Tips for Trips!
Supporting #autistic students with school trips. A thread. #autism #ActuallyAutistic /1
— AutisticPB #KindnessMatters 💙 (@AutisticPb) January 19, 2021
Planning a field trip? Think proactively! Recently, I saw a brilliant thread by an autistic advocate @AutisticPb, with their tips to set students up for success. Check their post out here:
This inspired me to put together some of my own tips for teachers. Yes, I know it’s wishful thinking right now for us educators in Ontario, but my book is Book of the Month in Australia right now and I hear many of their states have gotten to the other side of lockdowns, school closures, and high case numbers! And one day, this will be useful for everyone.
In my early years as a teacher, I didn’t always plan quite so proactively, and I deeply regret not being thorough or thoughtful enough on every trip to predict what might have led to a less than enjoyable experience. (Once or twice this was out of my control, but 99% of the time, I could have improved the trip for everyone with better planning!) I’ve had 2 students miss out on trips and have since wondered what I could have done to understand and support them better. Thankfully, I’ve learned - and am still learning.
In our small group setting, we do frequent outings and experiences – and some of these are positioned as “earned” as group rewards (with me and Sonia, my teaching partner, determining what “earning” looks like for each child, as it is not meant to be punitive. We want them all to be able to earn it and feel good – and we adjust as needed so they are on track).
Outdoor education centre
What trips or activities have we enjoyed? Sometimes, we walk down the road to a pizza joint. Sometimes, we stay in, share snacks, and play on handheld devices together. At other times, we take public transit to see a play or sporting event downtown. We’ve gone to an indoor gym, visited Legoland, been to the movies, rock climbed, eaten at sit-down restaurants, visited our favourite stores and the food court at the local mall, and gone to overnight camp with 40 autistic kids for 3 days – all sorts of outings, big and small! (Usually, we start small as we get to know each other!)
Here’s what I’ve learned so far: when we plan trips, we need to think through the entire experience. We need to circumvent predictable barriers. We need to prepare them. We need to remove the guesswork about what might happen. We need to give them options. And trips should be available and designed for everyone. See my resources section for a Trip Planner graphic organizer!
Tips for Trips:
1) Think about the environment. New expectations, a vast departure from routine, lots of transitions, and very different sensory stimuli are just a few of the obstacles which may impact any student in our class, but especially autistic students! Consider the environment in general but also with specific students in mind. What might they need? Jimmy might want to bring headphones for transit. Donald might need the route map printed out. Taysha may need a friend to count down the stops on the bus with her (and she might like to press the button so the driver knows to stop).
2) Have a plan for breaks. Trips are fun, but they can also be overwhelming. Build in generous travel time as well as downtime before and after for your entire class. Individual students may also need breaks at other times. Develop a plan for how students can indicate to you when they need a break (a gestured signal and making sure you return the sign, or in words – what works for you and the student?). Then, what does that break look like? Where can they take the break? How long can it be? You may need to communicate with the venue. On an overnight camp trip, I and my colleagues arranged with the camp to have two sites where we could place bean bags, books, and games from our classroom which students could go to, after letting an adult know and picking a partner. Whatever the break plan is, communicate it to students in advance, and ask their parents to talk through it, too, if their child may need it.
Rock climbing: “I can see the CN Tower!”
3) Think of what may enhance their comfort. Can they bring an item, like a stuffed animal, a drawing pad, a book, or a special keychain? Maybe they get their “break” or comfort by talking to you or a friend about Minecraft on transit and during lunch. Ask them for their ideas, because we might miss something essential or incorrectly assume they need something when they’d prefer a different accommodation altogether!
4) Practice calming strategies year-round, and remind them these options are available on trips, too. This should be done regularly, but some students may need to talk through with you what they might do if they feel frustrated on the trip. Maybe they share that they love to practice Square Breathing, so ask them or help them to make a visual reminder card: I can ask my teacher for help, I can use my Square Breathing, and I can think about my cat!
5) Parents are an invaluable source of information. After all, they’ve taken their child out more often than you! If it’s your first trip with an autistic student, give them a call and ask if they have any success strategies to share. Find out if their child is excited or anxious about the trip.
6) Talk frequently with your class about the upcoming outing. This gives students time to think about the trip, ask questions, and share their feelings about the trip. Let them know, from the moment they walk out of the classroom, what is expected to happen. “We’ll have time to take a bathroom break, get our coats on, and get our backpacks on. We’ll line up, then when I say we’re ready, we will walk down this hallway to the door, out onto James Street. We will wait for the bus on the corner of James and Sherway Streets. Sometimes you have to wait, usually about 10 minutes, for a bus. We will stand by the bus shelter. If someone passes by on the sidewalk, we can move back and onto the grass…” I’m not kidding when I say try to be really specific.
7) Review safety rules and procedures. Then, talk about these rules and ask students why they think it’s the rule. Explain it so they understand the reason behind it. Be very specific! All students need to know how your expectations change on trips. How do they let you know if they need the washroom? Do they need to go with a partner? Do they stay in the washroom and come out together, even if one finishes up earlier? It benefits everyone to review this information!
Not a trip exactly, but students love water gun play - especially when they get to spray the teacher!
8) Show pictures. Visit in advance and take pictures of the bus ride, the subway, the activities, etc. You can pull these up on a SMART Board. Talk through it, either way! Review this information more than once, and see what they remember the second time. “What do you do again if you need the washroom and we’re in the movie theatre?”
9) Inform students and parents of what students can bring, if there’s a dress code (e.g., comfy clothes; school uniform; athletic wear), and any other “hidden rule”. Tell them if they have to bring their lunch bag, wallet, money. Can they bring that comfort item? Should they have technology or headphones with them? How will they transport/store these things? Let them know!
10) Develop a guide using the pictures and information from above. Outline the itinerary and expectations associated with all parts of the trip. Not every child needs this, but some students really love having the plan visually in front of them and will bring the guide with them on the trip. Predictability brings comfort.
11) Parents can support the trip in various ways. They may be able to visit the location before the class trip if the child is anxious, or practice the public transit route. Parent volunteers can help with trips (but hopefully not as a replacement for a lack of school staff – which I know is often out of our control as teachers. We have to do our best to advocate for personnel support if we need it, without imposing on families). Parents can also review any materials you develop to support the child and roleplay situations in advance.
12) Engage students with jobs on trips. Some of my students really benefitted from being given the role of class photographer, route checker, or student head counter (I also took pictures, knew the routes, and counted heads, but leadership never hurts and keeps students engaged). Ask for their help and tell them exactly what help you need.
Partnering on the giant swing.
BONUS: After trips, we’ve gotten into the routine of collaboratively writing a group journal. I ask students to narrate our trip from start to finish and I type what they say – their preferences, dislikes, overall rating of the trip, and more. They enjoy sharing these details, and especially like not having to write it out themselves! They don’t even realize we’re working on literacy, summarizing, putting things in sequence, giving facts, giving opinions, and many more skills through this process. Then we email it to parents, which helps to promote conversations later.
Feel free to comment below with tips of your own, or get in touch by email if you want to dialogue - I love belonging to a community of learners!