Supporting Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Grief and Loss

Throughout a student’s school career it is likely that the student will experience loss of varying magnitudes. From a favorite friend moving away to the death of family or staff member, loss is an unfortunate inevitability. Supporting any student during a period of loss and grief is challenging for school staff who work to help students better understand the loss, navigate the heartache, and move forward. Supporting students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during this process, however, may present some additional challenges due to their unique cognitive styles, social and communication difficulties, and co-morbid conditions such as anxiety disorder. This article provides an overview of how loss may be understood by students with ASD and how staff may best support these students in processing and expressing their grief. Specific strategies that can be implemented by school teams and can help students with ASD throughout the very trying times of loss are provided. Keywords: grief, loss, developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorder