Autism Educational Advocacy: The Expert Ally

26/09/2026

Physical education can cause a lot of stress for autistic learners. Many autistic students hate P.E. Many autistic adults have terrible memories of it.

Do we want our autistic learners to be healthy and enjoy movement? Yes. But we cannot accomplish that through stress and misery. Autistic students who dislike P.E. should be offered classroom accommodations, so that they can still have movement opportunities but in ways that work for them. They do not have to do what everyone else is doing, and they do not have to move at the same pace. These accommodations can be included in the student's IEP or 504 plan.

As always, we have to remember that all autistic people are different. Some excel at sports and find pride and social connections in athletic activities.

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Yulika aka The Expert Ally
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21/09/2026

Many neurodivergent (autistic, ADHD, and other conditions) children take school bus to school and are faced with hostilities from other children. Bus drivers are not able to monitor all the nuances of what is happening on the bus because, naturally, they are focused on driving and safety.

These incidents are hard to prevent, and often parents do not know about them at all, as many neurodivergent children do not tell their parents what happens at school.

It is important to check in with your child about what the bus ride is like, who they sit with and what they talk to others about, how they feel on the bus (good, bad, ok?), do they always sit with the same child or different children, do they have friends on the bus . Ask concrete questions rather than a general question along the lines of "How are things on the bus?"

Bus is one of the minimally supervised school experiences your child has.

Warmly, Yulika aka The Expert Ally
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18/09/2026

Unlimited breaks is a good accommodation for an autistic student. But it only works if the sensory load and the level of dysregulation the student is experiencing are manageable. It also requires the student to understand their nervous system, be able to notice the initial signs of being overloaded, and be able to initiate the break.

When unlimited breaks fail, it is not the student's fault. It can mean that the levels of sensory overwhelm and dysregulation are too high. It can also mean that academics are too difficult or unrelatable, and the autistic student is disconnected and disengaged from the classroom experience. These are the problems that need to be solved. The student does not need to be solved.

It can also often be necessary to teach the student to identify their nervous system cues and understand when a break is needed, and when the nervous system has returned to regulation. Initiation and transition from one environment to another are other skills that the student might need to learn as well.

Yulika aka The Expert Ally
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12/09/2026

If your autistic child or student does these things a lot, take note. Very likely, they are struggling with some aspect, or many aspects, of school, and might be experiencing sensor overload.
I always think that it is great when kids recognize their own sensory and regulation needs and find ways to meet them to manage their environment. At the same time, because school is so demanding and we want our autistic learners to be learning and connecting to the school community, it is important to adjust their environment to make it as friendly as possible. This can involve changing how the classroom is lit or organized, how transitions are handled, etc., or it can involve offering additional classroom accommodations to the student. These changes should be documented on the student's IEP or 504 plan.
Adjusting the environment and adding accommodations will hopefully lead to the child not needing as much time away from where everyone is. However, many autistic students will still need extra breaks. We should help them figure out how to take these breaks in ways that will not interfere with learning.
Yulika aka The Expert Ally
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05/09/2026

Kids refuse to go to school when they cannot take it anymore. It is the school's responsibility to address this. It is so much better for everyone when the school works to prevent it.
I am going to add a note here clarifying that when I discuss school refusal, I mean a consistent pattern of the child missing school every day for a significant period of time, accompanied by emotional distress. The school refusal also is not motivated by other external activities that the child wants to do. And the child does not hide the absences from caregivers. This is the topic of this post.
Has your child refused to go to school? Have you, as a child, refused to go to school?

02/09/2026

Many people think that there is a list of accommodations that you can choose from, and you cannot have anything else. That is not true. You can create accommodations that are needed. The accommodations in this post are not usually found on any standard lists. I came up with them in the course of my work as an advocate and a clinician. Many of my clients have those on their IEPs and 504 plans.

Link to blog: https://www.theexpertally.com/post/5-school-accommodations-that-change-everything

29/08/2026

Many autistic students suffer in school. This cuts across profiles and goes around the entire spectrum. Instead of being supported, they get judged for their differences and behaviors that are related to how their neurodivergent brain works.
This post is about a few very simple things that can make school easier for our autistic children. Many of those can go into an IEP or 504 plan as accommodations.
Show it to your child's teacher to help them figure out how to support your child. These simple and concrete strategies reduce anxiety, help meet sensory and regulation needs, help your child make friends without being forced to socialize, and make their overall school experience better.

21/08/2026

New school year is just around the corner. So much to do to make it as smooth as possible for my clients!

26/07/2026

My wonderful colleague Dr. Jillian Bennett is running a non-profit dedicated to helping families with qualifying out of pocket expenses related to testing, therapies, and advocacy/legal services. There is still time to apply for this year. Link: https://www.neurodiversitysupportforchildren.com

Only 1 week left to apply for a 2026 Family Grant to help fund a neuropsychological evaluation, behavioral health treatment, &/or advocacy & legal services. Please share with Massachusetts families who may need these services.

04/07/2026

When a child is struggling, the behavior we see is often the last thing we should focus on.

Instead of asking, "How do we stop this behavior?" a more useful question is: "What is making this hard for the child?"

Many behaviors that adults find challenging are signs of unmet needs, lack of skills, communication difficulties, sensory overwhelm, anxiety, executive functioning challenges, or a lack of appropriate supports.

When we focus only on changing behavior, we may miss the real reason the child is struggling. When we understand the cause, we can provide accommodations, teach skills, and create environments where children can succeed.

Please note that many behaviors can be safety concerns for the child and others around the child. Safety issues are a serious consideration and to be addressed.

My downloadable resources can be found here: https://www.theexpertally.com/all-downloads