It’s a new school year. For a child with Autism that means shifting routines, new social environments, and likely new IEP team members to work with. Even the most competent and understanding school staff are going to need some time to really understand how best to work with each new Autistic student they come across. Likewise, your child might need an adjustment period to get comfortable with these new adults’ ways of doing things.

Needless to say, these first few weeks of the school year are rife with opportunities for misunderstandings, miscommunication, and meltdowns. So what is a family to do? Here are a few suggestions:

Get your child’s old teacher to communicate with their new teacher.

By the end of last school year, chances are your child’s teacher (and/or aide) learned some very useful hacks for educating your child. While you likely possess the exact same knowledge (and then some!), it’s human nature to receive advice better from those in the same boat as us. Therefore, request that your child’s previous teacher reach out to their new teacher with any useful tips. The obvious caveat being if last year’s teacher was a complete mismatch for your child, in which case reach out to the last teacher who you felt had some degree of success with them.

Make sure school staff know your name, your face, and the sound of your voice, and immediately connect it with that of your child.

Don’t wait for conferences, the IEP meeting, or the dreaded “emergency” meeting to get in front of the staff who interact daily with your child. And not just their primary teacher. This means principal, lunch lady, librarian, and whoever else. Try to connect with these individuals on an authentic level. Then educate them on your child’s strengths as well as their needs, and encourage them to contact you if they see your child struggling. Once you are a known entity who staff feel connected with, they are more likely to reach out to you BEFORE an incident occurs. 

Make connections with as many of their classmates’ parents as possible.

This one can be tricky, but open houses and PTSA meetings can be key. The rationale here is similar to the previous bullet point. If other parents know you and have some understanding about your child’s Autism, that tends to trickle down to your child’s peers. For example, if your child has a meltdown in the middle of class and their classmate brings it up over dinner that evening, parents aware of your child may use it as a teaching moment to build empathy for your child.

Stay positive (or at the very least, act positive)

Autistic children aren’t exactly known for their ability to accurately perceive what others are thinking or feeling. However, anxiety (especially in a parent) seems to come through loud and clear! And they can absorb yours like sponges, which is not great considering they are probably already carrying around more than their fair share. Use your supports and self-care thoroughly at all times, but especially during the first month or so of school. They need your confidence that the rest of the school year is going to be manageable and that they will do great.

For additional ideas on how to ease the transition into the new school year, here are a couple of resources I thought gave some great suggestions:

https://iancommunity.org/back-school-tips-students-autism-and-parents

https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/17-tips-help-transition-back-school-kids-autism

-Alex