Making the holiday experience more accessible for individuals with autism

November 24, 2021 Brian Stanton, Marketing

The holidays are a magical time for everyone. A time to enjoy family and friends indulge in great food and exchange gifts with the people we love. For individuals with autism/autistic individuals, it can also be a source of anxiety.

While the holidays are a time for joy they are also a time for disruptions of day-to-day routines, new and unfamiliar people like visitors, delivery people and friends and family that aren’t always present. It means going to new and busy places like malls and other people’s homes. With all that can come with a lot of new sights, sounds and smells that may be overwhelming for individuals with autism/autistic individuals. Add to that the outside expectations about how one should react to all these unfamiliar experiences and that can just be a lot to handle. That can lead to all kinds of challenges for parents and caregivers as well. Here are some suggestions to keep the holidays simple and accessible.

Help your child visualize what will happen in advance

In the world of ABA, we often rely on tools like visual schedules, social stories and first-then boards to help map out events as they will occur so there are no surprises. This can go a long way in reducing anxiety and making the many transitions of the holiday season go a lot smoother.

Below you can find some special social stories for the holiday season.

A social story about Christmas

Visiting with Family over the holidays social story

Visiting with Santa social story

Setting expectations with your family

Whether you are planning on heading out to visit family and friends or they are coming to you, it may be helpful to prime them for your visit and set expectations about what your child may need to feel comfortable. Maybe hugs and kisses are ok when they arrive for a visit and maybe not. No matter who you are, you should never feel pressured to accept physical signs of affection if they make you feel uncomfortable. Your child is no different. Their bodies are their safe place and if they do not feel like being touched we need to respect that. So give your family a heads-up because your child may not be able to say “no” themselves.

Create safe spaces free from noise and distractions

Sights, sounds, smells and people can make some autistic individuals/individuals with autism feel overwhelmed. Set aside a safe place or ask your hosts to so that your child has a place to go if they are feeling overwhelmed. Make sensory toys and any calming strategies available in case they need them. Going back to setting expectations, some family members may not understand why your child is allowed to sit and watch their iPad with headphones while at the dinner table. While you don’t owe anyone an explanation it can be helpful to educate hosts unfamiliar with autism so they can better understand your child’s needs.

Have safe food options for your child

Unfamiliar smells and tastes can be really difficult for some people. Whether you are out shopping or visiting family keep some familiar foods handy. Holiday dinner is not the time to start to try new foods. Whether it’s a granola bar while out shopping or a favourite pasta at Christmas dinner, have some safe foods on hand so that your child can feel more comfortable and not have to take on too many unfamiliar experiences at one time.

Schedule some downtime

The holidays can be very busy so save some time to get back to regular routines. Trying to keep some daily rituals like mealtimes, baths or bedtime routines intact will help ground everyone and keep anxiety at bay. This goes hand-in-hand with creating safe spaces. Your child’s regular routine is a safe space for them so come back to it regularly they feel some normalcy through all the changes during the holidays.

For more insights here are a couple of great articles: