Coping with Change: Easing Students into a Back-to-School Routine

Whether perceived as positive or negative, change is often overwhelming and can be difficult to navigate. Every day, children are experiencing change. For schoolchildren and their families, fall can be a particularly stressful time of year—from arriving at a new school, to beginning a new grade, meeting new teachers, classmates, courses, and schedules.

So, why is change hard and what can we do to support our children, both at home and at school?

The Science Behind Change

No matter their age or past experience, many people dislike change due to fear of the unknown. The Howard School’s Middle and High School counselors, Kyri Harris, M.S., LPC, NCC, and Ashley Zomalt, M.A., PPSC, see this time and time again among our students, who are diagnosed with a wide range of language-based learning differences—dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, expressive language disorder, receptive language disorder, and auditory processing disorder—as well as executive functioning challenges and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

“Neurodivergent students typically have difficulty with change, because they’re resistant to trying new things, completing undesired tasks, or adopting new routines. They’re often comfortable with their current surroundings and situations,” Harris explains. (The Child Mind Institute, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families affected by mental health and learning disorders, refers to this phenomenon as cognitive inflexibility.) “Our students need caring and supportive adults who can advocate for them and aid them in navigating change.”

“Spending so much time at home during the summer months creates habits to which students become accustomed,” Zomalt adds. “When it’s time to start school again in the fall, we’re breaking and changing their daily routines.”

Human psychology tells us that when we are pushed outside of our comfort zones, we resist by pushing back, with long-established patterns of behavior, to balance out the mental pressure we are feeling. For some children, this involves difficulty containing and managing the big emotions—anger, fear, frustration—that may come from having to switch their attention from one thing to another when asked by parents or teachers to change activities or settings.

Helping Children Navigate Change

Although change is hard, there are many ways that parents and teachers can make it easier for children who may be anxious or stressed about returning to school in the fall. For parents and caregivers, the Child Mind Institute recommends the following:

• Creating routines, such as morning, mealtime, and bedtime routines, which incorporate consistency, predictability, and structure;
• Previewing and counting down, laying out what the day is going to look like, role-playing the process of moving from one activity to another, and offering a timeframe and description of what will happen—accompanied by countdowns—before each transition;
• Getting their attention—to ensure information is sinking in—by making eye contact, sitting next to them, putting your hand on their shoulder, or asking them to repeat back what you have said;
• Using rewards, like stickers, snacks, or a point system that leads to tangible rewards, which can be slowly phased out once transitions become more seamless; and
• Praising good transitioning, emphasizing progress over perfection and following up with a reward when appropriate.

In August and September of every school year, members of The Howard School’s counseling team teach lessons on change, helping students understand and cope with the back-to-school transition in a structured setting. Additionally, the counseling team meets one-on-one with students to build rapport and establish trusting relationships.

“We create a strong support system that helps students feel comfortable and secure,” Harris and Zomalt say. “This intentional and relationship-focused strategy is particularly beneficial for students with language-based learning differences, who often thrive with consistent, personalized support and clear communication.”

All staff actively build strong relationships with students from the start of school by fostering positive environments, establishing trust, and remaining open to learning, understanding, and addressing each student’s individual needs. Classroom teachers develop clear routines, helping students quickly gain familiarity and confidence in their daily schedules.

Although change can be hard for all children, especially for students with language-based learning differences, it can be less intimidating with a little help from the caring, supportive, and trusted adults in their lives.

Additional Resources

https://childmind.org/article/why-do-kids-have-trouble-with-transitions/

https://thesystemsthinker.com/the-science-of-changeworking-with-not-against-our-inner-systems/

https://childmind.org/article/how-can-we-help-kids-with-transitions/

The Howard School is a private K-12 school in Atlanta serving students with one or more of the following learning differences: dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, expressive language disorder, receptive language disorder, auditory processing disorder, executive functioning challenges and attention deficit disorder.

To learn more about whether The Howard School is a good fit for your child, complete our inquiry form. Our team will reach out to connect with you and schedule a guided tour of campus.