Daycare, school and the transitions between
The breaking points are rarely in the middle of the school year. They are at the transitions — and those can be prepared for.
Children on the autism spectrum often manage better at daycare and school than parents fear — as long as the conditions are right. It almost always becomes difficult in the same places: at transitions.
The move from daycare to primary school. The change to secondary school. A change of teacher, a new class composition, a house move. In these phases what was painstakingly built up falls away: familiar people, familiar routines, familiar rooms.
The good news: transitions can be planned. Unlike a meltdown in the supermarket, they announce themselves months in advance — and that time is exactly the lever.
Four things that make transitions easier
Starting early is more effective than reacting well.
Begin a year ahead
Choice of school, visits, conversations with the receiving institution: those who start a year in advance have a choice. Those who start in the summer have only the remaining places.
Pass on the profile
One page with the essentials — what calms, what overwhelms, how your child communicates. It saves the new institution weeks of finding out.
Agree on concrete adjustments
Extra time, breaks, a place to withdraw to, a different examination format. Exactly what is possible differs from one institution to the next — so ask early and put what you agree in writing.
Get to know the rooms beforehand
Visit the new building during the holidays, walk the route to school, look at the classroom. What is familiar costs no energy on the first day.
Read on in Mika Guide
In Mika Guide you will find preparation aids for conversations with daycare and school as well as the profile to fill in.
Preparing the parent meeting
What to write down beforehand so nothing gets lost in the appointment.
The profile for the institution
One page that explains your child — for teachers and support staff.
Arrangements that ease the day
Small changes to the daily routine that often achieve more than large measures.
Kindergarten and school support: an individual plan
Not lower expectations — a fair path to the same goal.
Transitions and Changes
It’s rarely the destination that’s the problem — it’s the leap in between. Transitions are often the hardest part of the day.
The app is free; the first section of this module is free to read, the deeper content belongs to Mika+ (one-time €9.99).
When things are not going well at the institution
If conversations repeatedly lead nowhere, if your child is excluded or the situation escalates, there are routes beyond the classroom: the head of the institution, the school psychologist and educational adviser, developmental counseling services and autism associations. You do not have to wait until it becomes unbearable.
Which rights and support measures exist is governed by the law of your country and changes over time — check this with the responsible institution or an association. Changing institution is not a failure; sometimes it is the decision that changes everything.
Would you like to talk about it?
I am glad to support you in conversations with daycare or school and in preparing a transition — including attending appointments with you.