Repetitive behaviors are one of the defining traits of autism. One part of repetitive behavior is the problem with transitions. Some call it being stuck, others call it being stubborn. But the truth is that there is a reasonable explanation for this.

What is transitions?

Transition is when a person transits from one activity to another. Many of us on the spectrum are also hyper or hypo sensitive within some of our senses. So a transition does not necessarily need to be an activity, it can also be a transition from calm space to a loud. Or even from one space with one type of predictability to another.

People on the autism spectrum struggle in making the necessary cognitive adjustment. We also have gaps in our Executive functions. Which makes it even harder for us to stop and transfer attention to something else. So we're not being stubborn. It's Just our brain that needs time to process. Not giving us this time or tools to processes can create anxiety for us. This in turn can create a full blown meltdown or aggressive behavior.

The theory looks the same for people with ADHD, with one difference. Studies suggest that people with ADHD have fewer neurons in the reward center. So why they are getting stuck is simply because they finally have found a rewarding activity, (I only have a pinch of ADHD so can not fully testify this).

Our misunderstood symptoms

The thing that's most upsetting for me is that people often misunderstand our symptoms of our struggle with transitions. They assume that we are being needy and misbehaving but the truth is that we have pieces of important functions missing in our brain. You wouldn't say to a person with a leg that's shorter than the other, that she/he should try a little bit harder to walk without a limp or faster….

Ok, so what are typical symptoms of struggles of transitions?

These symptoms are taken from my own experience. I actually don't know if there are categories to our transitional “problems”. Maybe it is, I'm not a psychologist so I don't know. As I said, these are just some symptoms that I've seen  and I've categorized them down below so it would be easier for you to understand them and us.

The one who has a tantrum

The most misunderstood one is the full blown tantrum. This often happens when abrupted in an activity that we like or an activity that we expect will go on for a certain time… so they call them a temper- tantrum. The truth is that this can easily be avoided by manual, verbal or visual prompts. It can also be avoided by incorporating the transitions in a natural transition.

Here I will use my oldest sibling as an example. Early on my parents realized that they always needed to use verbal prompts for her. The only reason my parents remember when they started to use prompts for me and my siblings, is because they needed to use them ridiculously early. My sister couldn't have been more than 3 months old when my mom realized that my sister didn't scream if she said that they were going to grandma before putting her in the car seat.

The mischievous one

Ever experienced a child tossing over their plate when they're done?

I have, and this child is my baby brother. He had a period where always tossed over his plate when he was done. It was obvious in his expression that he wasn't mischievous so we never lectured, we just got on with it and cleaned the kitchen floor every evening.

Turns out, this is really common by children on the spectrum. Years later when I was reading about autism, I heard that this is a common symptom when someone has problems with transitions. We didn't create a prompt for him so he created one himself.

The one who’s always getting stuck

This one is the one that I still struggle with as an adult. When NTs explain it, it's mostly just that we are being stubborn.

The way I would describe it is the feeling you had as a kid when you went to swim with your friends. You really want to do it but when you get there you realize that the water is freezing cold so you're just standing there and preparing yourself mentaly to take a dive, knowing that the water will feel warmer afterwards.

We are not dumb, we know what we should do and we can often mentalize how it will be afterwards. It's just the transition that can take time.

The literally one

I don't have that much problem with this one but I will try to explain it.

Some of us don't have a complete ability in mentalizing things. We take things so literally that we can't even imagine how it can be, feel and look like if we haven't experienced it before.

As I said, I'm no expert on this one so please comment below⬇.

The distracted one

The problem here is that there is no problem at all with transitions, in a way. The problem here is that you easily get distracted. Getting distracted and jumping in between things can also be problematic. Different processes of different tasks are still processed in the brain while you're jumping between tasks and well beyond you’re done. Remember, we on the spectrum have a problem in processing things.

I was totally this child. I kid you not when I tell you that I had my wardrobe in the hallway right in front of the entry as a kid. The reason behind this was that my brain simply couldn't handle going from one area to the house, to another and then to another. And in all places doing different things and getting distracted by other things And when going between all of the tasks. The kitchen and bathroom was right next to the entryway, so by having my wardrobe there I didn't need to switch between tasks as much.

Things that can make transitions easier

Ok, so what can you do to make transitions easier. The first you have to do is of course to analyze and think in what areas you have problems in. This is something you're not going to get right away. As I say, the autistic brain needs to process things longer. We also have a tendency to not realize the state of our own feelings. So one thing that works one day may not work another day, and so on. You need to see the patterns in things.

Visual schedules

Schedules are an obvious tool to use to prepare yourself for what will come. We who are on the spectrum like to use what we call a visual schedule. There are different types of visual schedules but the thing in common with them is that there are pictures instead of text.

Why visual schedules

Visual schedules are to prepare us for the next activity. When you're on the autism spectrum you can have difficulties attaining and processing information. That's why visual tools are so useful. Instead of translating a verbal instruction or a written, we can see immediately what will come to happen.

We also can have a tendency to ruminate on things, that's what the professionals like to call it. For me it's more like the brain keeps processing something if it doesn't know when the specific thing will actually happen. Eg. If I know that I'm to visit a friend on a certain day but don't know if it will happen at 2 pm or 6 pm, my brain will constantly think about it.

