10 Tips for Making Middle School Work for Kids With Autism
Kymberly Grosso, Psychology Today
Last night, my 8th grader successfully participated in his middle school's musical production. This was the third year that he was in the musical, but for the first time, he had a speaking role. I cried the first night, feeling so grateful that my son had this extraordinary opportunity. I never take his accomplishments for granted; he worked so hard to get where he is. I was also thankful that my son has many great teachers who get autism and who know how to help include our special needs kids in academics and extracurricular activities.
Three years ago when we began our transition meetings, I lamented over every little decision, afraid of what loomed in middle school. Let's face it, for many of us who do not have autism, we have mixed memories of that tumultuous time in our young lives. Therefore, as a parent, even when we have a neurotypical child, it can often be nerve-wracking transitioning from grade to grade, let alone from elementary to middle school.
As the end of 8th grade draws near, the lesson I learned is that middle school can be a wonderful experience for a child with autism. I also learned that even in the best school, things will never be one hundred percent perfect all of the time: you may still have occurrences when a certain teacher does not follow the IEP or conflict arises for your son or daughter. But overall, some middle schools are doing inclusion well for kids with autism and consequently, the kids are thriving.
Looking back on the past three years, I wanted to document the critical factors that seemed to make a difference in my son’s experience. Some of these factors parents can influence, and some are more difficult. I can personally attest to difficulty of rolling the ball up hill so-to-speak, when it comes to implementing change in schools. But if we start identify what is working well, then, perhaps, we can start to advocate and change schools so that they work for kids with autism instead of against them.
10 Tips for Making It Work for Kids With Autism in Middle School:
1. School Culture & Leadership
In my opinion, leadership is the number one factor in determining whether any school on any level can successfully teach children with autism. Whether the focus is anti-bullying, scheduling, or autism education, the principal and vice principals drive how well staff will follow these initiatives as well as the general culture towards inclusion.
Unfortunately, this is not something a parent can control, but it is a factor you can be aware of as your child moves into another school. If a principal lacks understanding of autism, this is a red flag. It will make things all the more difficult for you and your child. Conversely, when a principal gets autism, the results can be amazing and culture change follows: teachers follow IEPs, children with special needs are not just included but welcomed in every activity and sports, and leadership takes a proactive role in helping your child succeed.
2. Leveling Academic Subjects According to Ability, Not Diagnosis
This subject is one of my pet peeves. Too often, educators and even parents are tempted to put our children in lower levels when they really just need to be in the “correct” level, whatever that may be. What I have learned as a parent is that even though there are some rules schools use to level, leveling can be quite subjective...