Halloween and the Autistic Child

Halloween is traditionally a holiday that parents and children alike look forward to. However if you are the parent of a child with Autism, Halloween can be more of a trick than a treat. Itchy costumes, changes in routine, unfamiliar faces, sights, smells and sounds can all send an autistic child into meltdown mode. As the parent of a non verbal autistic child over the years I've learned some tricks of my own in order to make Halloween a treat my autistic child and the whole family can enjoy.

Ten Tips / Tricks For A Successful Halloween Experience

1.Know Your Child

Knowing what sets off your child and how much they can handle is the first thing to consider in any Halloween Preparations. Do scary masks or decorations terrify them? If so avoid houses that are highly decorated for Halloween. Maybe your child is bothered by large crowds. In this instance its probably wise to stay away from large gatherings or trick or treating your local mall. You might be better off picking a quiet street near your home or going out before the large crowds appear.

2. Be Prepared

A few weeks before Halloween start talking with your child about the upcoming holiday. Explain what you are going to do for Halloween, who will be there and what will happen when you get there. You can read books about Halloween, create a social story or watch videos about the Holiday. I came across a video on the web that uses real people and explains how to trick or treat. You can access it here http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-trick-or-treat

3. Comfort

Help Your Child chose a costume that is comfortable to wear. Many autistic children have sensory issues and itchy, uncomfortable costumes won't be tolerated for long. Give whatever costume your child is going to wear a trial run. Before Halloween have them wear it around the house a few times to make sure its going to be something they are comfortable wearing.

4. Keep It Simple

Costumes should be simple. Elaborate head pieces, lots of props and accessories will be difficult to deal with. Some autistic children will obsess over the fit of these items and you also won't want to worry about your child having a meltdown if one breaks or gets lost.

Masks and make up are also items that a lot children with autism don't tolerate well.

My son was never very into costumes so we always made him into something simple like a pirate or zombie. Both are easy to make with a basic pair of black sweatpants and a white shirt. On the web Coolest Homemade Costumes http://www.coolest-homemade-costumes.com/ has some great easy to follow directions for making simple but cool costumes.

5. Alternatives

Plan alternatives to traditional Holiday activities. If your child doesn't enjoy scooping out the slimy insides of your Halloween pumpkin then have them paint or glue items on their pumpkins. Heartsong www.heartsong.com carries a Pumpkin Decorating Kit that contains lots of eyes, ears, noses, lips, and more to create 5 different pumpkin faces by poking the pieces into your pumpkin.

If your child is on a GFCF diet arrange with your neighbors to provide them with GFCF treats to give your child when they come to trick or treat. You can find a list of Gluten Free Casein Free Candy here, http://www.gfcfdiet.com/Chocolatecandy.htm

6.Practice

Prior to Halloween arrange with a few neighbors to allow you child to practice their trick or treating skills. Have them dress in their costume and go out at the approximate time they will be trick or treating on Halloween. Have them practice knocking on the door, saying trick or treat if they are able, putting their bag out for candy and saying thank you. You might also want to practice what to say if someone asks you what you are suppose to be and other questions they might encounter. You will probably need to practice several times in the days leading up to Halloween.

7. Know When To Stop

When your child starts exhibiting behaviors that you know are precursors to a meltdown, quit! Don't force them to stay at the party or do one more house. If you have other siblings arrange to have someone accompany you on Halloween to finish trick or treating with your other children or to take your autistic child home

8. Don't Set Expectations Too High

If all your child manages is trick or treating two houses, look at as a success. They stepped out of their comfort zone for a short time and were able to participate for awhile even if it was not as long as you would have liked. For some children just getting them to wear a costume and leave the house is a major success and should be treated as such.

9. Provide Social Cues

During the course of the night prompt your child on what to say at each house you visit. If someone asks them a question and you see them struggling with an answer help them out. If your child is nonverbal but uses PECs or an augmentative communication device to communicate bring it along and prompt them to use it to say trick or treat and thank you.

10. Stay Close To Home

Another good thing to keep in mind is how quickly can you get home? Plan on trick or treating near your home or having a car nearby in case your child melts down or wants out of their costume and you need to get home quickly. You don't want to carry a screaming child through block after block to get back home.

All of these tips should help you to have a less stressful Halloween with your autistic child but the most important advice I can give looking back at all of the years I have participated in Halloween with my own autistic child is, don't get discouraged or give up on your child. Sometimes it take quite awhile for an autistic child to get use to something new. It took years of trying to get my son to understand that we were not going in any ones houses to look at their books or videos. We never gave up despite all the meltdowns on peoples doorsteps but now at 13 he eagerly looks forward to going from house to house to get a candy. Had we not provided the opportunity to try he would have never experienced trick or treating and learned to like it.

Good Luck, Don't Give Up and Happy Halloween!