By Mackenzie Turbeville, M.Ed. | |
“I was nervous too, and trust me there is nothing to be worried about. I was at the same stage that everyone else is when they were going to middle school, and now I’m Mr. Positive!”
This is a quote from Ethan, a student with Autism who recently started sixth grade outside of Richmond, VA. Before starting middle school, Ethan had many worries about what it would be like. Would he make friends? Would he struggle with his locker? Would he have to participate in gym class? After a few weeks, Ethan had it all figured out, and he wants to share his experiences with other students making this transition. You can read the full interview with Ethan and his grandmother Peggy here.
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The transition to middle school can be particularly worrisome, especially for students with additional challenges or disabilities. Leaving elementary school means losing the comfort of one classroom, one teacher, and one primary group of peers. Middle school daily schedules involve multiple transitions between classes and teachers and a much larger pool of peers to navigate. This can leave students feeling fearful and disconnected, especially students with disabilities. However, with all of this change, there is also opportunity. Middle school can offer a wider array of clubs and sports, new friends to meet, and new electives to explore.
Luckily, engaging in just a few activities focused on increasing students’ feelings of belonging can shift a student’s mindset away from anxiety over fitting in and towards excitement for new relationships and academic challenges (Borman et al., 2019).
Here are three strategies that can help students with disabilities thrive and take advantage of all that middle school has to offer:
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Address and Validate Student Concerns
Students with disabilities may feel additional anxiety and uncertainty before a big change, and they are more intrinsically receptive to support when their feelings are heard, respected, and validated (Yeager et al., 2018). Set aside time to speak with your students about their expectations, concerns, and questions. Validate that any emotions or worries they have about the transition are normal and expected.
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Provide Opportunities to Hear from Middle School Peers
While it’s helpful for adults to validate student concerns, exposure to peer stories of transition can be even more powerful. Research shows that learning about other students’ experiences with transition helps students to see their emotions as normal and temporary (Pyne & Borman, 2020).
You can support this shift in mindset by creating opportunities for students to hear directly from older students about their experiences, perhaps during a middle school visit. If meeting older students isn’t an option, simply reading about other students’ experiences can have profound positive effects on social and academic outcomes (Pyne & Borman, 2020). Students with disabilities likely benefit from repeated exposure to such resources over a longer period of time. Providing a variety of formats, such as videos, in-person conversations, and opportunities to read about other students’ experiences throughout the school year can help build confidence.
You can share with students the video below Getting Ready for Middle School Part 1: Fears & Faves that highlights the experience of some rising middle schoolers. You can also share Ethan's experience with students.
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Visit the School, Meet Important People, and See Important Places
One of the most common ways schools support students who are transitioning is to provide the opportunity to visit the school ahead of time (Cauley & Jovanovich, 2006). However, these visits often include entire grade levels visiting at once. Providing students with disabilities additional chances to view the school, meet important people, and ask questions in a smaller setting can help them feel more confident and connected to their new school.
You can help your students make the most of these opportunities by preparing ahead of time. Here is a ready-to-use resource for helping students prepare for a middle school visit and reflect on the experience: Preparing for a Middle School Visit.
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It’s never too early to plan for the middle school transition.
Talk with your students about their expectations, emotions, and questions about moving to middle school. Make a plan to meet with other key stakeholders, including the administration at the elementary and middle school, parents, and even some older students.
Keep an eye out for the next Link Lines edition, where we will share information about the transition from middle to high school!
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Borman, G. D., Rozek, C. S., Pyne, J., & Hanselman, P. (2019). Reappraising academic and social adversity improves middle-school students’ academic achievement, behavior, and well-being. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(33), 16286–16291. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1820317116
Cauley, K. M., & Jovanovich, D. (2006). Developing an effective transition program for students entering middle school or high school. The Clearing House, 80(1), 15-25. https://www.jstor.org/stable/30194999
Pyne, J., & Borman, G., D. (2020). Replicating a scalable intervention that helps students reappraise academic and social adversity during the transition to middle school. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 13(4), 652-678. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2020.1784330
Yeager, D. S., Dahl, R. E., & Dweck, C. S. (2018). Why interventions to influence adolescent behavior often fail but could succeed. Perspectives on Psychological Science: A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 13(1), 101–122. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617722620
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