Back-to-school season comes with a LOT of pressure. There are new students, new routines, new IEP goals, new materials, and probably more than a few beautifully laminated activities you spent way too much time cutting out. It can feel like you need to jump right in and start teaching all.the.things.
But before we start thinking about letters, numbers, matching, circle time, or any of the academic goals on our list, there are a few things that need to come first. Because learning doesn't start with the lesson plan. It starts with a child who feels safe, connected, and supported.
You’ll notice throughout this post that I use the words “autistic child” rather than “child with autism.” That may sound different from the language you were taught to use, especially if you’ve been in education for a while. I use identity-first language because it is preferred by many autistic people and reflects the neurodiversity-affirming approach that guides the work we do here at Autism Little Learners. It isn’t about correcting you or giving you another terminology rule to memorize. It’s about listening to autistic voices and continuing to learn as our understanding grows.
If this language is new to you, I’ve got you. [Read more about why we use identity-first and neurodiversity-affirming language →]
That's why I'm kicking off our Back to School Foundations podcast series by going all the way back to the beginning. Before we talk about all of the strategies we can use in the classroom, let's make sure the foundation is there first. I chose this week's episode very intentionally as our starting point for this series.
Start With Regulation
Before we can expect a child to sit, attend, participate, follow directions, or learn something new, we need to think about regulation. Is their body comfortable in this space? Does the environment feel safe? Are the lights too bright or the room too loud? Are there too many people moving around? Maybe they need movement, a quieter space, something to hold, or simply more time before they're ready to join the group.
Sometimes we look at a child who isn't participating and immediately think, How do I get them to do this activity? But I want you to try shifting that question a little. Instead, ask yourself, What might this child's body need before this activity is accessible to them?
That's a very different place to start.
And when I talk about regulation, I don't mean that we need a perfectly calm child before learning can happen. Regulation isn't about making children quiet, still, or compliant. It's about paying attention to what helps that individual child feel safe, supported, and available for interaction and learning.
When we start there, we're not trying to change the child so they fit into our lesson. We're looking at what we can change or support so the child can access what is happening around them.
Connection Comes Before Compliance
Think about what it's like for a child walking into a brand-new classroom. They don't know you yet. They don't know whether you're going to listen to them, whether you'll notice when something is too much, or whether the ways they communicate will be understood and honored.
And they definitely don't know that the super-cute apple matching activity you made is supposed to be exciting.
Give it time.
- What do they love?
- Are they telling you that something isn't working for them?
- What do they move toward?
- What do they avoid?
- How do they show you they want more
- What makes them smile?
- How do they show that they're finished
- When do they show that they need help?
Follow their interests. Join their play. Notice their communication, even when it doesn't look the way you expected it to look.
It's easy to think of connection as something we need to establish quickly so we can move on to the “real teaching,” but connection is part of the teaching. The time you spend learning who that child is isn't taking away from instruction. It's giving you the information you need to make instruction meaningful for them.
When Teaching an Autistic Child Predictability Makes the Classroom Feel Safer
Now imagine walking into a place where you don't know what's happening, how long you're going to be there, what you're expected to do, or what will happen next. That would be stressful for most of us, and for many autistic children, having more information about what is happening around them can make a huge difference.
This is where simple visual supports and predictable routines can be so powerful. A visual schedule, a first-then board, a transition visual, or a clear way to show that something is “all done” can give a child information that spoken words alone may not provide.
And please don't hear this and think you need to spend your weekend creating a visual for every single second of your school day. You don't.
Start by noticing the places where your students seem to need more information. Do they know what is happening now and what will happen next? Are you sure they know what they're being asked to do? Is there a clear way to understand when something is finished?
Sometimes providing those few pieces of information removes a tremendous amount of uncertainty. And when we reduce uncertainty, we're creating more space for connection, communication, participation, and learning.
Before You Add Another Strategy, Look at the Foundation
This is especially important at the beginning of the school year because when something isn't working, our instinct is often to add something. We add another strategy, another visual, another activity, another reward, another intervention…and pretty soon everyone is exhausted.
Sometimes the answer isn't adding more.
Sometimes we need to look underneath what we're asking the child to do and figure out what's missing. Is this child regulated enough to participate right now? Have we taken the time to build connection? Do they understand what is happening and what will happen next?
Those things aren't extras we get to after we've handled academics. They're part of what makes learning accessible in the first place.
That's also why I wanted to bring this particular podcast episode back right now. We're at the beginning of another school year, and before we start piling strategies and expectations onto ourselves or our students, I want us to remember what matters most.
Listen to This Week's Back to School Foundations Episode
3 Things You Need in Place Before Teaching an Autistic Child originally aired back in 2024, which means there's a good chance you have never heard it. And even if you did listen the first time around, I think it's one of those conversations that lands a little differently when you're standing at the beginning of a brand-new school year.
This is also just the beginning. Over the next six weeks, we're going to build on this foundation together. We'll talk about building positive connections with autistic students, supporting regulation in the classroom, the visual supports I wouldn't want to teach without, why transitions can be so difficult, and how we can understand behavior through a more compassionate lens. The series was intentionally designed so each conversation builds on the one before it.
For now, don't worry about doing everything. Look at the children in front of you. Get curious about what they need. Build the foundation first, and let the teaching grow from there.
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