Back to School Season
- Applied Behavior Concepts
- Aug 10, 2019
- 2 min read
This summer has gone by in a blink and Back to School is just around the corner. Stores have mounds of school supplies, lunch bags and back packs on display just pleading with our wallets to take them home. This time of year is both exciting and stressful – especially for families that have children with special needs. Regardless of what the diagnosis is autism, attention deficit disorder, anxiety, a successful return to school requires a consistent schedule and preparation.
In these last few weeks before returning to school it is time to start adjusting sleep/awake schedules, meal times, and “screen” time. By gradually adjusting over the next three weeks when the big day arrives it should help to avoid meltdowns. Another tip that can help to ease the transition back to school is to reach out to the school and contact your child’s new teacher to find out details about the classroom, their daily routine and the school menu for September. Also, provide the new teacher with information about your child – not just their diagnosis – tell about the things you love in your child, things they excel at and also what causes struggles.
If you don’t have an opportunity to meet with the teacher in person prior to the school year beginning, write a letter and include a list both favorite things to do, eat, play, watch and least favorite. Share if there are any sensory issues (loud noises, tactile defensiveness, etc.). Tell the teacher what you want the world to know and understand about your child in that letter.
You might want to visit the school (with or without your child) so you can take pictures to incorporate into a social story. Social stories can be created to teach your child the name of his/her new teacher, the classroom rules, etc. before school starts. The social story should be reviewed several times a day leading up to the first day of school. Talk about school with them, encourage them to talk about their friends from last year, staff from last year, ask open ended questions so they are engaged and not just giving “yes/no” answers.
If you know one of the students from last year’s class will be with your child again this year, try to establish play dates or time together prior to school starting. Try playing school at home – work sheets can be printed from any on-line site to practice complying with increased demands.
Frequently remind your child when school will begin (maybe do a calendar countdown or paperchain count), remind them of what grade they will be in. But most of all tell them how proud you are of them and that they will have an amazing school year!
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