Support for Autistic Students at the End of the School Year

Dr. Lisa Marnell, OTD, MBA
4 days ago
5 min read

As the school year comes to a close, I find myself thinking about how often adults describe the final weeks of school as lighter. There are field days, assemblies, classroom parties. And don't forget about outdoor activities, like sports days. In theory, these weeks can sound fun and easy.

But . . . for many Autistic students, the end of the school year is not lighter. It may actually be less predictable, more socially demanding, louder, and full of transitions.

As an occupational therapist who has worked for years in schools, I see moments when well-meaning adults can unintentionally miss what is happening.

Why the End of the Year Can Be Hard

All year long, a student may have worked hard to follow routines, understand expectations, manage sensory input, participate in classroom tasks, and navigate the social complexity of school.

Then suddenly, the routines change. The classroom feels different. The schedule is filled with events. Adults are tired. Peers are excited. The usual supports may become looser because the year is almost over.

And the child struggles.

It can be tempting to see this as regression, avoidance, or behavior that is “coming out of nowhere.”

But really, it is not coming out of nowhere at all.

I once worked with a student named Milo, a fourth grader who loved maps and could tell me exactly which freeway exits connected different parts of Los Angeles! (He was such a great kid.)

Milo did beautifully with predictable routines. He knew where to put his backpack, when to check the schedule, and what would happen during different parts of the day. His school team had worked hard to build visual supports and predictable expectations around him.

Then the last two weeks of school arrived.

The morning work was replaced with special projects. There were assemblies - stressful! One day included a class party. Another day, the class spent extra time outside.

None of this was meant to be hard. In fact, much of it was meant to be joyful.

But for Milo, the school day became harder to manage.

He began to not have the capacity to engage in activities he could typically access. He became more sensitive to transitions and less available for learning and more reactive to small changes.

I was rarely working in that school, and when I stopped in at the end of the year I saw that his teachers and staff were lost and didn't know how to support him better. What would have helped was recognizing that the demands had changed.

We met and talked - which was helpful - but sadly, it was too little, too late because Milo had a devastating final two weeks of school.

Help Your Students Through This Unpredictable Time of Year

Try strategies like these:

Give students specific information about what is happening and when.

Allow students to participate in only parts of special activities rather than requiring full participation.

Offer quieter recovery spaces during or after loud events.

Support students better by not assuming that “fun” means easy.

End-of-Year Dysregulation May Not Be Regression

When Autistic students struggle at the end of the school year, I think it is important to be careful with the word "regression". I hear it often, and when I do it often seems to be missing the mark. Usually I don't see a child losing skills. It's more that the context is changing faster than their nervous system can process the changes.

A student who transitions well during a predictable school day may struggle when the schedule becomes full of surprises. And even if a child typically loves a classroom activity, they may not enjoy the louder, messier, more crowded version of that same activity.

When the environment becomes less predictable, the child may need more support, not less.

This is especially important because adults sometimes reduce supports at the end of the year. Visual schedules come down. Routines loosen. Expectations become more casual. There is that feeling that everyone is almost done, so the child should be able to get through it. Have you experienced this yourself?

But Autistic students do not stop needing access because the calendar says May.

Supporting the Transition Out of School

It's key for all of us to also remember that the end of the year is also an ending.

For some Autistic students, that may mean losing a familiar teacher, a trusted aide, a known classroom, a predictable route, or a peer they sit near every day. Even when summer is welcome, endings can still bring uncertainty.

I think adults sometimes underestimate this because children may not express it directly. A student may not say, “I am worried about losing this routine.” They may become more rigid, more quiet, more silly, more withdrawn, or more easily upset. This is where support can be simple but powerful.

Name what is changing. Preview what will stay the same. Give students ways to say goodbye without forcing emotional performance. Offer clear information about summer and next year when it is available. Keep supports in place through the final days rather than removing them early.

How do you try to support Autistic students at the end of the school year?

Share in the comments!

Support for Autistic Students at the End of the School Year

More from Dr. Lisa Marnell and Kids Master Skills . . .

Recent Posts