THUNDER BAY – School is going to look very different for students this year and for those on the autism spectrum, getting used to new routines and protocols could be even more challenging, but that’s not going to stop Grade 7 student Chloe Tremonti from having fun and looking forward to September.
“I’m going to make new friends and learn new things and meeting new teachers and learning more things about the school and the world,” she said.
Chloe and nearly a dozen other students in the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board have been participating in new school transition program to prepare them for what school will be like during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was good. I’m starting in the school on Sept. 9,” Chloe said. “I like it because it’s sweet and it’s kind and it’s teaching us how to social distance and ways to protect ourselves from the Coronavirus and staying safe.”
The program provides face-to-face interactions and activities with student support professionals to reintroduce students back into a school environment, back into old and new routines, and have some fun.
Amy Massalin, the school-based behavior lead from Children’s Centre, said kids have been out of school for nearly six months, so it’s important to teach them about some of the changes that will be taking place when they return in September.
“We know for our students with autism that they learn a little bit differently and they need to get back into more of a routine and know what’s to come,” she said. “We hope that for students who attend the program that transition will be a little bit easier.”
Massalin said students on the autism spectrum can sometimes have difficulties with sensory processing, such as wearing a mask.
“And the social aspect and the rules they’ve learned before about how to play with others and now those are being taken back and you can’t be close to your friends,” she said. “And the whole routine and structure around where you can walk in the schools. It’s going to be a whole new learning experience for our students on the spectrum as opposed to neuro-typical kids.”
The transition program has been running for the past two weeks at Pope John Paul II and E.Q. Kennings schools and Massalin said she is very impressed with how the students are taking to the new protocols, including wearing a face covering.
“They’ve been great. The younger group has been surprisingly a little bit better than the older group, which was shocking because when they go back they don’t necessarily have to wear it,” she said.
“But they’ve been really good about it. We’ve needed to remind them that they can take their mask off if they want to have a snack or if we are outside playing and they can take it off and have a mask break.”
But given what she and the SSPs have seen so far, the kids will be ready for the new school year and the changes that are coming.
“I was really worried about the kids coming in and not knowing what the rules would be but they have done so well that I think we can all take a bit of a breath and realize we are going to get through it and we are going to be okay and they will be able to learn what they need to do when they get in,” she said.
And as Chloe says, it’s all about working together, in not only the transition program, but in the community as a whole.
“I like this program because it’s nice and friendly and I have lots of fun there and the people there are really nice,” she said. “I would like to thank everyone for protecting us from the Coronavirus.”
