AUTISM, TRANSITIONING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF
an EHCP
AS MAKAI’S TIME IN YEAR 6 CAME TO AN END, HE EMBARKED ON THE JOURNEY OF CHANGING TO A NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL. HERE MAKAI’S MUM KELLY SHOLAGBADE SHARES THEIR EXPERIENCE AND HOW AN EDUCATIONAL HEALTH CARE PLAN HELPED SMOOTH THE TRANSITION.
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ransitioning to new school can be daunting for any child. The fear of the unknown. New place. New faces. New routine. These changes can be especially difficult for a child with a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum disorder (ASD), who has particular sensory needs. As a fairly confident 11-year-old boy, Makai seemed surprisingly calm about starting his new school. It would be in a new area, with new peers and teachers, so completely different to anything he had previously known. We had taken him to try on his uniform in advance and had done a trial run of his journey to school. We had also given him the basic run down of the dos and don’ts, together with what you can and cannot do in school. Nervously, I watched the days of summer begin
to fade and the start of the school year approach. And then here it was – Makai’s first day of school. With his morning routine displayed in the bathroom and his clothes already ironed and laid out for him, it was time to jump back into the school rat race and get ready for his first day. The obligatory first day school pictures were taken, and then we jumped into the car for the 15-minute drive to school. Makai nervously got out, school bags in tow, and we were immediately greeted by a smiling member of staff who had arranged to meet us in advance and take Makai in that morning. A quick hug and a kiss, and that was it. He was off! Six and a half hours later and it was all over. His first day as a year 7 pupil in middle school was now
complete. Despite both of our worries and anxieties about it all, his first day went amazingly. He was introduced to his new form tutor, and quickly met some new pupils in his class who took him under their
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