The back-to-school season can be exciting, but for kids with sensory processing disorders or autism it can bring additional challenges. New routines, unfamiliar classrooms and sudden changes can lead to anxiety and dysregulation. Incorporating sensory strategies to ease the transition can help kids feel calm, confident, emotionally regulated and ready to learn.

Below are some of our occupational therapist-approved tips to try at home.

Sensory Strategies for Back to School

1. Create a Consistent Routine With Visual and Sensory Supports

Consistency is a key factor in helping children feel secure in their environment. Help them get ready to go back to school by slowly introducing the new routine over a longer period of time. Try this:

• Create a visual schedule of what they’ll have to do to get ready for school (waking up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, packing their bag, going to the bus, etc.)
• Include calming activities in the bedtime routine to ensure a good night’s sleep before school (use a weighted blanket, read a book, listen to soothing music, take a bath)
• Have a few “dress rehearsals” before the first day of school, to ensure your child feels comfortable with the routine. Walk through each step of the process, using a visual timer to help them stay on track

4. Plan for movement breaks

Children with autism or sensory processing needs often benefit from regular movement throughout the day, to help them manage sensory input and maintain focus. You can add these to your child’s schedule before and after school. Teachers may be able to incorporate some of these ideas into the class routine, too. Some simple activities include:

• Jumping jacks while wearing a body sock or using Stretch Bands on hands and feet
• Traverse a sensory pathway made of engaging decals in the hallway
• Get a boost of proprioceptive input on a trampoline
• Do animal walks across the room
  

5. Read social stories

Prepare your child for what to expect, and reduce anxiety about the unknown, through social stories. You can create your own, starring your child, or use ones with characters that your child relates to. These stories are great to:

• Practice social scenarios, like greeting the teacher and old friends
• Talk through stressful situations (exams, needing to ask for help, etc.)
• Build familiarity with what could happen at school, leading to greater confidence

6. Create a calm morning plan

Make mornings go smoother and feel less stressful by developing a solid plan for your child to follow each day. Your kids (and you) can enjoy a peaceful morning pace by starting the day with a sense of sensory equilibrium.

• Increase a sense of independence with a visual schedule
• Use visual or auditory cues to remind your child what needs to be done. Get creative with them so it feels less like nagging!
• Offer soothing pressure input with compression clothing or slip on a weighted vest  during breakfast
• Gear the foods at breakfast toward your child’s sensory needs– chewy foods to wake them up, crunchy ones for alerting oral input, and cold foods or drinks to calm their system

OT Tips for Parents

Children often look to their parents to learn how to respond. Your attitude can greatly influence how your child feels about going back to school! Here are some ways that our occupational therapists recommend parents help their kids start the school year right:

• Validate your child’s concerns about school, and discuss them together
• Use positive reinforcement to celebrate small wins every day
• Add extra time to routines, especially in the morning
• Give your kids extra time to adjust
• Label your child’s sensory tools so they don’t get lost

Heading back to school doesn’t have to mean getting back to stress. You can help your child feel safe, supported and empowered to take on the new school year with these sensory-friendly strategies!

Want to make your school a more inclusive learning environment? Learn more about our ActiveMind program to meet all student needs. Check out more resources, like our Sensory Check-In With Your Child’s Teacher.