Transitions

I currently doing the free autism MOOC hoping to better understand my children and maybe learn something.
This week topic is Transitions  so meaning a kid moving from primary to high school or preschool to primary school.

What is Transitions like for me and michael we it very stressful and overwhelming is the best way to explain it. Everyday is very different transitioning michael from home to preschool for the day.
I would be liar if i said we have a easy time because really we dont. I take a lot of planning and understand to transition a kid. thank god i have a very supportive preschool.

It a guessing game to how Michael will handle going to preschool everyday will this be a  good morning? or a bad morning?


So we start our routine alway the same way getting ready at home that never changes ,
 Then we walk to preschool the same way everyday and talking to him about the day to help him better understand what happening today, tomorrow, etc.........

Once we hit the preschool gates that when our good mood changes Michael anxiety kick in.
Michael first in-sink is to "get away" so this will be him trying to run back the way we came, sit on the ground or fright me through the gate. (so we start off stress).

 
So i normal let Michael hide behind me as we walk in the school gates.


Once in the preschool depending on the morning Michael will sream, run, yell, tell me off, and say he scary and want to go home. these change depending on the day.

sometime this take 10min, 20min to 45min before Michael ever settle to let me leave. this is what happen pretty much everyday

Everything set Michael off from the teacher, the kids, other parents, my self what im doing and his brother...

It still a on going thing for me and Michael now. But a few thing i have put in place to help the morning is:

• we have a school social story for Michael that we can bring out
• Giving Michael a milk box that he drinks
• normal in dark place this in a quite room under a table with a blanket over the top of it.
• telling michael "mummy leaving in 5 mins"

Normal if this has help Michael he happy to go off and play with the other kids
but this doesn't alway work sometime.

Last thing to support michael let me leave him at school for the day is our special goodbye.

Me and Michael have create our own special way of saying good bye.


Well Michael create this and when Michael is ready and accept that it time for me to go we will say our special good bye and he is happy the hole day

but if we don't do this good bye in the right way or when michael want to do it he will scream the hole school down and crying because i have left.

our good bye:

Kiss

Cuddle

saying "boo"

saying "surprise"

wave good bye

and cover our eye like a game of peek a boo

once we have done this he run off yelling bye mum and really happy

i got to say yes everyday is stressful and overwhelm and sometime upsetting but i love our special good bye.