As summer winds down, many families are starting to think about the return to school, or their child’s first year at school. For some children, the transition from relaxed summer days to the structure of a school routine can bring excitement and anticipation. For some children, however, changes in routine, environment, expectations, and sensory experiences can affect emotional regulation, and this can be a challenging time.
The good news? There are ways that parents and caregivers can help make this transition more predictable and supportive. Rather than focusing on making a child “comply” with a new routine, an emotional regulation approach asks an important question: What can we do to help our child feel regulated, supported, and ready to participate?
Make the New Routine Predictable
Transitions involve moving from one activity, environment, or task to another. For some autistic children, this can be difficult because they may not know what is coming next. Predictability can make a significant difference.
As the end of summer approaches, consider gradually introducing some of the routines that may be part of the school day:
* Practicing familiar morning and evening routines.
* Establishing more predictable sleep and wake times.
* Using visual supports to show what will happen next.
* Talking about upcoming changes before they happen.
* Breaking larger routines into smaller, manageable steps.
Visual supports can be particularly helpful for children who have difficulty holding information in working memory. Pictures and written information remain available to the child, whereas spoken information disappears as soon as it is said.
**Tip:** Think of predictability as a support, not a demand. The goal isn’t to make your child follow a routine perfectly; it is to make the routine easier to understand.
Practice Transitions, Not Just Tasks
Going back to school is one big transition made up of many smaller ones: getting dressed, leaving home, travelling to school, entering the building, moving between classrooms, stopping one activity and starting another, returning home, etc. Cognitive flexibility, the ability to switch between tasks, strategies, or perspectives, develops over time. Children who have difficulty with flexibility may find changes particularly challenging, but these skills can develop with appropriate support and strategies. Rather than waiting until the first day of school to practice, look for natural opportunities during the last weeks of summer to help your child experience small changes.
* Change the order of a familiar activity occasionally.
* Practise moving from a preferred activity to another activity.
* Give your child information about what will happen next.
* Use visual supports to make changes easier to understand.
* Allow extra time when moving between activities.
Remember that difficulty with a transition isn’t necessarily a behaviour problem. The SCERTS Model teaches that all behaviour is communication, so any difficulty in transitions is a sign that your child is having difficulty processing the change.
Look at the Environment
A new classroom brings new sensory experiences. Sensory experiences that may have little effect on one person can be significant sources of stress for another. Supporting regulation means understanding an individual’s sensory needs, limiting overwhelming input when possible, and providing coping strategies when the environment cannot easily be changed. Before school begins, think about your child’s particular sensory needs. Does your child find certain sounds, lights, smells, textures, or crowded environments overwhelming? What strategies already help them regulate? Share this information with the school team, and consider what environmental changes or supports might help.
Some strategies may include reducing overwhelming auditory input, creating a quiet break space, and modifying the environment to better accommodate an individual’s sensory profile.
**Tip:** If your child already has a strategy that helps them to regulate, and it is safe and healthy, consider how adults can support rather than prevent its use. Recognizing and supporting a child’s natural coping strategy can reduce distress and help them remain engaged.
Look for the “Why”
In our programs, our staff always look for a reason behind dysregulation. When a child becomes overwhelmed, cries, runs away, shuts down, or has a meltdown, it can be tempting to focus on the behaviour itself. Instead, pause and ask what might be contributing to the child’s experience.
Is the environment overwhelming?
Is the child tired or hungry?
Is the task too difficult?
Are there too many instructions at once?
Does the child understand what is expected?Has something changed unexpectedly?
Extreme dysregulation can affect concentration, communication, problem-solving, and information processing. What looks like a behaviour problem may actually be a sign that a child is overwhelmed and needs support.
Focus on Regulation Before Learning
As your child prepares to return to school, remember that emotional regulation is foundational to all learning. Individuals need to be emotionally regulated in order to learn and grow. When someone is dysregulated, even an otherwise engaging activity may not result in meaningful learning. This means that sometimes the most helpful thing we can do is pause the task, reduce demands, adjust the environment, or provide a regulating strategy. The goal isn’t simply to get through the morning routine or make it through the school day. The goal is to help your child develop the capacity and supports they need to participate, communicate, connect, and learn.
You don’t have to navigate that transition alone. Our team at Children’s Autism Services is here to support autistic children and their families throughout the school year.
Please reach out if you have questions or would like to learn more about how we can support your family.