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Back to School Planning

Autism Q&A

Back to School Planning

July 14th, 2022

AutismBC

For Caregivers

After much effort, you've finally settled your child into a summer routine, and now you have to start transitioning them back to school!
Getting ready to go back to school 

After much effort, you’ve finally settled your child into a summer routine, and now you have to start transitioning them back to school! Like getting ready for the summer holidays, going back to school can be challenging for some children on the autism spectrum because it means another “change of routine.” The thought of making snacks and lunches that our kids will actually eat, getting them out of bed and ready for the day, introducing them to a new classroom (or school), teachers, and classmates, can be overwhelming for us, parents, too. 

The following tips will, hopefully, help you start organizing your transition: 

Adjust your morning routine 
  • Get everybody in the house to go back to a “school day sleeping schedule” by gradually going to bed a few minutes earlier every night until they reach the necessary wake-up time. 
  • Make a morning chart with your child so that they are more involved in the planning of the day. 
  • Gradually add a “school routine” into the chart so it won’t be a drastic change of routine for them. 

 

Set up a meeting with your classroom teacher and SEA(s)/EAs to discuss how your child can prepare for the new academic year.
Getting ready for a new school, classroom, teacher, E.A and classmates 
  • If possible, visit the new classroom and meet the new teacher before school starts. Otherwise, take pictures of the new environment and the people that they will see. 
  • Go through the new routine with your child using visuals and social stories. 
  • Get them to write down or talk about things they like about going to school, like the playground, library, or friends. 
  • Read books or watch a video with them about going to school so that they know what to expect. 
Get your child involved in preparing for school 
  • Take your child shopping for school supplies and clothes or uniforms. 
  • Bring them along to shop for snacks and lunch, maybe even let them pick their favorites! 
  • Pick a day before classes start to role-play, packing backpack, packing school supplies, snacks, lunch, and a special item (if they have one). Make a packing list with visuals. 
Personal Profile and Summary of their summer activities 
  • As with attending any new classes or programs, write a personal profile of your child. Here’s a great example. 
    This will help new people working with your child to have a greater understanding of their likes, dislikes, strengths, and areas of improvement. It also allows people who already know your child to have updated information. A lot can change over the summer. 
  • Share information about your child with the other students and their families.  My Booklet is a great free resource that can be updated quickly, and you can share different sections of it with certain people.  For example, you may elect to share your child’s interests and likes/dislikes but not the section about medical history or family relationships.   
  • Write a brief summary of new skills, challenges, and favorites that your child has acquired. Notes on activities they participated in and places you’ve travelled to can also help!  This valuable information will not only give the school an update on your child but also help develop conversations. 
  • Remember to put an emergency contact card with updated information (after-school care, support workers, etc.) in your child’s backpack and make sure your child knows where to find it. 
Communication with school 
  • Work with your home team to update your communication book with the administration, then refine it with them.  Yes, you can have a communication book!  The type of communication, amount, and who does the communicating from the school may vary depending on your district.  
  • Get the daily schedule for your child’s class, including special events (field trips, assemblies, etc.). 
  • Set up a meeting with your classroom teacher and SEA(s)/EAs to discuss how your child can prepare for the new academic year. Some districts call the support provider an SEA (Special Education Assistant) and some call the support provider an EA (Education Assistant). They are the same role.  
  • If your child may need some sensory breaks, have a card that they can give to the teacher giving them a “hall pass” while not singling them out in the classroom.  Have this accommodation included in their IEP and let your child know this is available to them.  

 

Share information about your child’s support needs.
Making Connections with Classmates 

Your child may not have the school connections or experiences that you envisioned before you became a parent. Some of the time, it’s harder for the parent/guardian to accept this than the child as they don’t know any different. Get rid of your expectations. 

