Rhi is a mum of four, living in Wales, who has autistic children. Here she offers her tips for how you can prepare and support your autistic child as they return to school after time at home.
Hi, I’m Rhi, I am a mum of four, living in Wales.
So when it’s time to go back to school talk to them about it, say what’s coming up, have a little countdown to it perhaps, talk about what that’s going to look like, what their day is going to look like.
I need to prepare my children so that they know what’s coming and they deal with it a lot better, and I’d say that whether your children are on the spectrum or neurotypical then preparing them and keeping them informed in an age appropriate way is going to help.
So when my children, especially my children on the spectrum, are starting to feel really anxious I try and help them identify how they’re feeling. We talk about things like doing breathing exercises when we’re feeling stressed or anxious – and we just really slowly breathe in and hold it and really slowly breathe out.
When my children are getting really, really anxious I do some grounding with them, so I hug them really tight and then say ‘right, tell me something you can see. Tell me something you can hear. Tell me something you can smell,’ they usually say Mummy! ‘Tell me something you can taste.’ I mean at the time they usually say, ‘I can’t taste anything!’ because obviously they’re not eating anything. But these little exercises really help them to just stop, slow down, calm the anxiety of whatever the situation might be and re-focus so we can move on with the day.
Rhi's tips:
- Talk to your child about what they can expect when they return to school. Their timetable especially, including lunchtime!
- Help them to identify and share their emotions with you.
- If they're feeling anxious, talk about breathing exercises or grounding - which could include hugging and talking through what they can see, hear, smell, taste and feel - then try them together! You could even fit these techniques into your schedule at home.
More help as children go back to school…
This article has schooling tips for parents of autistic children.
BBC Bitesize has lots of great ways to help parents help their child with their learning at primary and secondary school age.
In this article, illustrator Rob Biddulph shares how to use notes and messages to help your child face back-to-school nerves
For some children going back to school can cause anxiety. Read here for support and advice on ‘after-school restraint collapse’, how to tackle anxiety and emotionally-based school avoidance
For first timers - Starting Primary School and Starting Secondary School are two collections lots of advice - aimed at parents of children about to enter a new school.