The School Years

Autism, the School Years

• Learn everything you can about how to develop an effective individualized education plan (IEP) 
• Develop a meaningful relationship with the classroom teacher, the speech therapist, the occupational therapist and any other support faculty and staff. Insist on observing school and therapy sessions quarterly. It’s your right. Get this request on to the IEP
• Make sure your school team writes goals for toileting training, eating appropriately, dressing, recess skills, receptive language and expressive language, working in a group, play skills, motor planning, problem solving and cognitive expansion (academics)
• Make sure your son or daughter is using their communication skills at home and in the community. Request an Alternative Assistive Communication assessment to support communication and curriculum/cognitive learning. A certified speech therapist with AAC knowledge can complete an assessment. You must make sure you request this through the IEP process or find an outside therapist to complete and share with the district.
• Make sure you are taking your son or daughter everywhere (stores, family gatherings, playgrounds, museums, concerts, library, camping, etc.). They must learn to deal with change. 
• Each new place you go develops receptive language skills and prepares them for life.
• Use the Social Story model to prepare your son or daughter for new activities https://carolgraysocialstories.com/. Teachers should also be using this strategy to prepare for change and understand new situations
• Work with your Occupational Therapist in school or outside of school to identify sensory process challenges (overloads) and design home and community supports to decrease anxiety of new and novel places. 
• The Alert program can help https://www.alertprogram.com/ and the Zones of Regulation Program can help, http://www.zonesofregulation.com/index.html 
• Don’t over schedule your child. They do need time alone away from demands and sensory stimulation. Be careful about game time on the IPad. Limit and also only up load meaningful activities. Try to spend time on the device with them.
• Check out Special Olympics https://www.specialolympics.org/ and get your son or daughter involved in group activities early.
• Check out special summer day and overnight camps http://www.viaservices.org/services/via-west/summer?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Via%20West%20Respite%20Care&utm_term=%2Bspecial%20%2Bneeds&utm_content=Autism, https://www.mysummercamps.com/camps/Special_Needs_Camps/ It is critical that your son or daughter learn to be with other children and to be away from parents. You must build independence early. It takes time