Handling the End of School Transition for Your Child With Autism

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Handling the End of School Transition for Your Child With Autism

By Symon on May 26, 2010

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The end of the school year is a busy but exciting time of year for students and

their parents. School parties and summer fun is just around the corner. Kids are

eager for vacation and looking forward to all kinds of summer activities. For

many children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs, the end of

the school marks an important transition time for families and teachers

including assessing student progress, reviewing Individual Education Plans,

developing appropriate goals, and preparing to transition to new teachers,

classrooms, or schools. Few programs offer systematic and thorough support for

these students and their families to ensure the smoothest transition possible

and maintenance of annual gains. Many programs do not offer continuous

educational support and most fail to allow time or resources for the current

teachers, aides, and specialists to collaborate with next year’s educational

team. Therefore, parents are often responsible to make this transition happen.

Here are some tips for getting through the summer and planning for fall for your

child with special needs!

Gather Information from Your current Teacher

Being proactive not only helps your child during the school breaks, but also

sets him or her up for greater success when school resumes. Your child’s

current teacher has gotten to know your child very well during the year and has

likely worked hard to learn techniques to effectively instruct your son or

daughter. Some teachers create visual supports, implement communication or work

systems, or develop behavioral programs. For example, your son may have his own

picture schedule to let him know and predict the daily activities. Your daughter

may have her own behavioral rewards program for finishing her work or for

socializing with friends at recess. Ask your child’s teacher if you could keep

a copy of any of these materials that have been successful. Also, write down

strategies that have been attempted and those that have been successful to share

with your child’s next teacher.

Meet in Advance with Next Year's Teacher

It is important to establish a good relationship with your child’s teacher.

Teachers need to feel valued and trusted. Sometimes, small gifts like baked

goods, gift cards, or crafts your child makes go a long way! Other strategies

are to share the information from the previous class teachers with the upcoming

teacher. While your daughter may have had many excellent specialists to support

her, it is likely that that person no longer works with your child. Let the new

teachers know what has been helpful and what has not worked in the past. Find

out what strategies and routines the new teacher typically uses for students

like your son or daughter and ask how you can prepare your child before school

starts. Create a plan for ongoing communication between you and the teacher –

something quick & simple, like a simple checklist of the day rather than writing

a long daily journal.

Meet Other Parents

You may be able to establish social relationships prior to the first day of

school by learning which students may be in your son or daughter’s class. For

children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, social interactions can be the most

challenging situations. Instead of waiting until the new school year, work on

establishing social relationships over the summer before school begins. Make

plans that include short and structured activities for children to get to know

each other. Play dates without structure have not been shown to be as successful

as when planning is involved. For example, invite a few classmates over to bake

cookies, eat lunch, and then eat their cookies for dessert. Meet at the park to

play Duck Duck Goose, Red Light Green Light, and Follow the Leader. Or, prepare

an arts and crafts project where the kids are encouraged to work together and

share materials. Having an advanced plan allows the children to get to know the

expectations and also helps the adults facilitate social interactions between a

child with autism and her peers.

Prepare Your Child

The one who will benefit the most is your child! You can practice routines and

lessons with your son or daughter before school starts. Visit the school and

your child’s classroom in advance. Create a photo book of the different places

on campus your child is likely to visit (library, lunch tables, yard,

classroom). Make a short video clip of your child at each of the locations as

practice for getting around campus independently. For example, have him enter

the school grounds, walk to class, sit in his assigned seat and have materials

ready. For a younger child, take photos of his classroom and his seat location

for circle time. Include activities that are available for recess. Ask the

teacher if you and your child can practice coming to class a few days before the

academic year begins to become familiar with the environment. Many teachers are

on campus anyway preparing the room. Be respectful as they are very busy getting

ready for your child and all of the other students in their classroom – a

short visit! Get a copy of the books or lesson plans that the teacher will use

in advance. Some teachers know the exact page numbers and details of their

lessons well in advance while others have a general idea (e.g., First week will

study dinosaurs, Next week we study habitats and maps). Either way, this

information will be useful to discuss and practice with your child before the

materials are presented in class. Children have been shown to be more on task

and engaged with lessons when they are already familiar to them.

And, finally...

Hopefully these techniques can help you and your child be prepared for another

academic year. Now, you just need to go shopping for a new lunch box, school

supplies, and a new first day outfit!

About the Author

Symon, Ph.D. BCBA-D is an Associate Professor in the Division of

Special Education and Counseling at California State University, Los Angeles.

She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and consultant for early

intervention preschool programs. Dr. Symon coordinates the autism programs at

CSULA and is the Project Director for a federally funded grant to train general

and special education teachers, speech therapists, and related professionals how

to support students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Symon's background

includes work in homes, schools, and community settings with individuals with

mild to severe disabilities and across the age ranges. She publishes her

research findings in peer-reviewed journals and in texts and also presents at

local and national conferences. Her research interests include parent education,

early intervention, teacher and paraprofessional training, and program

evaluation for individuals with special needs, particularly those on the autism

spectrum.