A good thing to read...

[Guest guest]

I joined a group on autism given my son's latest diagnoses (Tourettes,

Add, NVLD). I too have been anxious about the start of school and

came across this post. Parts may apply to some more than others, but

overall, I think the info is helpful.

Get in touch with school personnel and do some research.

.. What will be your child's schedule?

.. Who will his teachers be?

.. What subjects will she take?

.. What activities will he be involved in?

.. How long will she spend at each activity?

.. How will he need to physically move about the building during the

day?

I'm a video producer. I can tell you from experience that one key to

a successful day's shooting is scouting a location in advance.

You can use this same technique to help ensure a successful school

year launch.

Contact your school staff before classes start and arrange

a " preview " visit for you and your child. Get a staff member to

explain what's going to happen on that first day step by step. Do a

location walk-through with your guide, checking out hallways,

classrooms, restrooms, cafeteria, gym, playground, sports fields --

the works. Meet as many of the teachers and other school staff who

your child will encounter that first day as possible. Discuss the

schools rules. Find out what students should and shouldn't do. If

he'll ride a school bus, get the details about pick-ups, drop-offs

and the riding rules.

As you're touring, make some mental notes. Is your child interested

or excited about anything in particular? Is there anything that he

or she is likely to encounter that could trigger a sensitivity or

problem behavior?

The more familiar your child becomes with the school, the staff, and

what to expect, the better his chances of having a great first day.

Knowing what will happen can also raise her confidence level and

help her relate to other kids, as she'll be something of an expert

on her surroundings.

After your visit, write out a one-page profile of your child for

teachers and other staff. This should be a short outline or bullet

points, and not a treatise. Note your child's strengths and

challenges. Describe any difficult behaviors the school staff is

likely to encounter and any effective ways you've found to deal with

them. For example, you might note that your child sometimes becomes

frustrated and angry in stressful situations, and that allowing him

to go to a quiet corner of the room for a few minutes will usually

enable him to calm down and rejoin class activities.

You're not using the document to tell teachers how to do their job.

You're providing information to help them recognize what's happening

from your child's point of view and use their best judgment to deal

with the situation effectively.

It's best if you can use this profile as a guide for a pre-school

year conference with your child's teachers. At the conference, you

can hand out the profile, go into more detail about your child, and

answer questions. Having the profile gives the teachers a resource

they can refer to later, and helps lock what you've said in their

memories. If possible, identify a staff member, such as a counselor,

who your child can seek out if he or she gets stressed or has a

problem. Your child should meet this person before school starts and

know how to find or contact him or her during the school day.

The more teachers and other staff understand your child, the better

they'll be able to respond appropriately to any quirks he or she may

exhibit. I found a great example of this when I recently interviewed

Karra Barber about her book, " Living Your Best Life With Asperger's

Syndrome. "

Kids with Asperger Syndrome tend to take things literally. Karra's

son, , did just this when he got a call from a counselor at a

camp he was about to attend. The counselors called the campers to

introduce themselves and tell the kids what to expect at camp. Karra

called her son to the phone, " ...Tom, it's your counselor from

camp! " When picked up the phone, the counselor (having heard

his mom call him both and Tom) asked him what he'd like to be

called.

" Ben, " he said.

When and the counselor were finished talking, Karra confirmed

with the counselor that her son's name was and they had a

quick laugh.

After the call, Karra asked why he'd told the counselor to

call him, " Ben. "

He responded that the counselor had asked him what he'd like to be

called and he told her " Ben " because he'd always liked that name.

It made complete sense from his point of view.

Giving teachers some insights into your child can help avoid

misunderstandings and encourage them to use students' different

perspectives to enrich their teaching. Giving your child a preview

of his school can help prepare him for success.

You can think of a school year as a mountain road with a lot of

twists and turns. A bit of preparation can serve as a guardrail to

help your child and his teachers keep his car on the road, make good

progress and enjoy the ride.

Best wishes for a good schoolyear,

Bonnie