Managing tough transitions

Mastering transitions is hard for most students, but especially so for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). For many, getting good at (or at least better at) transitions is an instructional goal in and of itself, and a major step towards the more independent functioning you're trying to encourage.

Transitions, like most processes, get smoother the more you practice and fine-tune them. And like almost everything related to classroom management, the more proactive and prepared you are (as the teacher), the easier they tend to go for students.

1. Prepare for transitions ahead of time. Before involving the student/s, have everything you need for the next activity arranged and ready to go so you won't have to waste time searching for needed items, which would disrupt the continuity of your time together. You don't want to "lose the class" while you're looking for missing items.

2. A few minutes before transitioning, observe what the students are doing. Are they still working on the previous task? Or are they ready to move on? Hopefully you are not in a rush, and have a few minutes to "get them ready" for the next activity. If your time is flexible and they are still absorbed in the previous activity, prompt them that you will be moving on soon (and give them a time limit or a visual cue such as a timer), but give them a chance to "finish" on their own. This, of course, encourages independence (always a good thing).

3. When it's time for a transition, clearly explain to students what you will be doing next. It's important to use both verbal and visual cues with students with ASDs. Using gestures and actions along with your words helps students grasp your verbal message. Through repetition of a familiar sequence of events, students will begin to associate your verbal instructions with a predictable recurring routine, and be better able to follow instructions without excessive re-prompting. When students with ASDs know what's expected and what will happen next, they are less anxious and will become more independent and proactive in managing their own transitions. That means less work for you.

4. Help students move on, if needed. If you need to "disrupt" a student who is off-task, gently remove any distracting objects or materials, while explaining what you are doing and why, and tell them you want to put things away and get ready to move on to the next thing.

5. For students who really really struggle with transitions, you may need to explain and show your student/s what you are doing, step by step. Some students need this level of assistance, but the good news is with time and practice the student WILL become more independent during transitions, and you can fade a lot of the prompting.

(For example, if you are going to the cafeteria, a verbal script might look something like this (note that it's also a good idea to have visual cues or icons to use as well if you are still in the process of teaching transitions):

"Okay Jason, now we are getting ready for lunch." (you show the student a visual schedule and the student stops working)

"Now we're going to line up." (wait for student to stand up and move towards the line)

"We're going to go to the cafeteria now." (student was "stuck" in the hallway, but continues walking in the right direction--towards the cafeteria)

"You need to stay in line". (student briefly wandered off, but returns to the line)

"What would you like for lunch?" (student is taking a long time to choose an item, the student chooses an item and moves on)...and so forth.

It sounds overly structured, but "talking students" through their tough transitions helps them cognitively "frame" what's going on and internalize the process. Eventually this leads to the student becoming able to do the transitions more independently, and you can fade the level of prompting. How long this will take depends entirely on the student...