Just a few simple yet effective adaptations can create a more comfortable learning environment to help autistic children thrive at school, writes Alison Eason, head of the Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) at Chalgrove Primary School.

Primary school life can be challenging for an autistic child. Busy, colourful classrooms, excited voices in the playground and unpredictable changes to the running order of the day can all provoke stress and anxiety.

The sensory overload of school can even cause an autistic child to hide their natural characteristics.

In order to fit in with their neurotypical peers and avoid bullying or unwanted attention, many children try to mask their autistic traits. However, this masking behaviour can be damaging to a child’s wellbeing and lead to problems later in life. According to the Autism Awareness Centre, this act of self-preservation can even result in autistic burnout – a type of intense exhaustion – in adulthood.

Schools have an important role to play in breaking the patterns of masking behaviour early on. Some of the approaches we take here at Chalgrove School can help pupils feel more comfortable and live authentic lives at school.

1. Addressing sensory differences

Processing everyday sensory information can be difficult for autistic children, affecting how they behave and making it harder to function in a conventional classroom.

Children who are over-sensitive to sensory stimuli can become overwhelmed or hyperactive, and as a result they become sensory avoiders – a child who puts their hands over their ears to block out a sudden sound, for instance. Equally, children with an under-sensitivity may need more sensory input to function, and they become sensory seekers – walking with heavy steps, or hugging too tightly.

However, just a few tweaks to the classroom to overcome sensory triggers can make such a difference to an autistic child – and will often benefit other children in the class too.

For instance, some children can become dysregulated when faced with harsh lighting or strong smells. But reducing the brightness with a dimmable light switch or allowing a child to eat lunch in a separate space alleviates the impact of sensory overload.

Pupils with an under-sensitivity to touch often seek out tactile experiences, and teachers can support these needs with weighted blankets, sensory stickers or gym bands around chair legs to allow a child to fidget or apply pressure.

Some children have difficulty with their vestibular sense which affects balance. We find that just a few minutes on the playground swing can re-set their sense of body awareness and provide a calming effect.

Adaptations like these support neurodivergent children’s needs while helping them feel more at home in the classroom.

2. Promoting understanding and acceptance

It’s important for neurotypical pupils to recognise that some children have different needs. In my view, this is best achieved through a whole school approach to helping children understand conditions such as autism.

Part of our curriculum is called ‘why it’s good to be me’ and includes lessons where children share thoughts about what makes everyone unique. This encourages pupils to celebrate what is special about themselves and others.

These lessons really help children to accept one another, for instance, when our autistic pupils practice stimming, or self-stimulatory behaviour to deal with situations they find challenging.

While everybody stims in one way or another, in autistic people, stimming might be more obvious. For example, it may present as full-body rocking back and forth, twirling, or flapping the hands, and often the individual has less social awareness that the behaviour might be disruptive to others.

Stimming is an essential coping mechanism for some children, and should always be encouraged unless it is harmful to them or others. Although it can draw unwanted attention.

By explaining to the class that stimming is a natural way to self-regulate, and asking children to think about how they stim themselves, teachers can help children recognise and accept this behaviour without judgement.

3. Boosting communication skills

When autistic children are able to communicate effectively with teachers and peers, they don’t need to hide their authentic characteristics at school. So to encourage autistic children to participate as much as possible in the school day, we use a range of strategies which help children of all abilities. Some of our pupils who are pre-verbal or have difficulty communicating, find that Makaton signs help them to communicate with teachers and peers, and the signs provide extra visual and language reinforcement which supports understanding. 

Widgit symbols help us support inclusivity by providing visual aids to enable children to communicate. Pupils use symbols which represent activities such as ‘draw’ or ‘read’ to tell us what they want to do. Children can also use symbols to ask us for something they need such as a weighted blanket or some quiet time for sensory regulation.

To enable autistic children to take part in class activities, we use symbols to create visual timetables where lunchtime is visualised with a symbol of a child eating, or story time is a symbol of a teacher reading. These timetables ensure any change during the day is expected, which is reassuring for a child who finds unpredictability difficult to manage. Visual aids like this also work well for creating social stories which provide an illustrated account of an event that is new to the child such as visually mapping out the steps for taking part in a school sports day.

When schools adapt their environments, encourage understanding and support better communication, they provide the opportunity for autistic pupils of to flourish. And by promoting good autism practice throughout the school, all children learn to celebrate their unique qualities.

Alison Eason is head of the Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) at Chalgrove Primary School. Alison is a speaker at The Institute of Government & Public Policy’s Annual Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Conference on 10th October 2023.