Autism Awareness

• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Highlights from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth
• Ten Facts About Autism
• Terminology And Language

Download printable tip sheet

1. Try to keep sleeping patterns to the same routine as much as possible during the last few weeks before school begins. Return to typical bedtime hours at least 3 days prior to the start of school, regardless of the age of your child/youth. 
   
   
2. Remember to create a bedtime routine that includes quiet, calming activities like bathing, reading a book, and mindful activities before bed. Reduce screen time at least 2 hours beforehand, if possible. (Example)
   
   
3. Continue to support routines and set expectations as you go through the summer, especially when you begin to plan for the transition back to school. Routines and expectations can become more flexible over the summer months, and resuming a formal schedule and setting expectations can be difficult as your child returns to school. Watch these videos for tips: Building successful routines and setting expectations.
   
   
4. Use a calendar to mark the return to school so your child/youth can predict how their schedule will change in the coming days. (Calendar example)
   
   
5. Consider introducing a visual schedule of the day, if you haven’t been using one over the summer, to help your child/youth be more aware of what they will be doing each day. Eventually, add in some learning activities in preparation for school starting. (Visual schedule pictures)
   
   
6. Talk about your child/youth’s school, teachers, and peers. Show pictures of them if you have them, refamiliarizing your child/youth with people and places they will be going back to. Drive by the school and play in the yard.
    
7. If your child/youth has gotten a new toy or is interested in a new character or game, be sure to share this information with your child’s/youth’s teachers. Knowing your child’s/youth’s new interests or preferences is very helpful, as they can be incorporated in learning activities and used to help develop friendships with peers. (Child reinforcement survey - Youth reinforcement survey)
   
   
8. Help your child/youth create a good-feelings box that includes pictures, familiar objects, and affirmative statements that bring them joy and help when they are feeling overwhelmed or anxious. This box can be brought into school and shared with staff and/or kept in their classroom or locker. (Good feelings box link)
   
   
9. Fill out or create your own All About ME package that can be shared with your child’s/youth’s teachers to help inform them of their strengths, interests and communication needs. (Child link and youth link)
   
   
10. Create a social story about returning to school, highlighting what your child/youth enjoys at school and identifying strategies they use as a reminder of what to do when feeling overwhelmed. This may be helpful to have on hand and review a few days in advance of school. 
    
    
11. Before the start of school, start to plan what your child/youth will need to have ready the morning of the first day. Prepack their knapsack, having them participate in choosing what will go inside. Pick a location in your home close to the doorway where it can be placed and kept each day. Consider including this in their visual schedule. (Ready for school)
    
    
12. If your child/youth will be taking transportation to school (school bus, special transportation, or city bus), consider what information they may need, what self-regulation strategies they could access during potentially hectic transitions, and what will help them to remember/understand the routine. If you have tips for your child’s/youth’s driver, consider writing them down and sharing them with the driver on the first day or beforehand, if possible. (Article and resources for parents and tips for drivers)
    
    
13. Will your child/youth be expected to use a locker and have a lock? Practice following the directions to opening and closing the lock, and try putting it on a locker at your local recreation centre when they attend swimming or do other activities. (Video)
    
    
14. Don’t forget to talk about the school, staff, and activities in a positive way and reinforce your child/youth for positive thinking regarding school. It will be an exciting new year with lots of learning and fun!

Download printable tip sheet

1. Some children/youth with autism may be anxious when their surroundings at home change. When decorating, be mindful of blinking lights, different sounds, and clutter in their environment. Consider adding a new decoration or change one day at a time, having your child/youth participate in where it goes in the home.
   
   
2. Reduce the stimuli as much as possible if your child/youth is more sensitive to lights, sounds, and smells.
   
   
3. Plan ahead for travel and celebrations by marking individual events on a calendar and striking each day off as you approach the event.
   
   
4. Provide a visual of what the event may look like, who will be there, and even how you will go there.
   
   
5. Use previous family photos of the people you will be spending time with so your child/youth can predict who will be there. Consider a video call beforehand to familiarize them with family and friends again.
   
   
6. Communicate your plan with others. You are not alone in supporting your child/youth during the holidays, so make sure to communicate your child’s food preferences, have a quiet space available where you’ll be visiting in case your child/youth needs a break, and some quiet time to self-regulate.
   
   
7. Pack additional preferred items that support self-regulation and calming activities that can be done at someone else’s home.
   
   
8. If gift giving and receiving is difficult for your child/youth to participate in, consider practicing ahead of time and writing out the rules of how to wait and take a turn. To make the experience more successful and pleasant, it may help to minimize expectations so that the child/youth opens one gift in the large group and then the rest on their own.
   
   
9. You know your child/youth best. Share your tried and true strategies with those around your child/youth during the holidays. Consider a mini tip sheet of preferred items, activities and sayings when your child/youth is starting to get anxious or overwhelmed.
   
   
10. Enjoy yourself! The holiday season can be a wonderful time to be with family, friends, and most of all your child/youth. Take the time to rest, communicate, and be together both inside and outdoors.

Download printable tip sheet

1. Try to keep sleeping patterns to the same routine as much as possible during the holiday break. Return to typical bedtime hours at least 3 days prior to the start of school, regardless of the age of your child/youth.
   
   
2. Remember to create a bedtime routine that includes quiet calming activities like bathing, reading a book, and mindful activities before bed. Reduce screen time at least 2 hours beforehand, if possible.
   
   
3. Use a calendar to mark the return to school so your child/youth can predict how their schedule will change in the coming days.
   
   
4. After the holidays, your house may change again when you put decorations away. This may be a difficult change, especially if some of your decorations include preferred characters or items. Consider leaving those up until near the end of the holiday, and include your child/youth in taking things down and deciding where to put them.
   
   
5. Consider introducing a visual schedule of the day, if you haven’t been using one over the holidays, to help your child/youth be more aware of what they will be doing each day. Eventually, add in some learning activities in preparation for school starting.
   
   
6. Talk about your child/youth’s school, teachers, and peers. Show pictures of them if you have them, refamiliarizing your child/youth with people and places they will be going back to. Drive by the school and talk about it. 
   
   
7. If your child/youth has gotten a new toy or is interested in a new character or game, be sure to share this information with your child’s/youth’s teachers. Knowing your child’s/youth’s new interests or preferences is very helpful, as they can be incorporated in learning activities and used to help develop friendships with peers.
   
   
8. If you have time, consider creating a short journal entry with your child/youth, using words or pictures to describe what they did over the break. Share this entry with their teacher.
   
   
9. A few days in advance of the start of school, start to plan what your child/youth will need to have ready the morning of the first day back. Prepack their knapsack, having them participate in choosing what will go inside. Pick a location in your home close to the doorway where it can be placed and kept each day. Consider including this in their visual schedule.
   
   
10. Create a social story about returning to school, highlighting what your child/youth enjoys at school and identifying strategies they use as a reminder of what to do when feeling overwhelmed. Have this on hand and review it a few days in advance of school.

• Autism Ontario - See the Potential
• Amazing Kids - Autistic Spectrum Condition
• Video message to the OCDSB from Dr. Shelley Moore
• OCDSB Speaker Series: Autistically Thriving – An Evening with Judy Endow
• OCDSB Speaker Series with Dr. Jed Baker (Session 1) (2021)
• OCDSB Speaker Series with Dr. Jed Baker (Session 2) (2021)
• OCDSB Autism Awareness Panel Discussion (2021)

• Autism Colouring - Simple
• Autism Colouring - Detailed