Preparing for back-to-school with an autistic child

Is it back-to-school time already? Retailers would like us to think so. Though it may seem like they are trying to rob us of a few precious weeks of summer, marketers actually have the right idea in cueing parents to begin back-to-school preparations now. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders generally have a more difficult time with transitions. It stems from the fact that they have trouble shifting attention from one activity to the next and tend to have a greater need for predictability. As any parent of a child with autism knows, preparation strategies are crucial. These next few weeks are the perfect time to begin preparing your child for the back-to-school routine. By using this time to slowly transition into the routine, it will help avoid the meltdowns and behavior issues that can occur when a child is not adequately prepared for a new situation. If your child has trouble waking up in the morning, start putting him to bed earlier, using 15-minute increments to get the time earlier each night. Once he is used to waking up at the expected hour, waking up on the big day will be much easier. Next, you need to establish a consistent morning routine. Using a visual schedule is a great way to demonstrate to a child the sequence of events that make up this routine. You can prepare the schedule together with your child using pictures or drawings of familiar activities such as going to the potty, brushing teeth, getting dressed, and eating breakfast. The visual schedule will give your child a sense of control and allow him to understand which activity follows which. To help avoid power struggles, it is helpful to have a desired activity follow an undesired activity. For example, if TV is part of your morning routine, make sure the more difficult tasks such as getting dressed come first and TV time can serve as a reward.
Give your child a 5 or 10-minute warning (or both) before he is expected to move onto the next activity. Never whisk him away from a preferred activity and demand that he get into the car when it is time to leave. When giving warnings, try to make the instructions as clear as possible by breaking them down into simple steps. Sometimes a seemingly simple statement such as “we’re leaving in 5 minutes” can be too difficult for a child to understand. Instead you can say “in 5 minutes we have to walk out the door and get into the car”.  If power struggles over food or clothing are an issue, be sure to offer choices, as in “you can have cereal or oatmeal”. This will give the child a sense of control and reduce the power struggles. Once you have established your routine, stick to it and be consistent. Having a predictable and consistent daily schedule builds confidence in a child, decreases anxiety, and encourages cooperation. Preparation and consistency are the keys to success when it comes to back-to-school readiness.