A Secret to Help Your ASD Child Minimize Meltdowns During the Holidays

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As wonderful as the holidays are, they have the capacity to trigger tantrums, overload emotions and elicit meltdowns in children, especially those on the Autism spectrum. Regardless of the holiday you honor and celebrate, I know you would like the season to be as stress-free and happy as possible. I am here to tell you that you have the power to make this happen and I am going to help you create the meltdown free holiday you desire.

How? Simply by designing a ‘sensory-friendly holiday’ environment and the sooner you start, the better results you will have. As you approach the coming weeks in preparation for the various rituals and ceremonies you honor and observe at this time of year, it is important to keep your child’s unique sensory sensitivities in mind.

Maintaining a holiday atmosphere full of merriment and cheer is not possible to sustain twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week, especially when you have a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder but there is much you can do to increase the potential for smiles, laughter, joy and calm. Identifying and paying attention to the things in your child’s environment that can easily over stimulate him, such as, new foods, lights, sounds, and visitors who may touch, hug or pinch cheeks, is the first proactive step you can take.

Creating a plan to keep your child’s sensory needs in balance may seem unnecessary to do right now but if you don’t want to be challenged by this in the middle of holiday mayhem I encourage you to start thinking about it now. It is the most important thing you can do to make the holiday season in your family more peaceful.

Sensory overload is very common during the holidays, for parents as well as children. It’s that time of year when more tasks are added to an already full ‘to do’ list. This may include a school field trip or party to attend or bake for, a family visit to make or receive, decorations to hang, or gifts to shop for. All of this new activity can make it easy for you to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and more difficult to maintain a predictable schedule for your child with special needs.

In order to get through this holiday season with lots of pictures of smiling people and as many joyful memories as possible I encourage you to make a list.

I am not talking about your holiday shopping list here but a list of your child’s sensory issues. Write down the ones that you know of and stretch yourself to think of more. Your child is another year older now and may have mastered certain issues but also may have acquired new ones. Put yourself in her sensory world and identify the sensitivities she currently struggles with.  This might include:

Sight. Do bright lights bother your child? Consider the holiday decorations you will use and choose carefully. Those new LED lights may look nice but are they too intense for your child? And you may want to think twice before purchasing the ones that blink. Also, be prepared with a set of cheap sunglasses when you venture out of the house in the evening, you may be able to control what lights you choose to decorate with but you can’t control downtown Main St or the mall.

Sound. Think of the new noises that will visit your child’s ears during the coming holiday season. Even though these sounds may be pleasant to you remember that your child experiences the neuro-typical world in a different way.

Your children benefit from wearing earplugs or headphones during big family gatherings or at busy stores. They won’t block out all the noise but will dull the noise enough to help. If you choose to use noise cancelling headphones just remember that you will have to work harder at trying to get your child’s attention.

Smell. Does your child have a sensitive nose? If so, identify what triggers a reaction and become more scent aware. Be cautious of scents that you place around the house during the holiday season, such as scented candles, potpourri, and air fresheners. They can carry very intense odors that could be responsible for contributing to an outburst. You may want to stick to natural aromas but even then always be prepared for the unknown and have a strategy in place to deal with it.

Taste. The holidays always provide a wonderful opportunity to try new foods. Whether at home or at Aunt Carol’s be prepared for a reaction you may not have seen before. Taking a bite of cranberry sauce for the first time can be a delight or a nightmare. Have you taught your child what to do when she tastes something that is offensive to her?

When dining out over the holidays, whether at grandmas or in a restaurant, you may want to B.Y.O.F.- Bring Your Own Food.  If the only thing your child will eat is a bologna sandwich for Thanksgiving dinner, so be it, as long as the reason for it is a legitimate sensory issue. Giving in to a child’s minor dislikes too easily will only contribute to the picky eater syndrome.

Touch. Do you have a child that dislikes physical displays of attention? If so you may want to instruct your relatives and friends ahead of time to curtail their hugs, kisses and cheek-pinches. If your child is able teach him how to politely refuse an unwanted touch – either with a non-verbal signal, such as outstretched hand in STOP signal mode or with words, such as, “No, I don’t want to be hugged, but I will shake your hand.” This allows your child to experience a feeling of control and success in communicating.

Also, remember that the most important thing for your child to wear during the holidays is a smile. That new dress may be adorable but if it itches too much or hits a sensory nerve pay attention to her complaint. Making her wear it will only risk a potential meltdown later in the day when she absolutely can’t stand it anymore.

As parents, you know your child as well as anyone but you need to be ever vigilant for new sensitivities that might develop. Using what you already know about your child’s sensory issues, noticing new reactions and always being on alert for other clues will help you create a truly ‘sensory-friendly holiday’ for your child. Doing so will go a long way towards preventing unnecessary meltdowns due to sensory overloads. Don’t let something as avoidable as this put a damper on your holiday celebrations this season.

Do you have any strategies for creating a ‘sensory-friendly holiday’ for  your child with Autism? If so, please contribute your wonderful ideas in the comment box below. Other parents will appreciate it.

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Comments

  1. [...] A Secret to Help Your ASD Child Minimize Meltdowns During the Holidays by Connie at Parent Coaching … [...]

  2. Connie says:

    Dorothy – That is a great re-write of Andy’s biggest holiday hit : ) Thanks also for the mention of my blogpost and introducing me to several other great resources as well. Here’s to a sensory-friendly holiday season for all!

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