In just over 4 months my gorgeous autistic 4 year old will be starting school. If I’m honest I’m really scared about it! A couple of years back my now 6 year old was more than ready for school. She’s a little smarty and could already read, write and count up to 30 by the time for her to start came around. Now I know we mustn’t compare our children, but with siblings close in age it’s hard not to. But it’s my mission for the next few months to help my autistic child start school to the best of our ability.
The autism world is completely new for us. We knew little Dottie had a speech delay as she was not talking by 2 years old. It wasn’t until she started her preschool class at nursery back in September that they called me in one day and mentioned that they were concerned for her development compared to her peers.
Since then we’ve filled in numerous forms, and had zoom and in person meetings, appointments for specialists you name it! Parents who don’t have an SEN child will not realise what we SEN parents go through. That’s it I’ve said it. I’m an SEN parent. I have found it much harder than my husband to come to terms with Dottie’s autism. To start with I thought it was something I did while I was pregnant with her! I thought getting up at 4 am for going out to work, running around after a 2 year old and then staying up late blogging wore both me and her out and it somehow affected her development in the womb. After reading lots up on the topic, I now know that wasn’t the case.
I’ve decided to write this blog post about getting Dottie ready for school as a working list I can look back on over the forthcoming months. I hope you find it useful too!
Preparing an autistic child for school – the fundamentals
- Work with your nursery/preschool and the primary school to come up with a transition plan.
- Develop an IEP (individual learning plan) with the school.
- Familiarise your child with the primary school and practise the new school routine before starting.
- Build up a good rapport with the primary school, communication is key for everyone.
How to prepare for change
Liaise with the school. Speak to the school SENCO, headteacher, and reception teacher and arrange visits to the school and classroom after school. This can be weekly leading up to the summer holidays. Dottie has been with me taking her sister to and fro school for the past 2 years and has met the reception teacher, so I feel she already knows the school and surroundings. Our next step is classroom visits. You can walk past the school, take a drive and mimic the school run, talk about it and prepare them. Our school is also doing transition days in the second half of the summer term for the whole of the new starter class.
We use visual picture boards with Dottie as suggested to us by her SALT (speech and language therapist) so we will get some pictures laminated showing her the school routine. It helps us to reinforce the verbal communication part with her. We speak in short clear sentences and repeat it 2-3 times so she processes what is being said.
Talk to your child’s current nursery/preschool. Do they have a learning plan in place for getting school ready? In the preschool learning environment, it’s an ideal time to get 4 year olds to mix with peers and help each other to learn about teamwork, how to care for their own belongings, taking turns, interacting with other children, listening skills, show and tell and talking about feelings. I know some of these things listed won’t be achievable at this time for all children, but it’s a start in making them aware.
Communication with the school
Be open and honest with the school about your child’s needs. What do they like, dislike, capabilities etc. Good communication between all parties will make a difference in your child’s education. We are currently awaiting the outcome of an EHCP for Dottie, it goes to a panel with our LA in a couple of weeks. It’s needed for her so she can get the 1:1 help she needs at school. My greatest fear for her is that she will get lost and overwhelmed at school. But with an EHCP in place, the school will get the funding for a 1:1 TA from the teaching assistant agency for her.
Don’t forget to get your child’s nursery to hand over information regarding your child to their new primary school to make the transition easier.
Support at home
Starting school is a big milestone in life for all children. Support at home will be vitally important in those first few weeks while they are adapting and learning the new changes. They will be more tired for sure. With big things happening outside the home, it is best to keep home life the same. Keep things in the same place, and bedtime routines the same etc. Familiarity is key.
As a parent, it’s normal to ask them about school and what they did that day. But it can be overwhelming for an autistic child, so refrain from asking question after question straight away. Give them time after school to regulate after a busy day.
If you think I’ve missed anything to help an autistic child start school please let me know!