Beginning a new school year for children with autism

Another school year was about to begin. The teacher and all her students were moving to a brand new school. That meant new surroundings, a different classroom, different students and new teachers.

For many children, a change like this would be a bit scary in even the best of circumstances. For the children in room 103, all of these changes could easily produce a lot of anxiety.

The teacher knew the children needed to be prepared before going to the new school. Late that spring, the children listened to social stories about the upcoming changes to help with the transition.

The "Flip" videos had become a wonderful tool for the children throughout the year. Now, these visual films could make it possible for the children to see the campus before ever going there.

Just before the last school year ended, the principal invited the parents to visit the school late one afternoon. The idea was to provide a calmer experience for the children without surprises. The parents loved the idea of having the school quiet to help their children transition to the new campus.

Late one day in May, the families wandered around the school hand in hand with the children. One of the students, "Connie" became very nervous when she came into the new school. She hung onto her mother’s arm and held her bag of French fries tightly.

To "Connie" the time after school was not supposed to include seeing her classmates or the teacher again. "Randy" and "Peter" were much more open with the new place but still hung back close to their parents. Several other children backed away at first.

With some coaxing and the security of their parents nearby, the children began to explore the school. They all checked out the library, looked at the new classroom and visited the lunchroom. By the end of the afternoon, the children left the school with a good experience.

The teacher had encouraged the parents to periodically visit the new campus. During the summer, some of the parents did stop by to visit the campus with their children. "Connie" was one of the children that came in one late summer day with her mother, "Linda."

When "Connie" went into the room, she saw lots of familiar objects. The girl found her current favorite movie, "The Fox and the Hound." She wanted to take it home. The teacher reminded "Connie" of the rule to write the movie’s name on the board with her name if she wanted to borrow it. "Connie" smiled meekly and wrote the information on the blackboard.

The school was having an open house for all the children on the Friday before the first day of school. Almost all of the children came to visit the classroom that day. The children’s excitement seemed to point to a great school year ahead not only for the students from Room 103, but for everyone in the school.

Preparation for a new school year for any child, especially for children with autism spectrum disorders, is very important. Most children with ASD do not do well with change. Minimizing that effect can be done with a few simple steps. Planning ahead is especially important for children going to middle and high schools.

These higher grades can become overwhelming for any child. High functioning ASD children may function well in elementary school. However, the very same child may become extremely anxious and have difficulty in the upper grade levels.

Depending on the child’s ability, consider using calendars to help a child transition. Visuals on the calendar will help a student begin to realize that a change is nearing. The summer calendar can include a families’ vacation time with picture icons. It may include picture icons of going to the store to buy school supplies and going to the school.

Planning includes gradually changing a child’s summer schedule as the school year nears. This may include daily drives to the school a few weeks before the school year begins. Visuals can be very helpful such as pictures of the school, the new classroom, and school items such as a backpack and lunch box.

You can even use the same visuals in simple social stories to help a child get ready for the new school year. As the first few weeks of school continue, help your child by keeping his schedule very structured. This includes a time for homework, a time for a favorite activity and a regular time to go to sleep.

Pamela Gross Downing, a special education teacher, can be contacted at downpamg@aol.com.