The transition from summer break back to school is an adjustment for all children. For children with autism, changes in routines, environments, expectations, and daily schedules may require some additional time and preparation.
Gradually reintroducing school routines at home can help parents make their child feel more confident and comfortable with what to expect as the new school year begins. There are several ways to help your child become familiar with the rhythm of the school year before the first day arrives.
Start Adjusting Routines Early
During the summer, it’s normal for children to have later bedtimes, slower mornings, vacations, and more flexible days. Rather than changing everything the night before school starts, consider gradually returning to a school-year schedule.
In the weeks leading up to school, begin moving bedtime and wake-up times closer to the school schedule. Meals, getting dressed, morning hygiene, and other activities can also gradually shift toward their school-year times.
A Predictable Morning Routine
School mornings involve several transitions in a short period of time. A child may need to wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush their teeth, gather their belongings, and leave home on schedule.
Practicing these steps before school begins can help establish familiarity. Depending on your child’s needs, a visual schedule with pictures or a written checklist can also help them understand what needs to happen and what comes next.
Prepare for Changes in Advance
A few of the big changes worth noting include your child getting a new teacher, classroom, bus route, schedule, and classmates. When possible, introduce these changes before the first day. You might look at pictures of the school, review the daily schedule, visit the campus, meet the teacher, or practice the route to school. It can also help to point out what will stay the same, providing some predictability among the changes.
Practice School-Related Skills at Home
Consider the routines your child will encounter throughout a typical school day so they can be practiced beforehand at home.
Depending on your child’s needs, this might include:
- Packing and carrying a backpack
- Following a morning checklist
- Putting away personal belongings
- Transitioning between activities
- Asking for help or requesting a break
- Practicing lunchtime routines
- Getting ready to leave the house on time
Focus on skills that are most significant for your child rather than trying to practice everything at once.
How ABA Therapy Can Support Back-to-School Transitions
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is individualized based on each child’s individual personality and needs. For some children with autism, ABA therapy may address skills that are useful at school, such as following routines, communicating needs, increasing independence, tolerating changes, or transitioning between activities.
A Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) can assess a child’s needs to better help develop and understand appropriate goals and strategies for each child. Parents can also discuss upcoming school changes with their child’s ABA therapy team to identify skills that may be helpful to practice.
Give Your Child Time to Adjust
Establishing a new routine takes time, and children may need different levels of support as they become familiar with their new school schedule.
Starting early, introducing changes gradually, and communicating with your child’s support team can help create greater consistency between home, therapy, and school.
At Steps to Progress, our team is here to support your child as they build the skills and confidence they can carry into the classroom and life as a whole.
If you’re looking for additional guidance, contact us to discuss how our team can support your child as they adjust to new routines and build confidence for the classroom!
