Preventing Summer Slide — Keeping Skills Strong Without Overwhelm

The idea of “summer slide” often brings pressure to keep academic skills sharp—but for many children with autism, what’s more concerning is losing daily living skills, routines, or hard-earned self-regulation tools.

What to Focus On Instead

Think beyond academics:

• Is your child brushing their teeth more independently?

• Can they tolerate changes in routine better than before?

• Are they using language to express emotions?
  

These are executive functioning wins, and summer is a great time to practice and preserve them!

Strategies to Keep Skills Strong

1. Integrate Learning into Daily Life

• Grocery trips = categorizing, labeling, budgeting

• Cooking = sequencing, measuring, fine motor skills

• Cleaning = following steps and routines
  
  

2. Use Play as Therapy

• Turn OT activities into obstacle courses

• Use speech goals in pretend play

• Sing songs that practice sequencing (ex “This is the way we brush our teeth…” you know that song!)
  
  

3. Revisit Visual Supports

Bring back school-year visual tools to maintain structure:

• Daily schedules

• Chore charts

• Calm-down cues

• First - then boards

• Choice Boards

  
  
  

4. Keep Communication Skills Alive

• Role-play social scenarios

• Use video modeling

• Practice emotion labeling with books or their favorite show/video
  
  

5. Set “Summer Wins” Instead of Goals

Rather than strict goals, track small daily wins:

• “Today they put their own shoes on!”

• Used words instead of screaming when frustrated - “Thank you for telling me how you were feeling, now we are able to problem solve together!”
  
  

Use a journal or sticker chart to celebrate and reflect!

You are not your child’s teacher, OT, counselor or speech therapist—but you are their most important partner in growth. Don’t ever forget that! Keep it fun, light, and consistent—and know that even small efforts make a lasting impact!