The new school year can be a stressful time for any child. This is especially true when you are dealing with a child on any part of the Autism spectrum. Even if you are sending your child to of of the private Autism schools, care still should be taken to make the experience as stress free and even fun as possible.
- Go to the school before the school year starts. Even if you are sending your child back to the same school for special needs students, a refresher course in the layout of the school is always helpful. Make an appointment to see the new teacher and walk around the campus. Look at the classroom or classrooms where their classes will be, take a tour of the cafeteria and the gym. This is also a good opportunity for you to meet and speak with the teachers and other staff who will be spending so much time with your child.
- Work out a plan for each day. You should do as much as you can the night before school to eliminate stress in the morning. Make it a routine to help them pick out their clothes, pack a lunch and put everything they will need together in the evening. Being well organized like this can make a big difference for your child.
- Make a list of what tasks need to be done every day. Having a check or “to do” list ready with everything that you and your child need to do to be ready for school can help make the process a lot easier on you both. Go through it to create it and then again, every day when you work your way through it. If your child is not as verbal as other children, you can also use maps, images and other visuals to help with your plans for the day.
- Set the alarm earlier. Give your child more time than you think they need in the morning to get up, get ready and to have breakfasts. Experts at private Autism schools and schools for special needs kids say that one of the best things you can do to help children with Autism is to not hurry them. You should also have a buffer time so that you are all ready to leave home about 15 minutes before you need to go.
- Start your routine for school days several weeks before school starts. Over the summer months, most kids with Autism and without it, take advantage of their break to stay up later and wake up later. When the school year’s start is only two or three weeks away, start putting them to bed at the hour you do during the school year. Start getting them up at the same time you do for school at the same time. This takes time for everyone to adjust to but that it even more true for kids with Autism.
- Keep calm. Experts at private Autism schools like to remind parents that their mood has an impact on their children. Whether you have kids with Autism or not, if you approach them in the morning with a stressed out aura, they are going to sense that and will become more stressed out themselves. Be careful to follow a routine that helps you be more calm and you will see an impact in your child’s stress level.
- Make sure there is not too much going on in the morning. When you are getting your child ready for school in the morning, you want to make sure there is not a lot of noise and activity that may upset them. A good habit to get into is to put calm and soothing music on and avoid starting the day watching news or anything else on TV.
Getting children ready for a new school year is often fraught with stress and trepidation. That is only increased when you are sending your child to one of the private Autism schools in your area. The good news is that there are things you can do for and with your child to make the experience go smoother for everyone who is involved. School can be fun.
