Transitions are important for everyone to navigate since we deal with them every day in our lives, such as going from home to school or work. Transitions can be easy for some people, but not everyone handles them well, including major life transitions like going from high school to college or full time employment. Neurodiverse people need more time and support when going through transitions, but they are capable of learning to transition, such as between activities or locations. Want to learn ways to help neurodiverse people overcome transitions?
Here are some proactive approaches to implement in order for neurodiverse people when transitioning for anything:
Use timers! Timers allow neurodiverse people to be prepared of the upcoming transition (ex: I'm setting a timer for 2 minutes before we move on to math).
Provide transition warnings! This can be verbal or visuals to show how much time is left of an activity or in a location (10 mins, 5 mins, 1 min).
Provide a countdown! This can look like counting up or down before a transition occurs: (ex: 5,4,3,2,1)
Implement visuals aids or supports! This looks like individualized pictures schedules, first then visual board, social story, etc. Social stories and role playing can be beneficial when preparing for major life transitions, such as going from middle school to high school.
Follow through expectations! Give processing time for neurodiverse people to transition while keeping expectations in place.
Reinforce transition! Celebrate the moment a neurodiverse individual transitions from one activity to another or one location to another and vice versa.
These are some approaches to help neurodiverse people transition through anything! Have more tips? Share them in the comments section!