No matter how much we like the holidays, we will feel overwhelmed and frustrated, buying gifts, preparing holiday meals, finalizing travel plans, and making time to spend time with our family. When the children go home from school, they always feel bored and frustrated. It should be noted that for families with children with autism spectrum, these regular schedule changes may trigger a total collapse. Others think this is a disciplinary problem, but we know it is a coping problem.
When excitement and worries begin to enter our vacation, we all hope to have a happy and happy vacation, but those of us who have children with autism spectrum in our lives have a big worry. Our minds come first, and our children will How to deal with all the changes?
This time of the year is a particularly challenging time, with all the decoration, lighting, stress and chaos. Having a “perfect” holiday is very stressful. Even some adults’ reactions can be overwhelming, but a child who has problems with handling and sometimes communication can cause unexpected emotional outbursts. And some uncertain moments.
Every child with autism has its own journey. As a parent, grandparent and caregiver, no one knows this journey better than you. With your help, this year can be pleasant and happy, not only for you Your child.
Kids on the spectrum tend to do better one When there are routines and consistency, this is impossible or even impossible during the holidays. It is important to work hard to maintain and stick to your daily life, but when you go to a party or winter vacation, relatives or friends say that they understand what you are going through, and we all know they can’t help it, and we can’t count on them.
Keeping your schedule as consistent as possible is the best thing for you and your child. Bedtime, mealtime and even wake-up time can help a lot. I make sure my grandson knows a few weeks in advance. We look at the calendar and he knows how many days are left before Halloween. His birthday is also in November. Then we have Thanksgiving and Christmas. We talk about it and he doesn’t know how to always respond. , But I know he is listening.
Halloween
Halloween is a fun experience for most people, but for children with autism, makeup, masks and costumes can be frightening. Taking your kids to the store to see all the “interesting things” will help, but when all these strange things come to life at night, it can be scary and even traumatic.
I start decorating a little at a time. I try to stay away from bloody or scary objects. I use pumpkins, lights and fallen leaves. I can also leave during Thanksgiving.
Most families with children with autism have other children, and they sometimes feel neglected because children with autism can take care of so much, but vacations are everyone’s time and no one should be excluded, especially It’s Halloween night.
We have family time, fun food, pumpkin carving, and always have a plan if it becomes overwhelming for children with autism.Today, it’s easier than in the past, using Tablet PC with learning and gaming applications with Noise-canceling headphones, These two projects will become your first choice during the holiday to help your children calm down and allow your family to spend a pleasant time.
grateful
Even in a normal evening, the meal time is always difficult. Sitting still, keeping your inner voice, and even the choice and texture of food can become difficult situations.
I can give you the best advice, Include or bring your child’s favorite food, if it’s chicken nuggets, pizza or even noodles, bring them. Pre-cooked and ready to be heated in the microwave. Never expect your child to eat other people’s food. If you are going to someone’s house, you can ask if you can bring a dish that is enough for everyone, or explain that you will bring different food for your child. If your child refuses to sit down and eat, take them to another room and set up a tablet for them, which can keep the dinner calm and happy. You should never be angry and show kindness and love. This will help your child stay calm.
Christmas
For some people, Christmas is the most important holiday of the year, whether it is for religious reasons or to celebrate and spend time with friends and family that you may not normally see, it is special.
Shopping in a crowded store, wrapping gifts, and even baking can cause stress. When you feel stressed, all your children will feel the pressure. Maybe spending some time around Thanksgiving to arrange for you some interesting things to do with the children can also give them some expectations, and you have arranged the time so that you will not be under time pressure.
Baking biscuits is my favorite activity all the time. Mixing, cutting and decorating these special biscuits is a great activity for the whole family. There are some great learning time. You can even help friends and family as well as Kids will be involved in making cookie gifts. They will feel the difference in the holidays. Making cookie decorations with school pictures is always a great gift. It will satisfy everyone!
The most important thing to remember is that the holiday should be a joyous and happy time with some deterioration, outbreaks and stress, but how to deal with them can make the family situation easier.
Some of your friends and family members will not understand when there is an unexpected emotional outburst, and they may even try to disciplinary or “solve” the situation. The best way to avoid this is to inform anyone you may meet during the holidays, explain what autism is and how you handle things differently from others, and you will thank them for their support.
This can be done by phone or text message, but I prefer to write a holiday email or letter to talk about your year and how excited you are to share this time with them, and explain how your family and children are in this Progress in the year. Due to excessive stimulation, there may be some emotional moments when you will try to make your child happy. In short, but to the point, almost everyone will receive holiday letters with pictures, and they will feel more comfortable knowing that you have considered them. You can even send them this blog post and let them read all my autism posts… it might help!
Enjoy all your holidays, with Your children, this is a special time of the year, full of joy and love. Not everyone understands that autism is a disability, not a disciplinary problem. Try to be patient with others, we are lucky… We have the knowledge and experience of autism! Don’t forget that birthdays, July 4th and the New Year are also holidays full of noise and excitement, in order to make your holiday as pleasant as possible… Take a break, you are doing a great job, Take care of you!
