Helping Autistic Children with Transitions
Changes between activities, places and people can be hard for many autistic children. Small preparations make each change more predictable and less stressful.
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See programmesA transition is any change from one thing to another. Some are small, such as stopping a game to come for dinner or moving from the carpet to the tables. Others are big, such as starting a new school or moving house.
Many autistic children find transitions difficult. Stopping something you are absorbed in, not knowing what comes next, and coping with a new place or new people can all cause anxiety. What looks like stubbornness is often a child trying to manage a feeling of uncertainty.
Give warnings before changes
Sudden changes are the hardest. A warning gives the child time to prepare.
- “Five more minutes of Lego, then it’s bath time.”
- A visual timer that shows time running out
- A countdown with fingers or a song
Be consistent. If five minutes regularly becomes fifteen, the warning stops meaning anything.
Show what comes next
A visual timetable or a “first and then” board shows the sequence clearly. Some children find it helpful to carry a small object linked to the next activity, such as a swimming cap before swimming, which acts as a bridge between the two.
Make endings easier
It can be hard to leave something unfinished. Ideas that help:
- A “to be continued” box where unfinished drawings or models can wait safely
- Taking a photo of a Lego build so it can be rebuilt later
- A clear end point, such as finishing the page rather than stopping mid-sentence
Preparing for bigger changes
For new schools, new classrooms or new teachers, preparation weeks in advance helps.
- Visit, if possible. Look around when it is quiet. Find the toilets, the coat pegs, the lunch hall and a quiet place.
- Make a photo book. Pictures of the building, the classroom, the teacher and the route there. Look at it together often.
- Practise the journey. Walk or drive the route a few times before the first day.
- Talk about what will stay the same. The same lunchbox, the same bedtime, the same comfort object.
- Plan the first day in detail. Who will meet them, where they will hang their coat, what happens at lunch.
Many schools offer extra transition visits for children with SEND. Ask the SENCO early.
After the change
Expect some difficulty in the first few weeks, even when things are going well. Children often hold it together at school and show their stress at home. Keep evenings calm, keep routines steady, and allow extra rest.
Respect the effort involved
Coping with change takes real energy for many autistic children. When a child manages a hard transition, say so: “That was a big change and you handled it.” Over time, positive experiences of change can build confidence, and the child learns strategies they can use for themselves as they grow up.
Worth remembering
Coping with change takes real energy for many autistic children, so praise them when they manage a hard transition.
Try this
Before your next change of activity, give a clear five-minute warning with a visual timer, and keep to it.
Check what stuck
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