Transition Cheat Sheets for Teachers: Planning With One Concise Cheat Sheet (Episode 364)

Transitioning children with neurodiversity successfully is an important part of a child’s education.

Transitioning children with neurodiversity successfully is an important part of a child’s education. With the right strategies for teachers and parents, children can transition from one school to another, or from preschool to school, with ease. Parents, teachers, and aides can work together to create a successful transition plan, using transition cheat sheets, self advocacy, and calming strategies. Knowing 10 things about the child, as well as any sensory issues, can help teachers create a supportive environment for the child. Here are five tips for teachers to help children transition successfully:

Discussed in this Episode:

✅ Plan Ahead: Put proactive strategies in place for transition the same way you would for asthma or a nut allergy, without coming in with too many preconceived ideas – I’ve created one for you (see below)

✅ Keep It Short: A couple of lines per item is all that’s needed. Some items won’t be relevant, and that’s fine – a teacher with up to 30 kids needs a quick snapshot, not a massive folder.

✅ Build One Document: Put the cheat sheet into Google Docs or Word so the teacher, teacher assistant and parents can each add to a single collated document rather than keeping three separate ones. – Download cheat sheets here

✅ Cover Five Areas: The cheat sheet covers academic, behaviour, communication, social and general information – plus a sensory section, since more and more students have sensory processing differences.

✅ Teach Asking for Help: Many kids don’t know how to ask for help, so teach how and when to ask, including putting a hand up or seeking peers – Highly recommend How to Stop Your Words Bumping into Someone Else’s to teach this skill at all age levels at school.

✅ Limit the Choices: Offering a choice of two readers or two activities works better than a whole box – some kids get overwhelmed by too many choices, or choose one thing and then become anxious about changing it.

✅ Spell Out Free Time: Ask “Can they use free time independently?” Where needed, list the free-time choices, because an iPad or computer isn’t automatically a choice.

✅ Set Up Calming: Knowing how a child calms down needs to be available from day one – a safe place, somewhere for time out, or a staff member they already have a good relationship with.

✅ Agree on Warnings: Talk it through with the child: would they like a visual or picture, a five-minute warning or a ten-minute warning, and what have teachers and parents used before that helped?

✅ Use “10 Things About Me”: Students introduce themselves with a photo of something they love and short prompts. It works well from Year 2 on, and a teacher aide or parent can fill it in as an advocate if the child can’t articulate it themselves.

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I have prepared THREE FREE Cheat Sheets for Transition:

_{Transition Tips Booklet}

_{✅ 13 Separation Anxiety Tips
📌 12+ Page Student Transition Guide
⭐️ Preschool to Post School Tips
✅ Checklist for Success
📌 Top Tips for Children Starting School Next Year
🌼 School to Work Transition for Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder}

_{10 Things About Me}

_{An informative guide to enable student self-advocation}

This is the perfect solution for assisting a smooth transition, and ensuring the student’s new teacher is aware of what to do and what not to do.