AUTISM AND SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
There are numerous hurdles between waking up and getting out the door on school mornings, whether it is battling with the alarm clock, hunting down the missing (and very important) item or organising a last-minute carpool when the school bus doesn’t show up on time. However, for some families, getting to school can be especially tricky.
School can be a tough place for many kids, and it often comes with challenges that aren’t always easy to manage. For autistic children, it can be especially difficult because of things like loud or overwhelming sensory environments, and unexpected changes in routine. In mainstream school, there can be limited support available for neurodivergent kids, and their unique needs may not be well understood which can make things even harder. Sadly, many of these children also experience bullying, which can add to their stress and anxiety. Over time, this can lead to burnout, which can limit their ability to handle the everyday demands of school.
Sometimes, when school becomes too overwhelming, a child might not want to go at all. Autistic children are more likely to miss school due to the distress and anxiety they feel, compared to non-autistic children. This can lead to mornings that are stressful for both the child and their parents. Each child’s experiences and needs are unique, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, if your child is finding it hard to go to school, here are a few things that might help you support them through it.
Tips for Parents
- Explore what’s going on for your child
- Ask your child about what they find difficult about attending school.
- Chat with your child’s teachers to build a picture of what’s happening
- Once you understand the problem, connect with the school to discuss what accommodations could be made
- Talk with your child about what supports their wellbeing at school and ask what they need to be able to attend. For example: “What helps you to feel calm and safe at school? What could we do together in the mornings to help you feel ready to manage the school day?”
- Ensure your child has safe spaces they can access, and people that they feel comfortable seeking support from.
- Help your child to practise advocating for their needs. For example, come up with some simple statements together that they can use at school: “I am feeling overwhelmed, I need to sit down in a quiet place for 5 minutes.”
- Support your child to navigate their experiences with self-compassion. Remind them that it is okay to find things hard, and recognise the efforts they make even when things don’t go to plan.
- When talking about the things they find difficult, also identify their strengths that will help them overcome the challenges they experience.
- It can be difficult supporting your child through difficulties attending school – asking for help is a powerful way to support both you and your child.
- Reach out to your friends and family, or seek support via peer and community groups.
- If you’re worried about your child and their wellbeing, contact your GP who may be able to refer to a psychologist or other support.
- There are also services such as Autism Connect that provide free confidential support for autistic people and their families. Tel: 1300 308 699 ; 8am-7pm Monday to Friday
We hope that you find these tips helpful. However, more research is needed to better understand and address the difficulties that autistic children face in attending school. Researchers at Deakin University (Australia) and Aston University (UK) are presently working on a project aimed at developing a new intervention for autistic students and their parents, who are struggling with anxiety around school and their school attendance. Together with our Research Community Partner, the Victorian Parents Council Inc. we are keen to hear from the following groups:
- Autistic students who are/were enrolled in mainstream school aged 10-21
- Parents who have an autistic child who is either experiencing or has experienced difficulties attending school
- Educators who have experience working with autistic students and attendance difficulties
- Mental health Practitioners and clinicians with experience of supporting autistic students and attendance difficulties.
If you would like to participate, please register your interest via the following link: https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_eEDXQpRtNmy4IQK
*We use identity-first language (i.e. “autistic children”), as this is the general preference within the neurodivergent community. However, there are many different ways we use language that can have different meanings for different people. For the lived experience community especially, it is important that you use language that feels right for you.
References
Munkhaugen, E., Gjevik, E., Pripp, A., Sponheim, E. & Diseth, T. (2017) School refusal behaviour: Are children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder at a higher risk? Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 41(1). 31-38.
Nordin, V., Palmgren, M., Lindbladh, A., Bolte, S. & Jonsson, U. (2024) School absenteeism in autistic children and adolescents: A scoping review. Autism. 28(7). 1622-1637
Kat Chadbourn
Kat is a PhD student on a cotutelle programme between Deakin University (Australia) and Aston University (UK). Prior to their PhD, they worked for a mental health charity in Scotland as a Peer Recovery and Wellbeing Practitioner, and completed both their Undergraduate and Masters degrees at the University of Dundee. Kat is interested in the implications of social identity and how it is formed, and is passionate about the improvement of access to neuroaffirming support for neurodivergent individuals. They are currently supervised by A/Prof Glenn Melvin, A/Prof Jade Sheen, Professor Michael Larkin and Dr Laura Shapiro.
