Starting High School: A Neurodivergent Transition Workbook

Starting high school changes the demands of an ordinary day. New classrooms, teachers, routines and relationships can bring opportunities, while making familiar supports harder to access.

This workbook helps neurodivergent young people, families and therapists explore those changes together. It starts with the young person’s priorities and turns discussion into practical actions for home and school.

What is included

Nine A4 pages covering:

• Starting together: communication preferences, hopes and choices about sharing information.
• Understanding the change: what may be different and what already helps.
• Mapping the school day: sensory demands, travel, classrooms, breaks and access to support.
• Making learning manageable: instructions, materials, task initiation and organisation.
• Belonging and asking for help: comfortable spaces, communication options and adult follow-up.
• Energy and recovery: early signs of difficulty and an after-school support plan.
• School action planning: agreed adjustments, responsibilities and review arrangements.
• Reviewing the transition: perspectives from the young person, family and school.
• Therapist reflection: working hypotheses, next steps and linked references.

How to use it

Choose one or two pages to explore during a session. The young person can write, draw, point, dictate or return to a question later.

Therapist prompts support collaborative discussion. The school action plan helps clarify who will arrange support, while the review page can be reused as needs become clearer.

Format

• Printable PDF.
• Nine pages, with one worksheet per A4 page.
• Spacious writing areas and restrained colour.
• Designed to remain readable when printed in black and white.
• Australian English and an Australian school context.

This is an evidence-informed planning resource to individualise with the young person and family. It is not a diagnostic assessment or a validated treatment programme.