In the Schools & On the Bus

Making everyday transitions a little easier

The School Day Is Full of Transitions

We often think of school transitions as the big ones—starting kindergarten, changing schools, moving to junior high or graduating.

But a regular Tuesday can contain dozens of them.

Get off the bus. Hang up your coat. Go to class. Put away your math. Head to gym. Come back. Change teachers. Go outside. Come inside. Get ready for lunch. Stop lunch. Start something else.

That's a lot of stopping and starting.

For a student with FASD, each one can require time to process what's ending, understand what's happening next and shift attention to something new.

Sometimes what looks like “not listening” may actually be “I'm still trying to finish the last thing.”

A little extra time, a warning before a change and clear information about what comes next can go a long way.

The Bus Is Part of the School Day, Too

The school bus may only be one part of the day, but it's a pretty important transition.

Think about everything involved: leaving home, getting to the stop on time, remembering belongings, finding a seat, managing noise and other students, following bus expectations—and then arriving at school and immediately transitioning again.

And at the end of the day?

We do the whole thing in reverse.

Predictability can help. The same seat when possible, clear expectations, simple directions and knowing what will happen if the regular routine changes can make the ride feel much more manageable.

Sometimes a smoother school day starts before the student ever reaches the classroom.

A Little Warning Goes a Long Way

“Okay everyone, put that away. We're moving on!”

For some students, that's plenty of information.

For others, not so much.

Warnings can give the brain time to prepare for what's coming:

“Ten minutes until we clean up.”

Then five.

Then two.

Visual schedules, timers, first/then language and simple reminders can all help make the next step more predictable.

And if you've already given the reminder?

You may need to give it again.

That's not necessarily a sign the student wasn't listening the first time. Sometimes information needs to be repeated at the moment it's actually needed.

When the Plan Changes

Substitute teacher. Indoor recess. Different bus driver. Assembly. Fire drill. Field trip.

School is wonderfully predictable—right up until it isn't.

For students who rely on routine, an unexpected change can take a lot of energy to manage.

When possible, tell the student what's changing, what isn't changing and what will happen next.

Instead of simply:

“We're not having gym today.”

try:

“We're not having gym today. We're staying in our classroom instead. After that, we'll still go to lunch like usual.”

That little bit of information can help put some boundaries around the unexpected.

We can't make every school day predictable.

But we can make change a little easier to understand—and sometimes that's enough to make the next transition a whole lot smoother.