For Educators, Schools, and Leadership Teams
Supporting Neurodivergent Students Through Transitions
A Professional Learning Reflection for the Start of the School Year
As the school year begins, much attention is placed on curriculum, assessment, and classroom readiness. Less visible, but equally critical, is the transition work students are already doing before learning can begin.
For autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD students, transitions are not minor adjustments. They are high-load neurological events that draw on executive functioning, sensory regulation, emotional processing, and predictability-based safety.
When these systems are overwhelmed, learning access is reduced. When they are supported, learning becomes possible.
This professional learning piece invites educators to reframe transitions not as behavioural moments to manage, but as conditions for engagement.
Understanding Transitions Beyond “Behaviour”
Common school transitions include:
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Arriving at school
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Moving between classes or subjects
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Shifting from play to learning
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Starting written work
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Group work to independent work
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Pack-up and dismissal
Each transition can involve:
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Task-switching and inhibition
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Sensory recalibration
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Social rule changes
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Emotional regulation
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Time perception challenges
For neurodivergent students, these demands often stack. What may appear as avoidance, shutdown, lateness, or dysregulation is frequently a sign that the nervous system has not yet caught up.
Key Reframe for Educators
Instead of asking:
“Why isn’t this student transitioning appropriately?”
We ask:
“What support does this transition require for this student?”
This shift moves practice away from compliance and toward inclusion.
What Effective Transition Support Looks Like in Schools
1. Predictability Without Rigidity
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Visual schedules that are consistent and referenced
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Clear start and end points to activities
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Advance notice of changes, even minor ones
2. Regulation Before Expectation
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Quiet arrival or alternative entry spaces
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Flexible settling activities at the start of lessons
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Reduced cognitive demand during initial transitions
3. Flexibility in Timing and Process
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Staggered transitions where possible
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Allowing completion before switching tasks
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Options for how students move or prepare
4. Adult Responses That De-escalate
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Calm, neutral language
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Private check-ins rather than public correction
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Curiosity instead of consequence
A Reflective Tool for Staff Teams
Transition Mapping Conversations
A reflective planning tool, not a checklist
Use this tool collaboratively rather than diagnostically.
Rather than asking “Is this child ready for school?”, this resource invites schools to rethink their approach.
Discuss:
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Which transitions in our school day create the most stress?
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What sensory, social, and cognitive demands exist at those points?
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Where do we prioritise speed over regulation?
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How do we respond when a transition breaks down?
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What flexibility already exists within our systems, and where could it expand?
This process can inform:
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Classroom design
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Timetabling decisions
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Individual adjustments
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Whole-school inclusion practices
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Staff meetings
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Individual Learning Plan discussions
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Classroom planning sessions
The goal is not uniformity. It is responsiveness.
Why This Matters
Students who are supported through transitions are more likely to:
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Engage with learning tasks
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Maintain emotional regulation
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Build trust with educators
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Attend consistently
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Experience school as a place of belonging
Transitions are not lost learning time. They are where learning becomes possible.
Closing Reflection for Educators
A student who is struggling to transition is not failing to meet expectations.
They are signalling a need. Let's not fail them.
When schools respond to that signal with flexibility, dignity, and attunement, they do more than support individual students. They shift the culture of learning itself.
Language That Builds Understanding
Moving beyond behaviour labels toward curiosity and support
Why Language Matters
The words we use in schools shape:
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How students are understood
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How responses are chosen
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How support is offered
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How children see themselves
Behaviour labels often sound neutral, but they carry assumptions about intent, motivation, and control. Many are based on adult interpretation rather than student experience.
Interoceptive, neuro-affirming language keeps the door open to understanding.
Shifting From Labels to Observations
Instead of naming a presumed motive, we can describe what we see and wonder what support is needed.
Below are examples of language swaps teachers, schools, and all adults can use.