This type of rumination is not something that I can stop thinking of. It's not like I'm actually aware of me ruminating. The only thing I'm aware of is that I get stuck and can't do anything. Not even the simplest of tasks like watching a good movie. It's like my brain is stuck in a waiting queue and can't do anything until it knows when the activity will happen.

This type of ruminating is even more severe for others on the spectrum, and this is something that you also need to be cautious of. I'm on the level that some things needs and can be planned ahead 3 months before, and others just the same day. Some people on the spectrum have an even more severe level of ruminating, so for them a 3 month plan can be impossible. Even a daily schedule can be problematic, in this case people usually divides the day up in small blocks.

Types of visual schedules

From my short and brief research on this topic, I could see that there's different systems in different countries.

But I can briefly describe what we use in my home country Sweden. We use something called AKK (short for alternative and complementary communication). Each day has a color, Friday is yellow, Monday is green and Wednesday is white.

For the day you add image cards for each activity. The image card has an image of the thing, place, adjective etc. and a text. It can also have the sign for it.

For my international readers, there's a site called Picto selector where you can download an create visual schedules for free.

For my Swedish readers, Kaosteknik is a great site who explains this mush better.

For those that are literal thinkers, we use a literal image of the thing/person. Now with the latest technology people are also incorporating actual videos of the space, person or thing in their schedule.

With the visual schedule you can also use a visual timer, usually called time timer.

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There's also a countdown timer that you can use. Called Timmstock in Swedish.

Another great visual tool is transition cards. Transition cards are basically the same cards used in the visual schedule. But here it can be used for individual schedules eg, the toilet routine or dressing routine. In this detailed routine you can also add a cover that can be folded over so a visual cue is given that one part of the schedule is done and now it's time to go to the next one.

Prompts

Promts is a cue that gives a hint that something will soon start to happen. Prompts can be visual, manual verbal and natural.

Why  prompts

The autistic brain needs time to process the information, it's that simple. My personal experience is that we get anxiety if there are no prompts.

Type of prompts

Visual

A visual prompt can be, as I just explained, a visual schedule. You can also use other things in your home as a different flooring for different areas. The kitchen can be placed in a way so the rest of the family members can smell and hear that the dinner soon is ready. The entryway can be designed in a way so you can see guests arriving. Visual prompts can also be used in the wrong way in a home. An open floor-plan can sometimes be difficult to handle with lots of visual input and prompts from a lot of different things

Visual prompts can also be used in urban design. I'm sure that all of you have that building to know that you're w soon to arrive at X place. In architecture they like to call this Nodes.

Manual

A tap on the foot when you're helping someone putting on their shoes. Aiding in lifting someone's hand so they know that it's time to grab something.

Verbal

I think verbal prompts is the most used one. One thing that I've seen is that NTs doesn't realize that you actually need to use prompts when talking to persons on the autism spectrum.

The second thing I've seen is that when using prompts you're talking way to looooooong. Remember, we have difficulties in attaining information quickly.

The third thing I've seen is that you use the word not. By using the word not in a sentence you imply so many things. A prompt needs to be short and to the point.

E.g. instead of “Don't jump on the bed”, you can say “Jump on the trampoline”.

Natural prompts

Using a naturally occurring prompt with a prompt. E.g. telling your child during a commercial break, that bedtime is after the next commercial break.

Honestly I don't know how else to describe them. When you are aware of them and what to use in your surroundings, it's so natural to use them.

Sequencing

This is of course my absolute favorite one that none talks about in terms of accessible friendly design. Spatial sequencing is often used in architecture. One of the most known architectures using this is the Jewish museum in Berlin, where the architect Daniel Libeskind translated the Jewish history into spatial sequence and movement.

Here, in the example of the Jewish museum, the goal was to make the Jewish history tangible. What we want to create is a space that's predictable.

It can be useful for individuals on the spectrum to organize areas in a logical order. Spaces should flow seamlessly from one activity to another with the daily schedule in mind. Disruption and distractions should also be avoided. Earlier in this text I used  myself as an example. I had problems getting distracted but it was also easier for me to understand what was expected of me when my parents created a more fluent sequence for me.

To do this they moved my wardrobe from my bedroom to the entrance. I guess they also just could have prepared my clothes every evening, but any parents to autistic children know that even that is complicated. This way I no longer needed to go back up to my bedroom and back again downstairs. Everything I needed to do in the morning was within a short distance of 6 meters. It also helped my parents in that way that they didn't need to run around (sorry for the ableist slur) like crazy.

Summary

We are not stupid were just processing things in a different way.

Things that you can use to make transitions easier is:

• Visual schedules
• Prompts
• Sequencing

And remember, autism is a spectrum, there is no exact solution for anyone. You simply need to try and experiment and see what works for you.

Disclaimer

I didn't use any references at all for this text. Everything is based on my own experience in the year of 2022. I'm sure that I will have a completely different view on this subject in some years to come. And I'm sure that you also have you're own view on this subject.

The linked products and websites in this post are not product placement. I just linked the things that I've also used. If you know other recourses, please share below.