What School Readiness Really Means for a Child with Autism

What does it really mean for a child with autism to be ready for school? School readiness is about more than preparing for academics. It also includes developing the communication, social, self-regulation, independence, and learning skills that can help a child participate in the routines and expectations of their next classroom environment.

Recent research supports looking at school readiness across multiple areas of development. A 2023 systematic review examining early-childhood interventions for preschool-aged children with autism and other developmental disabilities described school readiness across six connected areas: cognitive development, social and communication skills, physical and motor development, speech and language, emotional and behavioral adjustment, and adaptive living skills. The review also found promising evidence that early interventions can support social, communication, and language development in preschool-aged children.

At Great Strides, we view school readiness as a developmental sequence that begins throughout early intervention, rather than something that starts only when kindergarten is approaching. Our Intensive Early Intervention Program uses the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) Curriculum Checklist to help assess skills across multiple areas of development and guide individualized teaching goals. Communication, social development, self-regulation, play, cognitive and fine-motor skills, personal independence, and transitions are all areas that can build a foundation for later participation in preschool or kindergarten.

Our classrooms provide a developmental continuum for early learners through pre-K, with children progressing based on assessment outcomes and their individual rate of skill development. As children build skills and move closer to their next environment, programming can become more directly connected to what they may experience there. This may include following group directions, communicating and interacting with peers, participating in group activities, becoming more independent within familiar routines, handling changes in the day, and developing skills that support classroom learning.

How Does Great Strides Practice the Routines Children Will Actually Use at School?

As children get closer to transitioning to school, children begin practicing more of the everyday routines they may encounter during a school day. During individual programming, children may work on answering personal-information questions, communicating when they need help, or managing their belongings during arrival and dismissal. Throughout the clinic day, they also practice transitioning between activities, walking with a group, and walking safely with an adult during transitions.

Lunch is another important part of this preparation. Children preparing to transition to school begin eating together as a larger group and work toward using their own lunchboxes with as little assistance as possible. They practice managing their containers, utensils, drinks, and other lunch items. We also transition away from warming food so children can become familiar with having everything they need available in their lunchbox, including using a thermos if families want to send warm food.

A school lunch can involve many skills at once. Children may be practicing independence, participating with a group, managing their own materials, and communicating appropriately when they need assistance. If a child needs additional support with this transition, their BCBA can work with the family to determine options that fit the child’s individual needs.

What Is the Great Strides Launch Program?

For children preparing to transition into kindergarten, we also offer a program called Launch. Launch incorporates the Preschool Life Skills (PLS) curriculum developed by Dr. Gregory Hanley and colleagues and focuses on instruction following, functional communication, tolerance, and friendship skills.

These types of skills continue to be studied within behavior analysis. A 2024 study published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis evaluated a parent-delivered version of the Preschool Life Skills program with preschool-aged children. The study found increases in children's preschool life skills following the intervention and described school readiness as multidimensional, including communication, self-regulation, social, and academic skills.

Launch builds on skills children have already been developing and gives them opportunities to practice in a setting that moves closer to kindergarten expectations. The environment shifts from the play-area structure of our preschool clinic to a centers-based classroom that includes circle time, centers, themed free play, quiet reading and activities, transitions, lunch, and snack. Staffing support is also reduced to create more opportunities for children to become independent and participate as part of a class. Launch focuses on 13 Preschool Life Skills. Children may practice responding to their name, following simple and multi-step directions, requesting assistance or attention, communicating with adults and peers, tolerating delays, sharing, and responding appropriately to others.

How Can My Child’s BCBA Help With the Transition to School?

At Great Strides, BCBAs meet with parents regularly throughout treatment. As school approaches, that support can become more focused on preparing for the upcoming transition. With parent permission and depending on what the school allows, a BCBA may communicate with teachers, share relevant treatment information, participate in the IEP process, observe the child once they begin school, or give school personnel an opportunity to observe the child at our clinic. This helps create a connection between the skills the child has been developing in ABA and the expectations of their new environment.

At Great Strides, our goal is to help children build the skills they need to be successful in the classroom without direct ABA support whenever possible. When a child has developed the skills needed to attend school and continue learning there, we want them to have as much exposure to that environment as possible. For some children, this may include a hybrid schedule in which they attend school for part of the day and come to Great Strides afterward for continued ABA services.

Starting school also does not mean that support from us has to end. A child’s needs and the way ABA fits into their life may change once they begin school. Depending on the child’s individual needs, families may continue working with their BCBA through parent training or individual ABA services. We also offer ABA services for school-aged children. Children may participate in our social skills evening program, Friendship Skills Group (FSG), where they can continue developing social skills and building connections with peers.

How Do I Know if My Child with Autism Is Ready for Kindergarten?

There is not one skill or checklist that determines whether a child is ready for kindergarten. A helpful question for families may be: What will my child’s next environment ask them to do, and which of those skills can we begin practicing now?

For one child, that may mean learning to communicate when they need help. For another, it may mean becoming more comfortable participating with a group, moving through transitions, adjusting to changes in routine, interacting with peers, or becoming more independent during lunch and other everyday activities. Parents can talk with their child’s BCBA about what their next environment may look like, which skills their child is already developing, and where additional practice may be helpful before that transition.

Preparing for the Next Environment

School readiness is something we build toward over time. Skills developed throughout early intervention gradually become more connected to preschool or kindergarten expectations as a child gets closer to that transition. Through individualized programming, our developmental classrooms, kindergarten lunch preparation, and Launch, children have opportunities to practice communication, self-regulation, independence, peer interaction, routines, and classroom participation in meaningful ways. School readiness will not look the same for every child. The goal is to understand where the child is going next, what that environment may require, and how we can help them prepare for it.

Sources & Further Reading

· Fang, Z., Liu, X., Zhang, C., & Qiao, D. (2023). Early Childhood Interventions in Educational Settings That Promote School Readiness for Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities: Systematic Review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 108, 102257.

· Lee, H., Gunning, C., Leow, J., & Holloway, J. (2024). An Evaluation of Delivery of the Parent Preschool Life Skills Program via Telehealth. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 57(4), 893–909.