It’s hard to believe that the end of summer is almost here. Most students will be heading back to school the end of this month or beginning of next, and for parents of children who have autism, the transition period is very challenging for kids and their parents. What can parents do to make the transition from summer vacation to school less painful? Here are 6 ways that have worked for our family.
1) Do a “countdown to school” on your family calendar: A few years ago when my son was REALLY anxious about back to school, a friend suggested me trying this as it helped both her boys with autism have a visual marker of when summer was ending and fall or school was beginning. We now use our wall calendar and with a crayon or pencil mark it off. You can also do this with an online program OR on a dry erase calendar. Give your child the option of crossing the day out in the countdown.
2) Visit the school by car and/or in person with your child: This is also a good technique for our visual children. If they see the school, even if only to drive by, this will help them start to prepare mentally for school. You could also see if you could go in and visit the school if administrations allows it and even meet the teacher. This takes out the element of surprise which leads to anxiety for kids with autism.
3) Take pictures of the school and child’s teacher (if you know it), and laminate in a ‘back-to-school’ booklet: This works really well for all children with anxiety on the spectrum. A friend of mine did a beautiful laminated book like this to prepare her son for his first day of kindergarten. It worked beautifully. You can easily take pictures, have it laminated at a store and put it your own words and child’s picture to personalize it.
4) If possible, do school supply shopping in advance with your child: At my son’s school, we get the school supply list along with the teacher’s name at the end of the school year. This is great as I am able to have mini conversations about school with my son and prepare him. We do the school supply shopping together too as this decreases anxiety in what will be coming.
5) Have them pack the school bag and label their supplies: This works if they are able to read and write. If not, they can still hand you things while you work and participate in packing their bags for school.
6) Start the school bedtime routine about a week in advance: Kids tend to get out of routine, like their parents, on summer holiday. As much as possible, try to slowly start putting back an earlier bedtime routine so that they are rested and well prepared for the first day of school.
These are just some tips that can help with the anxiety and stress of the big transition back to a steady routine. As the person who knows your child the best, I’m sure you will also find your own little tips to help them get back into routine. Wishing you and your exceptional family a happy back-to-school!
– Joanne Giacomini
