10 Back to School Tips for Parents of Autistic Young People

10 Back to School Tips for Parents of Autistic Young People (Post Primary School)

August already!  Back to school will soon be upon us.  In our case both my children are returning to their respective schools the last week in August, So now it is time to start preparing for the transition back to the school term routine. As a parent of a young Autistic person then you know only too well how difficult transitions can be and one of the most stressful can be the return to school after the long lazy days of summer. Transition means change and change equals uncertainty which leads to anxiety. 

In our case we have two transitions co-occurring, back to school but also starting a new school – we have had a rocky road with navigating post primary school(secondary or high school) to date (more about that another time), so we are hoping for a fresh start this autumn. As a parent to an Autistic teen and also as a teacher who has spent much of her 24 year career working with autistic young people I am really aware of how important it is to prepare for change so that  we can help support transitions and hopefully make things a little easier. It is also important to note that in general I am referring to Level 1 Autism as that is where my experience lies.  

Hopefully these simple tips will benefit you and  your child.

1. Never too early to begin – but keep it gradual! Small, simple, slow steps. Talk about summer coming to an end.  Start to pull back bedtime.  Include your child in buying supplies. 
2. Communicate – Address their fears and concerns, let them know that it is ok and expected to feel apprehensive etc, but also speak about school positively. Work on anxiety management tools – breathing, counting, meditation apps, journaling, using fidgets, stimming etc
3. Visit the school, take photos, get a map, request a colour coded timetable – help your young person become as familiar as possible with the environment.
4. Meet with the year head, form tutor and SENCO – discuss your child’s profile in detail- everything from likes/dislikes to sensory needs and reasonable adjustments and accommodations. If needed, arrange a designated safe space for your child to go to when overwhelmed or distressed. Build a positive relationship with these key people from day one.
5. Try on uniform/agree on school clothes – thankfully we don’t have to worry about a uniform anymore-this one but it was a major sensory trigger in the past. Moving to a school with no uniform was necessary for our child.
6. Create a sensory toolkit for school bag or locker based on your child’s needs – ours includes headphones, lo-fi music, spinners, rubik’s cube, sun glasses.
7. Design an organisation system with your child – we use heavy duty plastic mesh folders for each subject, each folder is colour coded and labelled, all items for each subject are placed in the folder.  My child uses Assistive technology (iPad and keyboard) for all written work so we save all work into digital folders but also print out notes and assignments and stick them into hardback copy books.
8. Agree on the morning routine – use pictures or a chart – whatever works for you.
9. Practise social situations and social problem solving with your young person – what do I do if I lose my phone?  Who do I go to if I can’t find a classroom?  How do I introduce myself to new classmates?  How do I request a break or downtime? Etc.
10. Each morning, run through the schedule for the day ahead.

Bonus tip!

11. Enjoy the summer holidays – while back to school transitions are very stressful and need preparation it is important to focus on having fun, enjoy the break and downtime – before you know the madness of the school term will be in full swing and you will miss the downtime of the summer hols!

Coming soon…

• Reasonable accommodations and adjustments
• When it all becomes too much…school refusal
• Coping with anxiety, Autism, burnout etc
• High levels of masking and the long term effects

Useful resources: these are not sponsored in any way but they are books I have found very helpful in recent months

Books