Starting primary school is a big change. Many autistic children may find it challenging to deal with a new environment and changing routines. 

There are a number of things parents and carers can do to help prepare children for the transition to primary school:

• Visit the school with your child before they start, so that they can become familiar with the surroundings.

• Share information about your child and their needs with the school’s special needs co-ordinator (SENCO).

• Ask your child’s nursery or other early years setting to pass on information about their needs to school.

• Consider phased entry, where your child only attends school for a limited number of hours to start with.

• Create your own picture book: Ask the school for photos of the building and key people your child will be involved with, and use them to create a book that you can look at and talk about with your child before they start school. Books about starting school by other authors or creating social stories can also be helpful.

• Practise the journey to school with your child.

Read more tips and advice on how to help your child with the transition to primary school by clicking on the links below.