Heading back to school can be both exciting and challenging for children of all ages and abilities. For example, while they may be excited about seeing their friends again or learning new things, each academic year brings forth new challenges.
Children with autism and related disorders, however, are more likely to encounter challenges during school than their neurotypical peers. For example, a recent study found that “74% of autistic students in the U.S. graduate with a diploma, versus 86% of all students.”
However, this does not mean that your child is not capable of great things or excelling in school. You simply need to ensure that the right accommodations are put in place to allow them to thrive both academically and socially.
With that in mind, here are some useful back-to-school tips for children with autism!
Students with autism and related disorders are more likely to thrive in environments they feel comfortable in. As such, you should reach out to the school to see if they can tour their new classroom (or classrooms) ahead of time so that they can familiarize themselves with this space. This way, they don’t feel quite as overwhelmed on the first day of school.
Meeting your student’s teachers ahead of time is also incredibly worthwhile, especially if they have not taught your child before. After all, while they may have previous experience in supporting neurodiverse children, no two children experience autism in the same way. As such, discussing your child’s specific needs with their teacher can allow them to put the particular provisions in place to support them.
One way you can ensure your child has the best possible experience at school is by encouraging them to advocate for themselves and ask for help when needed. For example, if your child deals with sensory issues, then you should encourage them to let their teachers know when they are overwhelmed and need to move to a less overstimulating environment. This can help prevent negative behaviors while ensuring their needs are met.
If your child is starting school for the first time, they may benefit from reading social stories that help them to better prepare for the changes that come alongside this. For example, you may find the following social stories useful:
● Going To A New School
● Recess
● Transitioning To The Bus
Discussing school and the challenges they may face during this important period in their life with your child’s therapist can also be useful. For example, if they are attending ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis), their therapist can help them develop a range of effective coping mechanisms that will allow them to thrive in any environment. Alternatively, a speech therapist can help them improve their communication skills to better convey their needs to their teachers and make friends with other students.
If you’d like to find out more about our therapy services, please do not hesitate to get in touch today.
Emotional regulation is something that we all struggle with – even into adulthood. However, the way in which we regulate our emotions varies on a case by case basis – and the same can be said for children with autism and related disorders.
Many children with autism use ‘stimming’ as a form of emotional regulation, which is why you may already be familiar with the term. In this guide, we’ll break down exactly what stimming is, and steps you can take to support your child.
Stimming is short for self-stimulating, and refers to repetitive behaviors/actions carried out by individuals as a form of emotional regulation or self-soothing. While seemingly ‘random’, they provide the individual with a sense of comfort, especially when they feel overwhelmed.
According to Autism.Org, Typically stimming behaviors could include:
There are many different reasons why a person may ‘stim’. For example, it could be seen as an “an attempt to gain sensory input, eg rocking may be a way to stimulate the balance (vestibular) system; hand-flapping may provide visual stimulation.” Alternatively, it can be an involuntary response to emotional stress or anxiety.
As a parent, it’s only natural to want to intervene when your child seems distressed. However, in most cases, stimming is a response mechanism, meaning that it actually helps them to calm down and intervention is not strictly necessary.
Intervention may be required if stimming behaviors leave your child at risk of physical injury. For example, this could include behaviors such as headbanging, scratching or biting. In these cases, parents should:
Identify (and remove) the trigger. Stimming is often not ‘randomized’, but rather a direct response to something happening around them. For example, children who are sensitive to loud noises may stim when in crowded or noisy environments. Identifying triggers enables you to remove your child from the situation and better avoid them in the future.
Learn to redirect. Parents of neurotypical and neurdiverse children alike often become adept at redirecting their children. For example, you may use toys to distract them when they are about to start crying. These same techniques can come in handy when redirecting a child who may be at risk of hurting themselves. For example, using the same example as above, if their stims are the response to loud noises, you could hand them some headphones that either cancel out noise completely or play their favorite songs.
If your child is enrolled in interventive therapy, such as ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) or Physical Therapy, you will also be able to discuss behaviors such as stimming with their therapist. This way, you can decide upon a suitable course of action moving forward, or find ways in which you can better support your child in their daily life.
If you’d like to find out more about the therapeutic services we offer, both online and in-person, please do not hesitate to get in touch today.
Amazing Kids. Amazing Progress. Alee is a leading provider of clinic, school and home-based pediatric behavioral healthcare in New England.