5 School Accommodations That Change Everything

The right accommodations can make a huge difference in autistic students' experiences in school. These seemingly small adjustments can have a big impact. Please remember that each autistic individual is unique and accommodations need to be individualized. The five accommodations I am listing below are simple to implement but I rarely see schools using them. You can ask your team to add them to your child's 504 plan or IEP.

Do not remove recess or movement opportunities as a consequence in the absence of physical safety concerns.

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard from parents, “My child did not finish the work in class, so he had to stay and finish during recess.” “My child did not do homework, so she had to do it during recess.” All children require movement. But autistic children and many other neurodivergent children require more movement than neurotypical children in order to meet their sensory needs and maintain regulation. Recess and other movement opportunities are an autism-related need for our children. They should not be taken away as a consequence in the absence of safety concerns. An autism-related accommodation stating that can be added to a 504 plan or IEP.

Do not grade presentations and responses on eye contact, voice volume, and inflection

Many times, when speaking in front of the class or making presentations, students are expected to look around the classroom at their peers, make eye contact, and speak loudly and with inflection. Many autistic children cannot do that. Eye contact can be very uncomfortable. Looking around the room at peers while speaking adds a processing load, which can make it hard to focus, recall content, and formulate language. Many autistic children struggle with regulating how loudly they speak. Many also speak with inflection and cadence that are different from those of neurotypical kids. They might also speak in a monotone. These are all autism-related differences that need to be accommodated.

Provide feedback, both positive and negative, in private

Many autistic kids hate to be in the center of attention. Whether you are praising them or providing constructive criticism, they can feel anxious and self-conscious being singled out in front of their peers in any way. They can break down crying or shut down, in which case they will certainly struggle to take in whatever it is that is being said to them. For such children, it is easy to provide feedback in private. An accommodation on their 504 plan or IEP will inform teachers that this is needed and will make them responsible for doing so.

Explain the “why.”

Often, autistic children have to know the reasons why they have to do something or do it a certain way. Before they start a task or follow a rule, things have to make sense. Without understanding the reason, it can be difficult to follow rules or engage in tasks. Sometimes teachers interpret this as students being stubborn, difficult or obstructionist. But this need is based on their neurology. Knowing the “why” behind a rule or a task makes it much easier to do what is needed. This can be reflected in an accommodation, so that everyone working with the child in school is aware of the need and responsible for meeting it.

Provide ample opportunities to ask questions

Many autistic children need additional information when they are asked to do something. Maybe information was provided, but some of it was implicit, incomplete, or unclear to an autistic mind. It is often confusing to neurotypical people why an autistic person is looking for more information, because the level of detail needed by brains with different neurologies is different. An autistic mind often requires a level of specificity and clarity that can appear excessive to a neurotypical individual. Again, an autistic child asking questions is often perceived as being difficult or wanting to delay a task for no good reason. However, the need for clarity is an autism-related need. It can be addressed by an accommodation.

These free and simple adjustments make a huge difference in autistic students' experience in school. When their needs are understood and

honored, children tend to feel more sense of belonging. They can develop closer relationships with their teachers and feel successful.

If you would like more school accommodation ideas, please check out my dloanloadable resource 200 School Accommodations.

If you yould like more individualized assistance with figuring out the right school accommodations or other supports for your child, please take a look at my Special Education Advocacy and IEP Review pages. I would be happy to help.