Back to School Challenges for Autistic Children

Description

In this week’s episode of The Autism Mums Podcast, we’re talking about the big transition back to school after the summer holidays.

Key Takeaways

Early signs of school anxiety often show up in unexpected ways, like food refusal or “I’m not going back” language.
Preparation can be supportive—but too much talk or change too far in advance can fuel anxiety instead.
Creating “worry boundaries” helps keep August feeling like summer rather than weeks of dread.
New timetables, new staff, and classroom changes can be huge triggers—meet-and-greets and phased starts make a difference.
Reduced demands can ease pressure, but they need to be handled carefully so they don’t harden into new rigid routines.
Safe foods and small wins (like trips to McDonald’s) can tide children over through anxiety spikes.
Parents need realistic self-care—short breaks, slower mornings, or supportive rituals—to stay resilient.
Trust and reassurance are more powerful than pressure: children need to know they won’t be forced into situations they can’t cope with.

Mentioned in This Episode

Victoria talked about her experience with Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping) for anxiety with her client, psychotherapist and Founding EFT Master Carol Look. You can learn more about Carol's work at www.carollook.com

Listener Letter

This week we’re so grateful to share a message from Kirsty, one of our listeners:

“...I just wanted you both to know you’ve become a lifeline to me with tips that actually work. Please keep going ladies! One not-so-stressed-out mom thanks to you both. Thank you for being open, honest and willing to share. It makes the world of difference to know we aren’t alone.”

Warmest wishes,

Kirsty & T 💛

Connect with The Autism Mums

Website – https://theautismmums.com/

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hello and welcome to

the Autism Mums podcast. I'm Victoria. And I'm Natalie. We are two sisters

raising autistic children who know the joy, the challenges, and the everyday

moments. This is a supportive space for honest conversations, practical tips,

shared strength and expert advice. Whether you are celebrating a win, surviving

a meltdown, or just trying to make it through the day, we are right here with

you.

Join us as we share the ups, the downs, and everything in

between parenting autistic children.

Victoria Bennion:

Welcome back to the Autism Moms Podcast. In today's episode, we're talking about the transition back to school after the summer holidays.

Natalie Tealdi:

But before we get started, we just want to share a lovely letter we had from our listener, Kirsty, with her permission. Messages like this remind us why these conversations are so important. Here's what Kirsty wrote:

‘Firstly, thank you so much for doing this podcast! I find it incredibly easy to listen to, full of practical tips to help my child and very informative. While we don't have an official diagnosis yet, my three-year-old son ticks many of the ASD boxes as well as having a bit of a PDA spiky profile. I knew something wasn’t quite right when he was...