On the first day of Prep all teachers, children and parents experience a range of emotions.
Parents of children with ASD may need to consider more than the usual concerns faced by most parents when their child starts Prep (e.g. where do I park, who do I need to speak to, will my child eat all their lunch). Parents of children with ASD may need the following support or information:
- day-to-day organisation and planning considerations
- how to actually leave their child that first morning
- whether to share the diagnosis with other parents
- any safety and environmental concerns specific to their child
- the planning and considerations for curriculum access
- procedures or routines for communication with the classroom teacher, particularly to let them know about anything that may have happened at home that may impact on the day or to find out about the child's day if the child unable to communicate that information themselves
- procedures and routines for communicating any school based concerns or issues
- future aspirations and their expected outcomes for their child in Prep.
Tips for supporting parents on the first day of Prep provides specific points for educators to consider and implement as required. It may be helpful if this information is provided to parents prior to the first day of school to ensure that they are prepared and that you have adequate time to discuss their concerns.
The Transition booklet: My journey to Prep has templates that may be used to document information to be shared with parents, including individual transition goals and activities and specific information about the Prep learning environment. Templates have also been provide which may be used to support effective communication between home and school.