Middle School Transition for a Child with Autism – Part Three
Middle School Transition for a Child with Autism – Part Three
The first day in middle school
Before that first day, I felt we were fairly well prepared.
My child felt comfortable on the new campus, he got assigned the English teacher from his summer class, and he was looked forward to a couple of his classes.
How was the beginning of school?
He said it went well and he seemed happy.
At the end of that first day, I met him on campus in order to walk him over to the Teen Scene (the after school program).
The after school program
For years, my son had gone to an after school program three days a week.
He wanted to continue to attend the after school program in middle school.
I signed him up at the Teen Scene and he stayed for an hour.
That first week
The rest of week went well.
Were any adjustments made?
My son made an adjustment in his route from class to class.
After a couple of days, he realized that he only needed to visit his locker once during the day. Because he went twice a few times, he got to the lunch line too late to get “the good meals.” (Meaning pizza.) So, he cut out the second locker visit.
He already enjoyed his elective class, a combination of Lego robotics and engineering.
Because the class was first period, he looked forward to going to school.
Clubs
My son also began to discover various clubs that he wanted to attend.
Why did I like this idea?
Bullying was still on my mind.
First, I discussed with my son how, during lunch and recess, he needed to try to hang out with kids he knows. I encouraged him to find familiar peers during those periods. It would make him less of a target.
Turns out, clubs meet during lunch.
My son found three clubs that he wanted to attend: Minecraft, chess, and a Green Environment type of club.
One club met twice a week.
Four lunches in a classroom with a club!
Excellent.
His new routine
Leave PE, get his lunch, and go to one of his club meetings.
Clubs are monitored and he got to know new kids with similar interests.
Have there been any other adjustments?
The new school is a walkable distance, if you ask me. (I love walking.)
The location is farther away from our house than the elementary school. And, the walk to the school is uphill.
Since there are a lot more kids, there are a lot more cars that drop off kids in the morning.
Walk to school
My son and I began a walk to school schedule. Two days a week we walk to school. The other three days, I drive him.
To drive there, I had to figure out a good drop off route. Once I learned the new route, it worked out fine.
In addition, my son eventually got used to walking up the hill to school in the mornings.
End of the days
Three days a week, my husband or I picked him up from Teen Scene.
Two days a week, I picked him up at the end of school.
Again, I had to figure out a pick up spot that worked well for both of us.
So far, so good.
Here are some more tips on sending your child with autism to middle school:
In my next blog, I will discuss some stray thoughts about my son’s transition to middle school.
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