Back to School: Neurodivergent Friendly Tips to Prepare Your Child

Back to school can be an exciting time for children but can also be overwhelming. New routines, new teachers and new classmates can cause a mix of emotions, especially for children who are neurodivergent or experience anxiety. Here are some back to school tips to make the transition smoother and help set your child up for success.

Tips for Preparing for a New School Year

• Rehearse routines: ease back into routines 1-2 weeks before term starts, to help prepare you and your kid and make the transition smoother.
  • Establish a regular sleep schedule, including waking up in time for school.
  • Practice getting dressed and packing school bags with your child, to help support their independence.
• Build familiarity: having familiar faces at school can help ease anxiety.
  • Organise playdates with classmates before school starts.
  • Arrange a pre-term visit to the school, to familiarise your child with the environment and their new classroom.
  • If possible, meet new teachers before term starts.
• Build excitement: turn anxiety into anticipation.
  • Tell positive stories about your own time at school.
  • Have a countdown to the big day.
  • Play school with your child at home.
• Open communication: having open conversations about school, changes, and feelings can help reduce anxiety.
  • Talk about the changes at school and what your child can expect.
  • Check-in regularly with your child about how they are feeling.
  • Help your child think through solutions to handling nerves and anxiety.
• Be organized: time management can be tricky when it comes to school days, so make sure you and your child are organized ahead of time.
  • Lay out uniform and pack school bag the night before.Pre-plan meals and prepare ahead of time if needed.Allow extra time to get ready on the first day of school.
  • Use visual aids to remind your child of schedules and checklists.

When to Seek Support

While it is natural for children to face challenges and struggles as part of their learning and growing, sometimes extra support may be needed to help your child thrive. Some signs that your child may be needing some extra support include:

• Academic challenges:
  • Difficulty with foundational skills, such as reading, writing or maths.
  • Inability to keep up with the curriculum.
  • Unable to concentrate or to follow instructions.
  • Difficulty completing homework.
  • Discrepancy between effort and achieved results.
• Change in behaviour or attitude:
  • Avoidance or resistance in going to school or participating in activities.
  • Increased anxiety, frustration or emotional outbursts.
  • Lack of confidence or self-esteem.
• Physical signs:
  • Difficulty sleeping.
  • Unexplained fatigue or low-energy levels.
  • Headaches or stomach-aches tied to school attendance.
• Social difficulties:
  • Trouble making or keeping friends.
  • Misinterpreting social cues.

Paediatric Support at Patches

There could be many reasons why your child is struggling at school: emotional challenges (eg. anxiety or depression), social challenges (eg. bullying), learning disability or neurodivergence (eg. autism, ADHD, dyslexia). It is important to identify the reasons why your child may be struggling, to seek the right support early.

At Patches, we understand the importance of timely access to the right support. We offer quality paediatric assessments and therapies, from our multidisciplinary team of paediatricians, clinical psychologists and allied health professionals.

For more information about assessments at Patches, visit our assessments page here.

Assessments at Patches:

• Neurodevelopmental Assessments
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Ages 4-17.5 years)
• • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Ages 6-17.5 years)
• • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) (Ages 6-17.5 years)
• • Anxiety
  • Global Developmental Delay (GDD) (Ages up to 6 years)
• Cognitive and Educational Assesments
  • Cognitive Assessments (Ages 6-17.5 years)
• • Intellectual Disability (ID)
• • Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)
  • Giftedness
• Functional Capacity Assessments (FCA)
• Speech and Language Assessments

To make a referral, fill out the referral form here.