Managing transitions

The New Zealand Curriculum states:

As students journey from early childhood though secondary school and, in many cases, on to tertiary training or tertiary education in one of its various forms, they should find that each stage of the journey prepares them for and connects well with the next. Schools can design their curriculum so that students find the transitions positive and have a clear sense of continuity and direction.

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Transitions of all kinds, including between activities, people, situations, and settings, are a challenge for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. People with ASD often:

have rigid thought patterns and difficulty in anticipating the unfamiliar

have a great need for routine and feel stressed when this is lost

find it difficult to understand the expectations and rules in a new social environment

focus intently on tasks and feel stressed when they are expected to move on to a new task, especially if the first has not been completed

process sensory information differently, which can lead to a sense of being overloaded when entering a new setting.

A good transition into school is really important and you as a parent need to do your best to make sure the school understands your child’s needs. I think it’s also important that the teacher makes sure [your child] understands what she [the teacher] is asking of him and that he has the support he needs to progress. I think you need to make sure that you sort out the small problems before they become big ones. And if your child is able to talk to you he can offer solutions to his problems. He always needs to know how to cope next time.

Linda Gilkison, mother of Tom, in Autism at School: A Video Resource for Teachers and Parents in New Zealand (Smith 2009)

Strategies for smoothing transitions

Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Resource for Educators recommends that when students go to a new classroom or school, detailed profile information about trigger situations, strategies, and skills needs to be passed on with them.

The New Zealand Autism Spectrum Guideline provides more detailed guidance (see sections 3.1.d, 3.3, and 3.4.c). For example:

All transitions for students with ASD should be carefully planned. The child or young person and the new environment should both be carefully prepared.
Work (paid and unpaid) should be considered an option for all people with ASD, regardless of their intellectual ability. The known support needs of people with ASD who also have an intellectual disability should be considered for the transition into work. Specialist employment services should be developed for people with ASD.
Leisure and recreation planning should be included in a student/young person’s transition programme and this information shared with post-school providers.

In its review of how schools are catering for students with high needs, the Education Review Office provides examples of strategies for managing transitions. Good communication, which takes account of all perspectives, is crucial.

At their best, transitions involved several staff, working together with a student and their family so that the specific needs of a student were taken into account in making a transition as effective as possible.
2010, page 16

Some of the successful strategies ERO observed were:

spreading pre-entry visits over one or two terms
staff of the contributing school or early childhood centre meeting with staff of the new school
addressing building or equipment needs
effective hiring and training of teacher aides
incorporating planning in students’ IEPs
using photos or learning stories to support students to know the routines, people, and environment of the new school
teachers preparing their classes so they could understand what they might expect from their new classmate and how they could make them welcome
in some instances, allowing students to attend part-time.

Reflective questions

What modifications can we make to our daily routines, timing of activities, and use of space to support students through transitions?
Who should we include in the planning for transitions?
How can we communicate with each other in a way that is manageable but effective?