in and walk through the school, visit different classrooms, and become comfortable with the school environment. Take time to ask any questions or review any concerns you may have! 
   • • Ask questions such as:
       • Do you have a sensory area or calm down corner?
       • What behavior interventions do you follow?
       • What accommodations can you make for my child (i.e. seat changes, any toileting or dietary needs, etc.)
       • How can we regularly communicate?
       • When will an IEP be created/reviewed? Can I have a copy of this?
       • Who will be working with or providing assistance to my child (if needed)?
4. Coordinate Your Teacher: Connect your child’s teacher and ABA team if possible! Update the teacher on any behavior intervention plans or tips and tricks that help your child!
5. RELAX: The begining of the school year can be stressful for both you and your child. Try not to overwhelm yourself with the beginning of school and instead make it a calm transition. Your child will know if you are worried and may lead them to be anxious as well. 

We encourage you to follow these few steps to help with your child’s transition into the school. We wish you the best of luck this school year!

Beyond The Label Autism Services is happy to provide in-school support and transitional services. Our mission is to help your child reach their maximal potential in the classroom. We ensure all of our teams are open to collaborating and coordinating across everyone on your child’s educational team. Please reach out to us  if you are interested in our in-school or transitional services!

Find our FREE printable here: Back To School