My son is due to move to secondary school in September and is becoming anxious about the change. Any suggestions on how to make the transition as smooth as possible?
My son is due to move to secondary school in September and is becoming anxious about the change. Any suggestions on how to make the transition as smooth as possible?
Many parents notice a change in behaviour around periods of transition in their child’s life - whether it is moving house, changing schools or going to a new residential home. Often people try to reduce their anxieties about a new place by trying to imagine what it will be like, but people with autism might find it hard to imagine a new situation or environment.
Planning ahead
It is therefore important that you provide your son with a realistic picture of what his new school is going to be like. Ask the new school if you can visit, either before the school year ends, or over the summer holidays. See if they can provide him with a map of the school, with the classrooms he will need, toilets, dinner hall, etc all clearly marked. Ask if he can have a timetable as soon as possible so that he can plan his routes between rooms for each day.
Over the summer holidays you may like to make a scrapbook of his new school with photographs of his school, classroom and the key staff he will come into contact with, such as his class teacher or teaching assistant.
It is also important to run through your son’s new route to school. If it is a walk, go through the route a couple of times over the holidays; do the same if you will be going in the car. Make sure you build some variation into the route so that he does not become upset if there is a change in route because of traffic.
If your son needs to get the bus, you might want to take the bus route with him a few times, making sure he knows where to wait for the bus, the timetable, where to get off, how much it will cost and so on.
Buddies
Many children with autism benefit from having a buddy, especially during the first couple of days. A buddy can help with tricky social situations such as noisy buses and teasing. If your son does take the bus, is there someone he can sit with? Is there someone from his primary class that can initially buddy with him at school, perhaps meeting him at the front gate every morning?
Maintaining successful behaviour strategies
It is also important that the new school is aware of any successful strategies that were in place at your son’s old school that they should implement. This will help to keep the transition as smooth as possible. Does he carry 'fiddles' (things he likes to handle, eg pebbles or marbles) in his pocket, or do you use a stress scale with him? Also, as it has been a period of upheaval and change, you may find that you need to visit previously successful behaviour strategies temporarily, until your son becomes more settled in his new routine.
You might also find it helpful to read further information about transition issues in education.