Supporting School Transitions

Prior to the nursery to primary school transition, it is important there is communication and regular meetings between everyone involved, parents and carers, nursery and the school, well in advance of the transition out of nursery. Each child will have specific needs, however, below are some suggestions of supports that can be considered during this transition;

· Ensuring a clear support plan has been developed and shared with the school and new teacher

· Countdown Calendars

· Photos of new classroom/school areas and staff

· Social stories of first day at school

· Social story of a week in school

· Multiple visits to classroom/school toilets/lunch hall/PE hall etc. – visual preparation may help support this- ideally some visits at quieter times within those spaces

· Visits to meet school staff and other children (including ‘buddies’) in the school – visual preparation may help to support this

· Communication passports can be helpful for all staff working – including playground and lunchtime staff

· Considering trying school uniform early and making accommodations where necessary, as well as leaving out the school uniform in the build up to the first day

· Visiting the classroom and meeting with the teacher again just before the start date- possibly during staff in-service days when the school will be quieter.

· Ongoing open communication between parents and carers and class teacher

The above are just suggestions; families, as well as teachers, may find it beneficial to reach out to our Community Advice Services for autism-specific, person-centred advice and guidance to support this transition.

Prior to moving to a new year in primary school, it is important there is regular communication between everyone involved, the autistic child and young person, parents and carers, as well as teachers. Each child will have specific needs, however, below are some suggestions of supports that can be considered during this transition;

· Meet with the new teacher and classmates (if there are changes)

· Ensure any existing Support Plan/Communication Passport is reviewed and updated, whilst also shared with the new teacher

· Visiting the classroom and meeting with the teacher again just before the start date- possibly during staff in-service days when the school will be quieter.

· Schedule a meeting between parents/carers and new class teacher within a few weeks of the start of the school year.

· Ongoing open communication between parents and carers and class teacher

The above are just suggestions; families, as well as teachers, may find it beneficial to reach out to our Community Advice Services for autism-specific, person-centred advice and guidance to support this transition.

Prior to the primary to secondary school transition, it is important there is communication and regular meetings between everyone involved, the autistic child and young person, parents and carers, and representatives from both primary and secondary school, well in advance of the transition out of primary school. Best practice is to start this planning in primary 6; this is known as enhanced transition planning. Each child will have specific needs, however, below are some suggestions of supports that can be considered during this transition;

· Some schools introduce going to a different teacher in P6 and P7 for a specific ‘subject’. Often, this is modern languages and there can also be visiting teachers like PE, Music and Drama

· Can extra visits to high school be facilitated

· Is there support that can be provided with traveling to school – e.g. travel buddy, transport plan on young person’s phone

· Tours of high school when young people are in class, then experiencing break time and lunch time

· Arranging a key person/key people for the young person to feel a link to. This may be guidance staff/pastoral care/support for learning

· Finding out expectations on homework

· Considering trying school uniform early and making accommodations where necessary

· Identifying a quiet area or hub that the young person can access

The above are just suggestions; families, as well as teachers, may find it beneficial to reach out to our Community Advice Services for autism-specific, person-centred advice and guidance to support this transition.

Transitioning into school holidays and back out of school holidays can be very challenging for autistic children and young people. Changes to routine and structure and the added aspects of celebrations like Easter and Christmas can be overwhelming. At the end of term in school, there can be outings and many changes to curricular activities. Here are some ideas which may help –

· Visual timetables in class and at home. This can also be done on a whiteboard with, or by, children who often benefit from being part of the process e.g. drawing their own visuals

· Countdown calendars for the run up to holidays and the countdown to going back to school

· Social stories about holidays and explaining sometimes holidays are at home and sometimes involve going on day trips or extended holidays to stay in other accommodation

· After longer break, if school staff are in for in-service days, ask if your child could drop in to look around and familiarise themselves again particularly with any new classrooms or teaching staff

· Sometimes more structure is needed at home during the holidays, even if this is for play and leisure time, so visuals can help with this too. Using choice boards can help children and young people to structure their day.

· If holidays are busy times for your family, factor in some downtime each day

· If a new school uniform is needed for going back to school, consider introducing one part at a time

For support and tips for preparing for the festive period read our Preparing for the Festive Season advice article.

