The 2021-2022 school year has been completely different from any other time in history! Here are three tips to prepare your special needs child for the upcoming school year, whether they'll be going to in-person classes or homeschooling.
1. Expose your special needs kid to the classroom early
See if you can visit the school beforehand, to show your child where they will sit, where they will eat, where the bathrooms are, etc. Hopefully on this visit they will get to meet their new teachers! If you can't visit beforehand, try to see of the teacher will send you pictures of the classroom, especially of where your child will sit and any lockers or cubbyholes that they will use.
If you will be homeschooling or in a quarantine pod, start setting your kid's desk and learning area up. See if the teacher can meet virtually on Zoom, and practice using learning technology.
2. Start routines early
Bring up the topic that summer is ending and that school will be restarting.
All children benefit from getting into a set routine as the school year approaches, says Dr. Patricia DeForest, pediatric palliative physician and assistant professor for the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
But for a child with special needs, she says, you probably need to start a little earlier.
"At least two or three weeks before school starts, start that routine to get them comfortable with it before the big change is going to come," DeForest says
11 tips for preparing kids with special needs for the back-to-school transition
Don't forget to include the transportation and lunch routines set up! Talk and roleplay through these scenarios of what will happen.
For pandemic homeschooling and quarantine pods, develop a schedule to get your kiddo used to going from play time to learning time. This is especially important if your kid's computer is also used for fun and games. Set time limits for learning slots (if you have that option), and don't forget to make a list with your kiddo of reasonable break activities.
Give five and one minute warnings and use visual reminders to increase awareness of time and help ease into the upcoming transition, whether your kid is physically going back to school or will be learning from home. Work with your child to build a list of reasonable rewards for maintaining their schedule.
3. Get familiar with the school's mask and COVID-19 policies
Your child's school will probably require or at least strongly encourage mask wearing. Some children will have a harder time wearing masks than others.
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario recommends normalizing mask wearing with the following exposure and desensitization strategies:
"¢ Are you buying a mask? Try giving your child some of the newer child-friendly designs to choose from or get them to help decorate a pre-made mask.
"¢ Are you making a mask? Let your child to choose material.
"¢ Create an exposure hierarchy to understand your child's fears. From least scary to most scary it might be: seeing others wear a mask, seeing a mask, touching a mask, putting on a mask for short periods of time and putting on a mask for longer periods of time.
"¢ Teach distraction strategies like distracting with music, videos, video games to help pass the time while wearing a mask.
"¢ Practice calming strategies like deep breathing, going outside, going for a walk, etc.
"¢ Consider motivating kids to get used to wearing a mask by pairing it with something they enjoy, like allowing video game time (within your limits) while wearing their mask.
Children's Hospital Eastern Ontario
Communicate with your child's IEP team about how learning supports and strategies will be adapted this year. If you're schooling in a quarantine pod, make sure to communicate with the other families to set expectations about masking and what happens if a kid is exposed to COVID-19 or contracts the virus.
Autism Speaks has an extensive back to school COVID-19 planning worksheet and information.
What strategies are you implementing to help your special needs child transition to school this year?
What have you found that works and doesn't work for preparing your kiddo for the 2021-2022 school year? What resources have you found best for parents of children with special needs? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.
