Making the Return to School a Positive Experience

This is being written as the dregs of yet another storm passes through Ottawa; the heat has shifted and we are sitting at a cool 17 degrees. Parents, caregivers and teachers, you know what that means. It’s time for back to school and all of the excitement, hope, terror, anxiety and feelings that come with it. Of course, your kids are probably nervous too.

All joking aside, I don’t think we ever get over those fall feelings that tell us change is in the air. If you are a parent of an autistic, or neurodivergent child or teen, you may be looking at the next month and the back-to-school season with a certain sense of trepidation. This month’s submission is intended to give a few tips and tricks for your child’s transition back to school.

Pre-planning:

  • Ensure your child is given plenty of time to get used to the idea of school starting back up.
  • Listen to your child’s fears but also focus on the things they may be excited about.
  • Strategize ways to deal with the fears that are sure to come up.
  • If possible, do a tour of the school and classroom before the first day of school.
  • Get your child involved (where possible) in choosing back-to-school supplies, as well as any items that will help your child regulate and focus (fidgets, etc.).
  • Ensure you have reached out to the school (or plan to) to be sure an IEP is in place to support your child.
  • Get your child to pick out their clothes the night before and anything else they want to bring with them to school.
  • Start the waking up earlier schedule a week before.

The day of:

  • Give your child lots of notice and time to respond to your request to get out of bed and get ready. Remember, they may struggle with anxiety and nerves which will make it hard to process your requests.
  • Do not put too many demands on them on this first morning.
  • Remind them to use the strategies you have gone over.
  • Remind them to reach out to an adult or friend if they are struggling.

When to access additional resources:

Many of your kids will already have an IEP or IPRC but if things are not going well, when do you reach out for further support? The answer is, if at any point you feel like your child or teen is struggling to access the curriculum and/or not being supported in the social and classroom environments, you should reach out.

Who do you reach out to?

This depends on the situation but generally, you would start with the EA (if your child has one), teacher, resource or support person, principal, VP of Special Needs of your school board, ABA team or a Social Worker.

If you are seeing an increase in anxiety or stress, or changes in behaviour, it is good to contact mental health supports. ACT’s Mental Health team is available to support you if needed, please contact us to get started.

Marnie Potter, RSW, MSW
ACT Learning Centre Social Worker