Common Behaviour Labels and More Supportive Alternatives
“Attention-seeking”
→ “Seeking connection or support”
→ “Communicating a need they can’t yet express in words or are yet to fully understand themselves”
“Avoidant”
→ “Finding this task or transition overwhelming”
→ “Needing more safety, guidance or predictability before engaging”
“Non-compliant”
→ “Not yet able to meet or understand to this expectation”
→ “Experiencing a mismatch between demand and capacity at this exact moment”
“Refusing to work”
→ “Not yet able to initiate the task”
→ “Needing support with task entry or regulation”
“Meltdown”
→ “Nervous system overload”
→ “Loss of regulation due to accumulated stress”
“Defiant”
→ “Expressing distress through behaviour”
→ “Protecting themselves from something that feels unsafe”
Language for Staff Conversations
Instead of:
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“They always do this”
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“They know better”
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“They’re choosing not to”
Try:
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“This transition seems particularly hard”
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“Something in the environment may be overwhelming”
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“We might not know yet what this student is experiencing internally”
This language invites problem-solving rather than punishment.
Language for Documentation and Meetings
Use wording that:
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Describes context
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Acknowledges uncertainty
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Focuses on support
Example:
“During transitions from unstructured to structured activities, the student shows signs of distress. We are exploring ways to support this transition by increasing predictability and reducing sensory load.”
This keeps the student’s dignity intact.
Why This Shift Matters
When schools move away from behaviour labels:
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Students are less likely to internalise shame
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Staff are more likely to collaborate
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Families feel safer sharing insight
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Support becomes proactive rather than reactive
Most importantly, students learn that their internal experiences matter.
A Closing Reflection for Schools
Saying “we don’t know yet” is not a weakness.
It is an invitation.
An invitation to listen more closely.
To respond more thoughtfully.
To build environments where regulation, learning, and belonging can coexist.
“The Transition Story”
A relational reflection, not a behaviour tool
This is not a chart or a reward system.
It is an ongoing conversation, held gently over time:
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What parts of the school day feel hardest in your body?
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What helps you feel more settled when things change?
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What do adults often misunderstand when you’re struggling?
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What would you like teachers to know about you?
These insights can be shared with schools if the child agrees, creating continuity between home and learning environments.
When children feel heard, transitions soften.
Supporting Children (Through an Interoceptive Lens)
Understanding what’s happening inside, not just what’s happening outside
A Gentle Reframe
When a child is distressed, stuck, withdrawn, explosive, or overwhelmed, it’s natural to ask:
“Why are they doing this?”
An interoceptive lens invites a different question:
“What might their body be experiencing right now?”
Interoception is the sense that helps us notice and interpret internal body signals like hunger, tiredness, anxiety, excitement, tension, or emotional build-up. For many autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD children, these signals can be confusing, delayed, intense, or hard to put into words.
This means behaviour is often the first language, not the last resort.
What This Can Look Like at Home
You might notice:
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Big emotions after school, even if the day “went fine”
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Difficulty starting or stopping activities
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Seeming calm until suddenly not
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Resistance around transitions like bedtime, leaving the house, or homework
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Trouble explaining what’s wrong
These are not signs of poor behaviour or lack of effort.
They are often signs that the body is sending signals faster than the child can interpret them.
How You Can Support (Without Fixing or Pushing)
1. Name Sensations Before Solutions
Instead of:
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“You’re overreacting”
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“Calm down”
Try:
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“It looks like your body has a lot going on right now.”
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“Does something feel too big in your body?"
This helps children build a bridge between sensation and understanding.
2. Slow the Moment
Interoceptive awareness takes time.
Support might mean:
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Pausing expectations
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Reducing language
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Sitting nearby without demanding engagement
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Letting the feeling move through before talking about it
Regulation comes before reasoning.
3. Be Curious Together
You don’t need to know the answer.
Try wondering out loud:
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“I’m not sure what this feeling is yet. We can work it out together, when you're ready.”
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“Does this feel like tired, worried, or something else?”
Curiosity builds safety.
4. Support Recovery After Transitions
Transitions, especially school, use enormous internal energy.
Helpful supports include:
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Quiet time after school
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Low-demand evenings
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Familiar sensory comforts
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Fewer questions, more presence
A child who unravels at home is often showing trust, not failure.
What Children Often Want Adults to Know
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“I’m not being difficult. I’m overwhelmed.”
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“I don’t always know what I’m feeling yet.”
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“Please don’t rush me when my body is loud.”
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“Help me feel safe first, then we can talk.”
A Reminder for Parents and Caregivers
You do not need to decode everything.
You do not need perfect language.
You do not need to fix the feeling.
Being with your child while they find their way through their internal world is already doing the work.