The above are just suggestions; families, as well as teachers, may find it beneficial to reach out to our Community Advice Services for autism-specific, person-centred advice and guidance to support this transition. Links to our Community Advice Services can be found at the bottom of the page.

Transitioning from school to adulthood can be a daunting but exciting time for all young people and their families; during this time, autistic young people may benefit from additional support throughout this transition.

Transition from school to adulthood can have many paths such as university, college, apprenticeship, work, volunteering and engaging with community.

For some autistic young people, they may feel ready to explore further education, maintaining the routine and familiarity of an education setting. For others they may want to explore new routines within work, apprenticeship and volunteer opportunities after secondary school.

It is important to acknowledge that some autistic young people may not be ready for further education, work or volunteering at the point of leaving secondary school. Some autistic young people may have experienced challenges throughout their schooling. Therefore, for these young people they could be experiencing autistic burnout which may impact their readiness for next steps. In this instance, these young people may benefit from a period of rest, focusing on wellbeing and recovery. Young people and families at this stage may find it beneficial to reach out to our Community Advice Services for autism-specific, person-centred, well-being focused advice, support and guidance.

Throughout this transitional time into adult life, it is important to be led by the autistic young person’s voice and choice, whilst ensuring the young person feels supported.

The following resources may be useful to find information and guidance to help you support autistic young people as they transition to adulthood, whichever path they may choose.

Enquire is the Scottish advice service for additional support for learning, they can advise on the obligations that schools and the wider authority have in relation to additional support. Visit their webpage about leaving school.

Salvesen Mindroom is a Scottish Charity that supports, informs, and empowers children and young people who are neurodivergent. Salvesen Mindroom have family advice and outreach specialists that can offer support through challenging times. Here you can access their Planning Guide and their Transitions Service Information for Young People.

Scottish Transitions Forum. Their aim is to improve the experiences of young people aged 14-25, who require additional support, whilst they make the transition into young adult life. With this in mind they created a document outlining “The Principles of Good Transitions”. These principles were developed recognising that young adult transitions can be particularly problematic.

Talking about Tomorrow is another helpful resource. This covers how to support transition planning, information on legal matters such as guardianship, as well as brief information about health and social care.

Independent Living Fund. The fund provides money for up to one year to support young people living with disabilities. The purpose of the fund is to help young people and adults between the ages of 16 and 25 with the transition after leaving school or children’s services. It aims to support the development of independent living skills and/or encourage and promote spending time with other people.

Some universities and colleges offer ‘Summer School’ or taster programmes that introduce young people to university/college life and helps young people familiarise themselves with the campus in the months prior to attending.

To enquire about this further, it may be helpful to contact the university/college directly to find out if they offer this or similar experiences.

It may be a good idea to attend an open day to see if the young person feels comfortable with the layout and signposting of the campus. If they cannot visit in person, there may be alternative options such as online open days or virtual tours if available.

Autistic people can access the disability advisor within their college or university. This can be valuable, as the disability advisor will know how to best support and advise disabled students about the specifics of the campus and the course in relation to the persons needs and adjustments. They will also advise lecturers and course tutors of any support needs and adjustments and can explain where to get support if the person needs it. In addition, many campuses have ‘safe’ spaces where people can go if they feel anxious, overwhelmed or just need time out.

In relation to student funding, autistic people can apply for the Disabled Students Allowance which is a fund that supports students who are disabled or have additional learning needs such as autism. In order to apply for this, the person would need to do so via SAAS who are the Student Awards Agency for Scotland, as well as meet the eligible criteria and undergo an assessment of need.

Disabled Students Allowance – Guide

Autistic people in further education may benefit from the below suggestions of accommodations and considerations:

· Finance – New financial arrangements may feel overwhelming so advice on budgeting for accommodation, bills and travel costs would be useful. An option may be researching budgeting apps. Support with spending student grants such as Disabled Students Allowance and student loans may also be beneficial. The National Autistic Society has an online managing money module which might be of interest.

· Reasonable adjustments – These are adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 to reduce barriers that individuals with a disability may face. This could be support with communications preferences, additional time in exams and assessments, a scribe or extra use of IT equipment, separate room for exams, proof reading support. (Further adjustments can be discussed with a disability advisor).

