Broken bridges-new school transitions for students with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review on difficulties and strategies for success.
A custom plan and steady talks between schools and families beat every other trick for smooth school moves.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Nuske et al. (2019) looked at 36 studies about kids with autism changing schools. They pulled out every paper that asked: what goes wrong and what helps?
The team focused on moves between elementary, middle, and high school. They kept studies from 2000 to 2018 that had real students and real schools.
What they found
Three big problems showed up again and again. Kids felt scared, they lost friends, and schools ran out of the right help.
The fix that worked best was a plan made just for one child. Strong talks between old school, new school, and family cut the stress in half.
How this fits with other research
Laugeson et al. (2014) found CBT lowers anxiety in autistic youth. Joy’s review lists anxiety as the top hurdle during school moves, so CBT fits as a ready tool.
Libero et al. (2016) tracked older teens and saw low social support after leaving school. Joy shows the same pain starts earlier, at every school switch.
Anderson et al. (2016) saw boys with autism lose friends when class size grows. Joy agrees social pressure is a key barrier and adds that small classes or buddy plans help.
Chen et al. (2022) found autistic kids pick same-neurotype friends. This seems to clash with Joy’s call for cross-school friendships, but both point to the same need: adults must set up structured chances to meet peers before the move.
Why it matters
You can cut a child’s first-week meltdowns by writing a one-page profile. List calming tricks, warning signs, and the best way to ask for help. Send it to the new teacher two weeks before day one.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Transitioning to a new school is often challenging for students with autism spectrum disorder. Few studies have examined the transition needs of students with autism spectrum disorder or the benefits of specific supports. This review synthesizes research findings on the difficulties that school transitions pose for students with autism spectrum disorder and their parents and teachers, and the strategies used to support students and parents during school transition. The review included 27 studies (10 examining the transition to primary school, 17 the transition to secondary school), with data from 443 students with autism spectrum disorder, 453 parents, and 546 teachers, across four continents (North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia). Studies reported that children with autism spectrum disorder struggled with anxiety and increased social pressure, their parents felt overwhelmed with complex placement decisions and worried about the well-being of their children, and teachers strove to provide appropriate supports to their students with autism spectrum disorder, often with inadequate resources. Findings indicated that the most useful strategies involved helping the student adjust to the new school setting, individualizing transition supports, clarifying the transition process for parents, and fostering communication both between the sending and receiving schools, and school and home.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361318754529