The unexpected. Something that is often inevitable, yet so draining and stressful on an autistic individual. But why is this? 

An autistic person will often need a regular routine in their life as this helps with feeling in control and being able to sequence events into a logical order. For example; when I arrive at work in the morning I will always go into the offices to sign in and to say good morning to people. This allows me to feel more settled from the transition from home into work, but also is an easy way into having some social time before I start my day of work. This small social time really boosts my positivity for the day and helps me to feel in control, as I often find when I want / need to socialise I often feel unable to do so, or I can’t. After I have greeted everyone I will head over to my classroom, hang my keys up at my desk, put the radio on to listen to while setting up for the morning. 

Personally, I can be messy and chaotic at times, but under all of that I have some idea of what is happening around me. I may often require more organisation than others such as my peers, so I can mentally prepare myself for what is about to happen; allowing me to put realistic expectations on what may happen imminently. This will allow me to feel more secure with my surroundings and the people around me, enabling me to form some friendships and trusts which ensure I feel calm, happy but most importantly safe.

School life can be very enjoyable for many people with ASC. People like myself really enjoy having the structure, which enables me to feel more secure with my surroundings, form trusting bonds with others and allow me to have independence in a safe environment. It was very important for me to have a structured timetable when at school, so I could plan ahead in my mind, think about the room I was in for each lesson, as well as what teacher I would have. This would allow me to think about any concerns and share them with an adult I trusted, so they could be resolved. 

If there was ever an unexpected change, this could have such a huge impact on me. For example; if there was to be a supply teacher. Maybe it was a teacher I knew well, or a teacher I had never met in my life. It could be a last-minute room change to a classroom I don’t know very well. Maybe the room layout didn’t make sense, who would I be sitting with and how could this impact my emotions and my learning? All things stressful for a student with ASC.

When things happen unexpectedly as a working man, it can still have a huge impact to the point where I am unable to settle for the rest of the day. When that happens, it is exhausting! For example; I can’t access my work emails. This is one that has happened quite a few times over the 2 years I have been working in primary education, and it is very stressful, yet sounds so small. I can’t access any of the lesson plans for the week, or the details of an upcoming training course I am due to be attending. I can’t access my OneDrive account where I save a lot of my documents. I am constantly having to ask people to print things off for me but having to explain why I need this doing. Putting all the words in the right order over and over to various people who respond differently was really challenging and exhausting. When feeling stressed from something as small as this I would just write it into an email and send it to people on a need to know basis – tricky to do when I can’t access my emails. 

Perhaps something a little bigger, like being sent to work in a different classroom with students & teachers who I am not familiar with. They may not understand the way I work, or the way I do things. I may not understand the different routines in their classroom or may find them illogical. This can be very tricky for someone like myself who has ASC, as it can lead to a lot of anxiety due to the uncertainty of not knowing.  

Dealing with an unexpected event can be very challenging for me and many people with ASC. It is important that there is support in place when something unexpected happens. You can’t promise or guarantee that nothing will change unexpectedly. Having support in place can really minimise stress and anxiety, allowing the person with ASC to have minimal disruption to their day.

Minimizing disruption in the right ways without singling young people out from their peers can really boost confidence, as well as their ability to be more independent. It can also allow the young person to ‘fit in’ with their peers, which many teens feel is vital in an educational setting.

I wonder if there are any small changes you could make to help a young person with ASC deal with unexpected change better?