It’s time to go back to school!

The new school year is right around the corner. This time of year, may be both exciting and anxiety producing for your child. Some of the challenges your child may face include getting enough sleep, setting a routine, and waking up on time. Following close to three months of summer fun, they may find it challenging to sit at a desk for a length of time, follow directions, stay on task, and attend to the teacher’s lesson. It’s important to remember what it is like as a child to start a new school year, meet a new teacher, and make new friends! Let’s look at some ideas to assist your child in returning to school successfully.

A School Preparedness Checklist

1. Talk to your child about the upcoming school year in a positive manner. 
2. Mark your calendar and have a fun countdown to the first day of school. 
3. Include your child in back-to-school shopping. Offering choices between which lunch box or backpack they like will help empower them to make decisions and get excited about school. 
4. Create a “drop station” in your home where all school items are kept such as backpacks, shoes, jackets etc. Keeping school items in one place can help ease stress on busy mornings. 
5. Practice earlier bedtime 1 to 2 weeks before school starts. 
6. If the client is going to a new school, request to visit school and meet the new teacher beforehand. 
7. Create a list of reinforcers that are non-electronic 
8. Practice reciting personal information: Name, school, phone number, address, etc. 
9. If child has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), call the school to meet new case manager and ask for a meeting to make sure that all goals, accommodations, and behavior strategies are up to date for the new school year. 
10. If a child has a BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan) through the school, make sure that strategies and interventions are up to date. 

Written by: Holly Pericozzi-Rehm, BCBA, Regional Director

Plan Ahead, Stay Ahead

Does your child struggle with changes in their daily routine? If so, you may consider allowing time to adjust to a new sleep schedule by altering bedtime/wake time for a few weeks prior to the start of the school year. You can create an alarm schedule that shortens 5 minutes each day to ease into a good wake up time. For additional morning motivation, you can reinforce their wake- up time by making their favorite breakfast, having a highly preferred activity planned, or time to play with their favorite pet.

A new classroom or school is a big change. One way to help your child is to develop opportunities to expose your child to the new environment as much as possible. This could mean taking a drive around the school and talking with your child about the fun things that will take place. You may consider asking the school for an early opportunity to meet the teacher and see their new classroom prior to the start of school. This will help your child visualize what the first day may look like, help them learn the lay out of the school, and be better familiar with the environment.

Reinforce Good Behaviors

Check with the school/teacher to see what their new daily schedule will look like. You may then be able to set your child’s day at home in a similar fashion. Tools to include may be creating a visual schedule, setting a timer, having a designated area for reading or activities. If you’re able this is a great time to pair similar school activities with highly preferred items. Does your child have trouble sitting? Incorporate some fun activities with the goal of staying seated. Here are some examples your child might enjoy including, Playdoh, preparing a snack to eat, art project, sensory bins, or playing a favorite game. Just remember if your child gets up, pause the activity, ask them to sit back down, then resume it.