The majority of children look forward to summer vacation. It provides a nice break from the everyday routines of a school schedule. Summer vacation means for most, a break from the usual structured activities that children have every day both in school and at home.
However, for families with children who are diagnosed with autism, the onset of summer vacation is often a stressful time. The disruption of everyday routine is not something that children with autism readily welcome. Any changes in schedule no matter how fun and exciting can be a cause of stress for an autistic child.
To help your child manage the transition between school and summer vacation, it is a good idea to let your child know that the school year is about to end a month or so before the last day of school. Let them know when the last day of school is and prepare for the activities that will occur during summer vacation. You can read books together regarding the last day of school and summer vacation. Reading these books will provide them a sense of what to expect.
It is also advisable that you create a daily schedule that your child can refer to during the summer break. This will give your child the structure that they need to feel secure as well as the consistency that they long for. In your child’s schedule, it is important that you include all the activities that they will be doing during the day. In addition to any structured activities that you have planned for them, also include all the basic daily activities that they need to do during the day. These can include activities such as dressing up, brushing teeth, play time, eating meals, snack time, travel to a swimming class, etc.
If you have a family trip planned for the summer, you need to put that trip on the calendar. This way, your child will know when to expect the trip. Letting them know where you are going, when you are going, what to expect on the trip and how long the trip will last.
Post the schedule where your child can have access to it. Having a schedule posted for all to see will let them know ahead of time what to expect and will help your child with lessening his anxiety.
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