Starting school can be a difficult time for children, specifically Autism Spectrum Disorder (also called ASD) students who function best with consistent routines. As your ASD child transitions from home life to a school community, here are five key tips to ensure that your child assimilates well into a new classroom environment:
1. Introduce yourself to your child’s teacher before school begins for the year.
- Request a 10-15 minute meeting to discuss strategies and routines that you know work best for your child. Does your child require frequent breaks? Does your child require specific circumstances in order to feel safe? What are your child’s triggers? Sharing guidelines about your child will help the teacher to employ continuity for an ASD student in a new class.
2. Establish a means of ongoing communication between you and the classroom teacher.
- Work with your child’s teacher to agree upon a preferred means of ongoing communication. Parents of ASD children can request a “Communication Book” (an extra classroom notebook used for correspondence between the parents and teacher). Parents may instead wish to purchase a classroom agenda for their child so that the teacher and parents can write daily notes and weekly reminders to one another in a calendar format.
3. Ask the classroom teacher to assign your child a buddy.*
- If your ASD child will be learning in a mainstream classroom, have the classroom teacher assign a buddy (a responsible peer) who can help your child during transitional school activities. This includes getting ready for gym class, visiting the school’s library, and going home at the end of the day. Assigning a responsible buddy to assist your child establishes a feeling of independence for your child. Check in with your child to ensure that they enjoy being helped by his/her buddy.
* Appropriate for ASD students, ages 4-11.
4. Ensure your child is getting enough sleep.
- Establishing new routines that come along with starting school can be stressful for a child. It is important that all children, especially ASD students, are receiving an age-appropriate amount of sleep nightly. Adequate sleep at home can reduce the reactionary behavior of an ASD child in the classroom.
5. Incorporate nutritious, unprocessed foods into school lunches.
- This is truly important for all students, mainstream and ASD students alike. Ensure that your child is receiving the majority of his/her daily nutrition from whole, unprocessed foods. Ensure that your child is being sent to school with foods they are familiar with and enjoy eating. Chips, granola bars, and other packaged snacks are best for end-of-the-school-day treats.