Transitions Are Hard (...For All of Us): How OTs Can Soften the Blow of End of Year Changes

Apr 26

3 min read

May has a certain energy to it.

The countdown chains get shorter. Classrooms feel louder and looser. Teachers are holding it together with coffee and clipboards. Students are buzzing (some with excitement, some with dysregulation, many with both).

We call it “the end of the school year.” But what it really is… is transition.

And transitions are hard for all of us.

Even as adults, we feel it when we leave a job, move to a new home, end a relationship. pr step out of structure and into the unknown.

There’s always a mix of anticipation and grief. Relief and disorientation.

Now imagine experiencing that shift with limited cognitive flexibility, emerging executive functioning skills, sensory processing differences, and/or difficulty understanding what’s coming next.

For many students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, May isn’t just exciting; it’s neurologically overwhelming.

When the Anchors Shift

Our students rely on anchors:

The same classroom. The same adults. The same routines. The same predictable sequence of events.

When those anchors begin to shift, it doesn’t just create inconvenience, it disrupts regulation.

What we sometimes label as “regression” in May is often nervous system overload. What looks like behavior may actually be uncertainty. What feels like defiance may be fear of the unknown.

And this is where occupational therapy holds untapped potential.

Because transitions are not just administrative events.

They are occupational experiences.

They involve changes in roles, environments, routines, expectations, and identity. And OT lives in that in-between space.

How OTs Can Soften the Blow of End-of-Year Transitions

We don’t have to overhaul systems to make an impact. Often, small proactive supports can dramatically reduce anxiety.

One of the simplest starting points is clarity.

When everything feels like it’s changing, students benefit from seeing what isn’t. Creating a visual that compares “What’s Changing” and “What’s Staying the Same” can be surprisingly powerful. It grounds them. It communicates stability. It reduces the mental load of guessing.

Another powerful tool is the way we talk about transitions.

Instead of overly cheerful narratives that promise, “Everything will be great!”, we can model something more realistic:

"It’s okay to feel nervous. Some things will feel different. You won’t know everything on the first day. You can ask for help."

That kind of honesty builds trust and resilience at the same time.

The end of year is also a natural opportunity to lean into flexibility skills. Rather than presenting them as remediation, we can frame them as “getting ready for what’s next.” Practicing Plan B thinking. Building coping menus. Identifying regulation tools that travel between environments.

We can also think beyond the student in front of us.

If a child is moving to a new classroom, school, or program, we have the ability to advocate in ways that outlast our direct service time. A brief “What Works for Me” summary. A sensory snapshot. A note to the receiving team about environmental supports that actually make a difference.

Transitions shouldn’t mean starting from scratch.

And sometimes, our role is simply helping families zoom out. Offering a simplified summer rhythm. Suggesting one or two portable regulation strategies. Reminding caregivers that less structure doesn’t have to mean chaos, but it may require intention.

We don’t have to do everything, but we can do something.