Back to School Shopping
Since school is starting in my neck of the woods, I wanted to focus this week on Back to School for neurodiverse students whether they be in private, public or going off to college.
For this blog, I wanted to cover something that can be overstimulating at times…back to school shopping.
Now, back to school shopping can range from a variety of necessities from supplies to first day of school outfits to getting food for your lunch. There is no such thing as simple shopping when it comes to back to school.
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For neurodiverse individuals, back to school shopping can be a nightmare, being dragged around to get your supplies and being in an environment that you don’t want to be in. In your mind, you are probably wishing that you would much rather be in a different place and playing by your own rules.
What’s more, your families may show excitement for you going back to school and will often use you as a way to show how they proud they are of you for moving up another grade. This can lead up to the point of embarrassing you in public and leading up to you having a sensory overload or meltdown.
If I could say one thing to those who are preparing to go back to school this week or to those who have already gone through the process at the time of this blog, it would be to go extremely easy on your neurodiverse child because while back to school may be an exciting time for you, it may not be such an exciting time for them.
For one thing, try and do one activity at a time in the period leading up to the first day of school. If, for example, you go back to school in August as is often the case in the Southern United States, then in July, pick a day of the week to do shopping for supplies, a day of the following week for outfits and a day of the following week for school lunches.
If you go back to school in Late August or Early September, which is traditional in other places, then devote one day during each week in the month of August for your shopping.
It also helps to have a checklist handy. A checklist is a helpful tool to keep your organization skills and your sanity as well as the sanity of those around you. A checklist also allows your neurodiverse child to stay in their element of being organized whereas some other students tend to not be so organized.
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Now, I’m pretty sure that many of your neurodiverse loved ones will also be upset that summer is ending and that they have their reservations about going back to school. Believe me, I also had reservations about going back to school myself when I was younger. The key is that you cannot be forceful on your child, especially if they are neurodiverse.
If there is a day where your child doesn’t want to do back to school shopping on a particular day, then move it to a time when the child is comfortable in shopping. I get the fact that some parents don’t like to be told how to deal with their children, neurodiverse or neurotypical, but there are going to be moments where you are going to have to put aside your pride and your excitement for your their well-being.
Be sure to join me tomorrow as I talk about another back to school topic…meeting your teacher.
Catch you all later!!