Some articles I liked about helping your kids make friends at school:  

Aide Canada has some great resources: 

Video links: https://vimeo.com/541725778 

                      https://vimeo.com/538911899 

                      https://vimeo.com/541764777 

Social Stories and Visuals 

Visuals work better than verbal cues for some autistic children. Visual cues can help our children understand what to expect and what is expected, at their own pace. As with planning for summer activities, the following visuals can make your child less anxious and more prepared for the new school year: 

  • Schedule of the week: Unlike summer, school days are more predictable, so you can create a visual weekly schedule so that your child will have an idea of what to expect for the coming week. Don’t forget to create “special activity” and “Oops” or “Change” cards that you can put in when you can’t follow the schedule due to things like weather, illness, etc. 
  • Timer: A visual timer can help our children understand how long an activity will last, which can ease their anxiety. Make sure the school will follow through with using the timer. 
  • Pictures: This is especially helpful for introducing new places and special activities. 
  • Video modeling: This is often better than pictures if it involves new rules or a new environment. 

Create a Safety Plan (if needed) 

If you have safety concerns about your child (e.g. eloping, self-harming, aggression, etc.) you will want to create a safety plan with the school sooner rather than later.  It is much better to be proactive than reactive.  Also, if an incident happens at school and there is no safety plan in place (or even if there is) your child will likely have to stay home until one is formed or it can be modified.  This will help your child get back to school quicker if one already exists and just needs modifying.  It’s important to try to work together with the school in a respectful and professional manner, this can be difficult as emotions can run high when it comes to your child’s safety. Remember, school staff are only human as well and mistakes can be made.  

Advocacy: Stand Up for Your Child but Don’t Get Lost In It  

It’s important to stand up for your child’s rights and be the squeaky wheel.  However, your child’s school career is going to last more than a decade, so don’t run out of advocacy fuel!  Sometimes you need to let things go, especially the small things that won’t make a difference a year from now.

Bullying 

Hopefully, it will never happen to your child but in the unfortunate event it does these resources may be useful.  Schools should have zero tolerance when it comes to bullying so hold them to that.  

Trust in Your Decisions; It is OKAY to Opt-out of Things  

Know your child and do not feel bad about having to opt out of things for their well-being  This could mean starting your child with a gradual/partial schedule at the beginning of the school year, opting out of field trips that you know they won’t enjoy or even opting out of that holiday concert.  Trust in your parental instinct and ability to make good decisions for your children, and when they’re ready, they’ll shine!  If your child is able to advocate for themselves then ask them their preferences.  

Relax and be positive 

Starting a new school year can be stressful for both parents and children, but remember, our children don’t only copy actions, but also emotions. Relax and try to help your child get ready for the new year by taking things slowly and staying positive. Starting your child’s first day of school on a positive note will make the rest of the year easier for both of you. Have a great year!  

School Resources & Tools
Online, Home & Distributed Learning 
Individualized Education Plans (IEP)  
Transitions   
 Advocacy & Inclusion  
 Bullying    
 Articles & Blogs  
Region-Specific Resources & Supports  
Events and Workshops  
Links to Organizations   
Post Secondary Information 
Scholarships: 
Additional Post Secondary Resources 
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Resources

  • Ask Andrew: Back-to-school according to an Autistic Teen

    Ask Andrew! In this 13 minute video, Andrew reveals to us what it's like to be autistic in the public school and homeschool settings and what actions parents and educators could take that REALLY matter to students on the autism spectrum. He also has a few words to say to neurotypical children and bullies. Andrew is an Autistic teen passionate about sharing his experiences and perspectives with the community. His goal: to shatter misconceptions about autism and show the value in listening and learning from autistic people. Parents, educators and support workers, don't miss this opportunity to learn from our #actuallyautistic community members.

AutismBC

Further Reading

Helpful and Unhelpful School Experiences

Helpful and Unhelpful School Experiences

August 20, 2021

Content Warning: Bullying, school system, mental health School can be a challenging place, especially when those around you don’t take the time to understand your […]

A Guide to Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in BC

A Guide to Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in BC

September 20, 2021

The start of the school year new to an autism diagnosis can stir anxiety and leave you with a lot of questions about how your […]

Education Accessibility & Advocacy

Education Accessibility & Advocacy

August 19, 2021

I honestly thought that we had made it through the school system relatively unscathed. Ahhh…so naïve, I was!  Enter a new school and COVID-19  We […]

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