Middle School Transition for a Child with Autism – Part Four
Middle School Transition for a Child with Autism – Part Four
More thoughts on middle school
In my first three blogs about my child with autism’s transition from elementary school to middle school, I discussed how I prepped him for the change, how he learned to get around a new campus, and all of the on-campus activities my son discovered.
Back to School Night
I would highly recommend that a parent attend your child’s Back to School Night.
What is Back to School Night?
Typically, Back to School Night is a night when parents get to hear about their child’s individual classes.
They get to meet with the teacher. It is usually a non-child event.
The elementary school version
In elementary school, the parent sat in one class, heard a very detailed outline of how the teacher intended to teach the childre, and there was plenty of time for parents to meet the teacher.
My husband and I discovered that the middle school version of Back to School night was different.
Why?
Because my son had six teachers, not just one.
And, so did every other middle school student. Lots of them.
A whirlwind
The middle school Back to School Night was a whirlwind of sitting in class number one and listening to the teacher for ten minutes.
After that, we had to hustle to our child’s second period class.
After the second class (ten more minutes from Teacher #2), we had to hustle to class #3, and so on.
Ten minutes
Ten minutes is not a long time to get to know your child’s teacher.
I had an issue with that. I never understood why the meeting had to be so quick.
The Back to School night instructions
Worse were the Back to School instructions.
They stated, “Please do not talk to the teacher. If a parent needs to talk to a teacher, the school can arrange a separate meeting.”
I had a bigger problem with that.
What did I do?
I ignored it.
At the very end of each ten minute discussion, I hustled up to each teacher and quickly introduced myself.
Remember, I had already sent each teacher an email that introduced our son.
Fortunately, most of the teachers remembered my email and that made for a quick connection.
What we discussed (quickly)
My husband and I quickly re-iterated our desire for an open line of communication. We wanted to help the teacher as much as possible.
Each one seemed pleased to meet us. (FYI, we were not the only parents to ignore the “please don’t approach the teacher” instruction)
Were there any hiccups during the first week or two of middle school?
Of course there were.
First, about eight days in, we got an email from the English teacher telling us that our son was talking out of turn. We thanked the teacher for the information and talked to our son.
We reminded him that he had to wait until he was called. And, sometimes, he’s not called.
Second, on Back to School night, the last teacher we met was the science teacher.
The last teacher meant the last class of the day.
I asked her if he was “antsy” during her class.
She said, yes. However, she wisely put him up front next to her. She also told him that he could use a small space in front of his desk to stand if he needed to move his body.
The tardy slip
There was one tardy slip.
The first week of school is known as “tardy-free.” They do not give our tardy slips until the second week of school (and thereafter).
It was in the third week that our son took too much time after the very first morning bell to get to his locker and then get to his first class.
Why did it happen?
He explained that students are not allowed to visit their lockers until after the morning bell.
What did we do?
We needed to plan what books came home the night before, so he had them ready to go in the morning.
Therefore, when I dropped him off at school, he no longer needed to go to his locker right away.
What about the transition from elementary school to middle school for a child with autism?
It’s really all one huge adjustment.
It’s a transition and things are different.
However, it’s workable.
So far, my son has done extremely well.
Older
Now that our child is getting older, we tell him that he’s going to be getting more responsibility.
For example, we told him that it is his job to remember to switch his books before I pick him up from school. (He’s only forgotten one time.)
We also told him to not worry about bullies.
“Enjoy school. Try hard, and do your best. Remember that your body might get a little wound up from time to time, but you’re old enough to know how to deal with it. Ask for help, if you need it. You’re in a typical school because you belong there. We know you can have success, and fun, at the same time.”
Middle School Transition for a Child with Autism – Part Four. (Plus, check out Parts one – three)
For more advice on middle school and children with autism, check this out:
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