· Environment – There will be some changes from high school, and some interactions will be less formal, so lecturers can be approached in a different way to teachers in school. Some learning may take place in large lecture theatres, so it might be beneficial to consider acoustics, sitting near the end of a row and being near an exit. Spaces like canteens and labs may increase sensory sensitivity so strategies might be worth exploring.

· Transport – Consider travel arrangements to the campus and for some this may vary depending on added stresses and sensory fluctuations. If parking close by is necessary, then the autistic person may want to speak to the college/university or apply for a Blue Badge. Some universities/colleges/local authorities will offer transport sharing.

· Organisation and planning – It can be overwhelming for all students at the beginning of further education as they get accustomed to timetables, navigating campuses and travelling. If note taking is tricky, it might be worth considering recording lectures or find out if they are available online. If navigating the campus is tricky, a map or visual support to navigate the campus might be something worth exploring, if this is something that the person needs a bit of support with. These are areas of support that can be discussed with a student disability advisor.

· Changing friendship groups – In further education, there are likely to be students from all round the world on the campus. Friendship groups are likely to be different from school although some school friendships can remain right throughout student days and adult life. There are usually lots of clubs and societies at universities and colleges, information about these are usually shared during Welcome Week, it might be that some of these clubs and societies are based on interests that bring the person joy.

· Wellbeing and balancing energy – It is important to allow time and space to keep energy levels balanced. Socialising can be draining even though it is enjoyable. Developing a self-care toolkit might help and writing down what boosts energy and what drains energy can be beneficial. This is especially important during exam times, work experience or Welcome Week.

· Peer mentoring – Further education establishments may offer peer mentoring, especially in first year to support student to settle into student life.

Volunteering can be a good first step into the working world, this could be accessed whilst a young person is transitioning out of school and help with the transition into paid employment. Volunteering is a great way for people to develop skills, build experiences but also learn what works for them in a working environment.

Volunteer Scotland offer various volunteering options that can be found on their website, searchable by local area.

There are many services throughout Scotland who can provide Employability support, helping people to find employment as well as to grow and develop their own skills and strengths. Each local authority has a range of employability services; there are also several support services that can help with employability to explore the below:

· Skills Development Scotland have a wide range of services to support people in finding the right career path and the training necessary to get there. Though this service is not Autism specific, they do have staff who are skilled and experienced at supporting and working with autistic people.

Skills Development Scotland also support the website called ‘My World of Work’, this also offers various online resources.

· No One Left Behind is a Scottish Government approach ensuring that barriers to employment are challenged. Local authorities have their own strategies within this and contact details can be found on their individual websites.

· Enable has a breaking barriers program to support available in some areas of Scotland, with regards to work/study/volunteering.

· Into Work have many years’ of experience helping disabled people and those with long-term health conditions achieve their goal of both finding and keeping a paid job. Into Work can help you find the work you’re looking for; they have helped thousands of disabled people and those with long-term health conditions across Edinburgh and Midlothian.

· Real Jobs – The Action Group is a supported employment service to help people with a learning disability, autism, a long term health condition or other support needs to find paid work. The service is funded by a variety of sources and therefore is free to use for the client and the employer.

· National Autistic Society have an online learning module on finding employment.

Autistic people can often benefit from Mentoring and Coaching in a work environment. Mentoring and coaching can be beneficial to building confidence, improving communication in the workplace, and providing opportunity for continuous learning. This can be something you could explore with employers or can be accessed externally such as through Access to Work.

· Access to Work can help once a job offer is secured. This could help with various supports such as providing funding for a work strategy coach and any equipment that may also support within the role.

· Brain in Hand offer support but on a remote basis. This can help in various contexts.

Employers must make reasonable adjustments to make sure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs. The following links provide further information on this:

GOV.UK – Reasonable adjustments for workers with disabilities or health conditions

The Equality and Human Rights Commission – In employment: Workplace adjustments 

ACAS – what reasonable adjustments are

ACAS provide free and impartial information and advice to employers and employees on all aspects of workplace relations and employment law. ACAS have a helpline for anyone who needs employment law or workplace advice, including employers, employees, and workers.