Moving from elementary school with one teacher, one primary room, and one set of classmates to middle school, with multiple teachers each in a different room, and different classmates in each class can be a difficult thing for any child. But for the child living on the autism spectrum it can be especially difficult. How do you prepare your child and make this transition easier? Are there certain things that you should not do?
There are many positive things about middle school, but there are some not so positive things also. Having some choice in course selection, electives, is something some children really looked forward too. Moving from room to room, on the other hand, can be a cause of stress. This stress can be minimized with some careful planning. Being allowed to move 1-2 minutes before or after the rest of the "crowd" allows a child to move through the halls without being bumped and jostled by others and this can go a long way toward making them feel more comfortable. Fear of getting lost can be minimized by having a mentor walk the child from class to class for the first several weeks.
Before the first day of school arrange a tour of the school with your child. With your child's schedule in hand, locate each class and walk the route in the order the classes are on the schedule. Locate the lunch room and if your child is buying lunch at school, check to see how the system works. Where does the line start, will they have to make choices on what to eat, how will they pay? If your child will be riding the bus, make sure they know which door they will enter the building through and where they go at the end of the day to catch the bus home.
Using a locker can be exciting but also stressful. Help your child locate their locker and let them practice opening it several times. Also discuss with you child what to do if they cannot get their locker open while at school. Who should they talk too? Let them know that sometimes lockers can be difficult and it is ok if it won't open and there are people in the school who will help them. It may be possible for the school to assign your child a locker at the end of a row or near the office so they will not feel so crowded and they can be near an adult if help is needed.
Having someone identified to assist your child for the first several weeks, navigating the halls and getting from place to place can be especially helpful. But this can also become a big issue if the person identified to help is unavailable for whatever reason.
Identify a "safe" place that your child can go to when overwhelmed. You will have to work with the school and everyone needs to be on the same page with this plan. Your child should not be denied access to this "safe" place.
Access to phones to call home is another issue that should be discussed with the school. Some children do much better if they can call Mom or Dad if they are having difficulty, and a brief call home might just preserve a day that is going down hill.
Starting the year with a shortened schedule works well for some kids.
Changes in routine, such as substitute teachers or class visitors, can also be a concern. Developing a plan which allows the child to go to their "safe" place if there are changes in the routine allows the child to have some control over the unknown, over time the child may develop more tolerance for these sort of changes and not need to utilize the "safe" place as often.
Inconsistency and poor communication among staff can be a huge problem. When a child is told different things by different people this causes confusion and increased anxiety. Having an identified person to go to for problems can lessen these issues.
Assemblies. The crowds, noise, and unknown are too much for many children to handle. With the school, develop a plan which allows your child to go someone else (library/office) during assemblies. Again over time, they may be able to tolerate some of these activities, but forcing them into these situations often has unpleasant results.
All our children are unique and no one plan will work for all of them, but with advanced planning and open communication with the schools you can make the transition from elementary school to middle school easier for your child living on the spectrum.
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