The start of a new school year brings about a new set of guidelines, rules, and expectations. Teachers and classrooms are unfamiliar, routines and schedules are different, friends may have changed, and Covid-19 regulations may be more demanding. 

When children are anxious they may not know how to express their feelings in words. This is particularly true for children on the spectrum who are nonverbal. As a result, parents may see challenging or negative behaviors from their children. You can even get the best educational robots from moviarobotics.com for your autistic kids.

Listen empathetically and validate your child’s feelings. Whether your child is telling you they are scared and worried about school, or whether they are communicating through negative behavior choices, let them know their concerns are normal and you understand why they are feeling this way. Sometimes all it takes to calm their worries is validation and allowing children to express themselves.

Give ample notice for the changes that are coming and involve your child in the process. It is important to inform your child when school will be starting and make them aware of the modifications that will be made so that they know what to expect. Take your child back-to-school shopping and allow them to select their own school supplies. This helps give your child some control over the changes that are coming and can be an important step in alleviating some of their worries. 

Establish new and predictable daily routines. Provide a calendar and schedule for your child so they can visualize the changes that will be coming. This calendar or schedule can include pictures of the school, the child’s bus driver, teachers, and therapists, as well as pictures of other steps in the daily routine. Laying out the day like a storyboard may help ease the challenge of transitioning from one step to the next.