Back to School Ideas from an Occupational Therapist
Welcome to 2024! January means off-to-school time. Whether it’s a child or young person’s first day at school, or they’ve been going for some years, the start of the school year is an adventure.
Adventures can be exciting and filled with opportunity, but they can also be anxiety-provoking.
I’ve worked with children who have loved school, but struggled with some of the stressors involved. The structure of mainstream education can be overwhelming for some children and young people.
Some students may benefit from different learning models, such as distance education or homeschooling. These flexible models often support their passion for learning.
To quote one young person who was accessing distance education: ‘Kristy, I love school. I’m actually good at it. I just couldn’t do mainstream school’.
I thought I’d take a moment to share some tips to ease the transition back to school, especially for families of neurodiverse children.
These quick tweaks and ideas can help navigate the back-to-school adventure for your neurodiverse child.
Back to school tips for neurodiverse children and their families:
Before school goes back, try on the school uniform (including shoes and socks!) on different days, for different lengths of time. This can help identify subtle sensory preferences and make adjustments with time to spare. This tip is especially helpful for children with sensory processing differences, including autistic kids and kids with ADHD.
If possible, re-introduce your primary school aged child to their teacher during book drop off. Talk with your child and ask if there’s anything in particular they would like to know about their new teacher.
If it’s the first time at a new school, ask the school for pictures of ‘need to know’ places and people at school. These places include: the classroom, library, oval, play area, toilets and the music room. People include: teachers, teacher aides, chaplains, guidance officers and other school support staff.
Have access to a range of crunchy and chewy snacks for the drive home. Oral motor input can be really regulating and can help kiddos de-stress after a big day. Ideas include: icy water through a thick straw, ice chips, celery, carrot sticks, apples, crackers, fruit leather, jerkey, sour strap lollies, and bubble gum.
Offer check-ins about how school is going at different times after school. Sometimes younger and older children can take a little time to process the big things they have experienced. They may say nothing happened during the car ride home, and then share their adventures at bed time!
Have you tried any of the above ideas? How did they work for you?
The school experience is variable for children, young people and their parents. I wanted to acknowledge that the sensory, learning, and social demands of education environments may not be the best fit for an autistic child. That doesn't mean your child is broken, damaged, or doing something wrong. That means the system is not designed for your autistic child. If you would like to explore options about supporting your neurodivergent child or young person, get in touch.
Your friend in neurodivergence – Kristy.
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