Why Preplanning Before School Starts Makes All the Difference in an Autism Classroom
If you teach in an autism classroom, you already know something very true. The beginning of the school year is not a time you want to wing it. Preplanning is the way to go. It is the difference between walking into the first week feeling steady or walking in with a smile that hides the “I hope this works” feeling.
And yes, preplanning takes time. Like making visual supports for days time. Or. Like taking hours thinking through the systems you want to have working in your class time.
Visual supports do not magically appear.
Schedules do not print themselves.
And lamination becomes your entire personality for at least two weeks. It is just they way it seems to be.
But the good news is that all the time you put in during those quiet days before students arrive will pay you back again and again. And again. You will thank yourself sooooo much for being prepared ahead of time.
Visual Supports Take Time and That is Okay
Visual supports are the backbone of an autism classroom. They help students understand routines, expectations and transitions. When you know what to expect, you can handle it a little better. This is the same for students. Visuals give structure to the day and create consistency, which is every teacher’s best friend.
The part no one mentions is how long they take to make.
You print. You cut. You laminate. You cut again. You add Velcro. Then you realize you forgot one picture and you start again.
This does not mean you are doing it wrong.
It means you are having the normal process that all great teachers go through.
Because once those visuals are ready, life becomes so much easier. The hope is that students become more independent, behavior decreases and the classroom feels calmer and more predictable. You get back minutes and sometimes hours of instructional time simply because your supports are ready on day one. You definitely get back planning time.
Lamination Season is a Real Thing
If your laminator could earn overtime, it absolutely would. If you do not have one, make sure you go get one or put it on your wishlist for college graduation, housewarming, birthday, any occasion. You NEED one.
Every autism teacher knows that the laminator becomes your best friend during preplanning.
You might spend days making:
- Individual schedules
- Group schedules
- Choice boards
- First Then boards
- Work systems
- Table labels
- Morning meeting pieces
- Token boards
- Sensory area visuals
It is a lot. And that is why preplanning is a necessity.
Just know that all of this front loading saves you precious time once school begins. Instead of scrambling in August, you are simply pulling visuals from a bin and sliding them into place. You are starting the year with confidence instead of repair mode. You are ready for students who depend on predictability from the moment they walk in. There will be other hurdles to work on later. These are a few things you can work on now.
Preplanning Helps You Feel More Prepared and Less Overwhelmed
Being an autism teacher means juggling many moving parts. Planning ahead gives you space to think. It allows you to picture the flow of the room, anticipate needs and create systems that support your students, yourself and you team.
When your room is set up with intention, the year starts smoother. When you prepare early, you get to enjoy the first week instead of surviving it.
Preplanning is something we love to talk about here at AutismClassroom.com. In our course Step by Step Autism Classroom Design Signature training for new and newish educators, we get deeper into planning by looking into how to set up your classroom for students with autism. (If you are interested, you can find that class in our Autism Teacher Club Membership.)
You will thank yourself so much. Many of the things discussed you don’t even know you need until your swamped.
Need Support Getting Started
If you want ideas to get things flowing your autism classroom or you just found out you will be teaching in this class and need a little help deciding what to focus on first, we have something for you. Our Autism Starter Guide breaks down what to focus on before the beginning of the year and offers simple, practical suggestions you can use right away.
It is completely free when you sign up for our newsletter. You will get the guide delivered straight to your inbox so you can start to get ideas flowing for your classroom, even if you have not even seen the room yet!
You deserve a plan for your future classroom next year. Let the guide help you get there. And if you have any questions about the Step by Step Autism Classroom Design Course, just join the Autism Teacher Club or email
