Holiday tips for children with special needs

The holidays are all about enjoying family and friends. The lights , noise and general hustle and bustle are a big part of the festivities for adults and most of the children in your circle. However, everything that you hold dear about these times might spell nothing but sensory overload and chaos to a special needs child. If one of these children is included in your plans this year, you should be including some stress management techniques for them along with the treats for everyone else so a good time can be had by all.

Setting up a particular space where the child can be alone and quiet until they can regroup is a great starting point. Of course this works best in your own home or in a relative’s that you visit, but given enough notice, many people will be able to accommodate this need. Regardless of where you set up this quiet room, everyone attending the gatherings will need to know this space is off limits.

Special Helper

Hiring a special helper can be just the thing to alleviate everyone’s tension. Many parents with children with autism or other special needs bring a baby sitter to come with them when they head out to parties during the holidays who understands the child’s behaviors. You can even have some fun and call them an elf that’s along for the ride, and these people will be instrumental in making sure your child doesn’t wander into any dangerous situations or inadvertently cause any disruptions during the evening.

Traveling

Unfamiliar surroundings are one of the biggest triggers for these children. Here’s another helpful hint that can keep anxiety levels down for a special needs boy or girl. Looking at pictures of your destination and the people you expect to see there with your son or daughter should help to lessen how overwhelmed they might otherwise be in a strange place. Matching names and faces is a great way to familiarize your child with some of the people they’ll be meeting.

Educating

Educating the people who will be involved or close to your child is a great way to make sure everything goes smoothly. However, you need commit to educating those around you rather than getting emotional. Staying cool makes you a good example for your special needs child as well.

You should adopt a few techniques that will lower your blood pressure and some of these time honored methods include positive thinking, breathing and visualizing. Try to keep the number of What If ? scenarios down to the minimum and you’ll be the better for it.

Remember, stressing out over what other people  think can be the hardest part of the entire holidays. Keep in mind that your mother-in-law might raise an eyebrow over the fact that things are a little different, but the changes you’re making are designed to make sure your special needs child has the best time possible on the holidays.

Read more info like this at All My Children.
Author: Rob Starr