Top 5 Ways to Prepare for the Back to School Routine

By Kathi A Flynn

If your child with special needs is heading back to school, the transition can be difficult. It is especially difficult if your child will be entering a new school, classroom, or getting a new teacher and classmates. Even if your child is fortunate enough to have the same teacher or classroom, he is currently having a 2-3 week vacation since summer school or camp ended. It is important to prepare your child with parts of the routine before the school routine begins. This will facilitate the transition and decrease the time it takes to adjust to so many changes. Below are the top 5 ways to prepare.

1. Visit the school/classroom/teacher

If it is possible to do all 3, that is excellent! Due to extenuating circumstances such as staffing and construction, sometimes it is not possible to go in and visit the classroom or teacher before school begins. If you call the school, and you are given permission to enter the building, you may be able to at least see the classroom, and possibly catch the teacher who may be setting up the classroom. This week is probably the most likely time to catch your child's teacher. Whether the school is familiar or new to your child, one thing you definitely can do is visit the outside of the school and the grounds. Walk around the building and spend some time on the playground. Drive to the school several times. This will help familiarize your child with the route to school and what the school building and playground look like.

2. Start the morning routine

With school not in session, you've probably had some lazy summer mornings consisting of staying in pajamas for a while, and/or going out to breakfast. It's time to set the alarm, get dressed, brush hair and teeth, and have breakfast in more of a structured routine so that you and your child become used to getting ready for school in a limited time frame. This is especially helpful if your child needs continuous prompting during the morning routine, is not very independent with some of the daily living skills of getting dressed, etc., or if your child does not move very quickly and mornings are particularly challenging.

3. Go for a morning outing

Right after breakfast, pack a backpack with a snack and some reinforcers if needed, and head out of the house, just like your child would on a school day. First, you can go for a drive to your child's school and, as mentioned above, spend time visiting the inside or just the outside grounds. Then, if you want to continue the outing, you can go for a visit to the Library (which is very similar to school), or to a sensory gym, park, etc. The idea is to head out early to a set location to get used to having a place to get ready to go to in the morning. Even if your child will take the bus, driving to the school and heading out together will help ease anxieties and build some elements of the school routine.

4. Add more work related tasks to your day

Now is the time to start adding more structured tasks into your child's day so the demands of school are not so overwhelming on day one. Set up table top activities and try to increase time on task. These tasks should be simple or review of mastered skills so that your child is focusing more on sitting and working in a structured space like she would be at school. Set up activities that your child enjoys. Some suggestions are puzzles, coloring, simple matching games, or any other language building tasks you may have with picture cards, etc. Try to set a goal of 2-3 table top activities a day.

5. Get back the night time routine

With 2 of my own children, I know that summertime and vacation time has consisted of going to bed late, staying out late at a friend or family member's house, or staying up to watch "one more movie." It is time to start going to bed early with a routine, whatever that may consist of with a bath/shower, bedtime story, etc. This will also help your child get up in the morning.

Best of luck preparing for the school routine! Your child has a lot of changes to adjust to. It is best to get your child used to the parts of the routine that you have control over now so that there is less to adjust to once school begins!

Read more special education resources, especially tips for children with autism, on my blog, http://www.tips4specialkids.com

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