My son was not in Spec Ed yet when he transitioned, and he totally fell apart. Depending on what issues your child has, you could need things like help getting from one class to another, help copying down all that homework and understanding how it gets turned in for all the different classes (a huge one for my son), reduced homework load (the homework can be ridiculous!), yes free pass to the office!!! tho my son uses it too much. Make sure sensory issues are looked at; PE in the big gym is so much louder and chaotic, and different classrooms will have different issues (ie, my son hates his science class because he hates the lighting and the lab set up and stools). Also at lunch, my son was overwhelmed by all the kids and could not find a place to sit. It was horrible for him! He got a permanent "front of the lunch line" pass.

Because of the age (entering puberty! hormones!) and the huge leap socially (tons of new kids, friends going away, changing classes so many times), my son fell apart with absolutely no support except a cheap 504 that nobody followed. I wish I could give you more help, but we finally got an IEP and it doesn't have nearly enough in it!

My Experience is transitioning a mainstreamed Aspie. Middle School is completely different for her. The structure, set up, timing. In Elementary we were able to work up to working without a para, now in Middle School we are in need of one. She sees the school counselor on a "free pass" if she needs to. Just knowing that she can walk out of class is helpful to make her feel more secure. It is important to be your childs advocate. I would not wait if you feel like something isn't working, change it fast. If you can find out the timing of class changes and work that into your routine at home somehow - I wish we would have done that before school started.

I found that things that were a problem for my son in elementary were still a problem in middle school. So make sure his IEP addresses those things. Put everything you think will be an issue in the IEP so it is available if needed. I asked for an extra set of textbooks, extra time for assignments without penalty, extra time on tests, etc.

Before school starts I would address ability to navigate the new building and how to deal with a locker and lock.

Having many different teachers is a big difference from elementary school. Some will be great others may not be. Identify a contact person who you can correspond with for issues as they come up.

All in all middle school was not the horror story that I feared and my son made a lot of social progress during those years.

I hope it is smooth for you - ours was not fun. I wish I had known it was SO different. In August of last year my son Nick started 6th Grade. He had been in a small school with 60 kids in each grade - so he was around a lot of the same children for his first 5 years of school. Middle school was hard because - he had to make relationships with 6 teachers. Navigate noisy hallways. Sit next to 12 different kids EVERY DAY. The freedom middle school kids get - like choosing a seat or which line to stand in for lunch was just too much for my boy. He stopped eating and cried everyday. My son is very high functioning - most people don't even know he has ASD. I called a meeting in the second week and talked to every teacher - they agreed to let him sit in the same chair all year - they gave him a place to go for lunch (an office) where he could sit quietly. If he gets there early and has 10 mins before school starts he panics. The noise and commotion is hard on him - and we go to Disneyland - so he is used to crowds. It's just different because they are all kids and he is there alone.