For many American families, the Fourth of July is a fun-filled family day of outdoor activities, culminating with a fireworks display. However, for families with a child with special needs, the Fourth of July can quickly bring on sensory overload and other challenges. With a few adjustments, you can still have a successful day. Here are our tips for a fun and safe Fourth:

COOKOUTS & FAMILY GATHERINGS

• Bring your child’s food if he is on a special diet, has food allergies, or is limited in what he can eat. This is not rude and your host should completely understand. It’s best not to force unfamiliar foods on a child who has dietary limitations, as this may lead to an unnecessary reaction or meltdown.
• Set firm start and end times to your visit. This will help a child who thrives on a schedule. Don’t skip any regular nap times.
• Bring a familiar comfort item if this would help your child feel calm in a new environment. Ignore relatives who say your child is too old, or other criticism. You know your child best, so do what works best for him!

BEACH & POOL

• Be extra, extra careful around water. Many children with autism are drawn to water and cannot swim. The best safety device available is a parent or adult who closely supervises the child.
• Bring along any flotation device your child will tolerate. If he’s unable to use a standard flotation device, get a suit with built in flotation, such as this one: Flotation bathing suit
• Another safety essential for children who tend to wander, cannot speak, have serious allergies, or other issues is an ID bracelet. I recommend one that is soft and very difficult for the child to remove. You can customize it with your contact information if your child is ever separated from you. I like the Alert Me bands found here: Alert Bracelet
• Remember your sunscreen and water! A hat and sunglasses are also very helpful for kids with visual sensitivities.

FIREWORKS DISPLAYS

Everyone wants to see fireworks on the Fourth of July, right? If your family plans to see them outside, please remember that fireworks displays are an intense sensory experience. Not all children can tolerate the noise and lights, in addition to crowds. If you have a child with special needs and you aren’t sure whether fireworks displays are a good idea, consider these tips:

• If your child has sensitive hearing, I strongly recommend a pair of noise-canceling headphones or earplugs (we prefer headband style, like these: headband earplugs). You don’t have to spend $200+ to get a good, child-friendly pair. Amazon has many styles: headphones
• If you purchase headphones or earplugs, help your child practice wearing them several times before the Fourth of July.
• Try parking far back from the crowds and sit close to your car. The noise may be less intense and you can take a break inside the car if needed.
• For a child with visual sensitivities, bring a hat and sunglasses.
• If you have access to an inside location from which to see the fireworks, I strongly recommend sitting inside. This is the option that has worked best for our family. We are away from the crowds and heat, and loud sounds are muffled. 
• If attending a fireworks display in person is not a good option for your family, remember that you can see them on TV. PBS usually shows the national display from Washington, D.C. And you can control the volume!

We at All About Therapy wish you and your family a happy Fourth!

Get more tips, interact with our OT’s and connect with other parents by joining our Facebook Group Here.

* Disclaimer: Neither All About Therapy, LLC nor Jeanne Moore endorse products featured in this article. Links to products are provided as examples only. We receive no compensation from any companies or brands featured.

The post Tips & Tricks for a Fun Fourth of July appeared first on All About Therapy, PLLC.

Are you parenting a child with special needs and wondering how to make Christmas more fun and less stressful? Whether you have one child or a family of many, including typically-developing kids, there is so much to consider. From travel to flashing lights on the tree, visitors to gifts they’ll actually like, the holiday can become overwhelming for parents. As a parent of 4 children (two of whom are on the Autism Spectrum), I’d love to share my tips for what has worked with my family.

Before Christmas:

1 – It may be comforting to your child with special needs to know exactly when “the Christmas season” will begin and end. Set a firm date for putting up decorations and another for taking them down. 

2 – Create a visual calendar of special events you plan to attend at Christmastime. Review the calendar often with your child. Be careful not to wear yourself and your family out with too many special events, because that won’t be fun or memorable.

3- What about sitting on Santa’s lap at the mall? After waiting in what was probably a long line filled with anxious children? Consider going at a time that won’t be busy or finding an alternative way to check a visit with Santa off the list. Some places offer sensory friends visits with Santa. What about a picture with Santa? Most photographers will work with you, Maybe have your child stand near Santa or next to Santa with a familiar person by their side.

4 – Christmas Shopping. The most obvious alternative is online shopping. However, for going into stores make sure to go shopping when the chaos will be the lowest such as weekday morning, when stores are opening, etc. If you are taking your child shopping, make sure you let them know ahead of time what the plan is, where you will be going and keep them updated as the shopping trip progresses. 

5- In preparation for Christmas morning, share a social story or picture book with your child. Be sure to let him or her know in advance that the schedule will be different on Christmas day.

6 – Finding and choosing gifts for children with special needs can be a challenge. Every child, whether they have special needs or not, is different! If you need ideas, ask your Occupational or Speech Therapist or check out these websites:

https://www.especialneeds.com/shop/special-needs-toys.html

https://specialneedstoys.com/usa

Or you can search Amazon.com using the terms “sensory toys”, “fine motor toys”, etc. If there are specific items or toys your therapist uses that your child loves, search it up and consider buying it!

7- If you end up with many gifts under the tree for your child (relatives can be very generous!), this can be overwhelming for a child with special needs. Try opening a couple of gifts the day before Christmas, some on Christmas morning, and the rest within a day or two. There’s no need to pressure your child to open them all on one day.

8 – There have been holidays where my child with special needs was so thrown off by the different routine that they did not appear to like or enjoy their gifts. Usually the next day, my child was much happier and began to play with the gifts. The first year this happened, I was privately upset and disappointed, but now I know that what was really bothering them was the stress of the different routine, not the gifts.

Other Factors to Consider:

9 – Maintain sleep schedules and bedtime routines throughout the holiday season! Overtired children (and their parents) won’t enjoy much of anything!

10 – Manage relatives and visitors. Prepare your visitors in advance of anything that would help your child feel comfortable (ex: no hugging). Try to set and kindly enforce an end time to any gathering in your home. Allow your child with special needs to take breaks from the gathering when needed.

Parents, everything is not going to be perfect and that is OK! Consider what traditions would be meaningful for your child and feel free to skip those that would only cause stress. Christmas with your child may not look like the Christmas you grew up with, and it may not match what you see on TV or on social media feeds. That is OK too! The true spirit of Christmas isn’t about how many decorations you put up or how many events you attend. Only do what works for you and your family.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Get more tips, interact with our OT’s and connect with other parents by joining our Facebook Group Here.

The post Tips and Tricks for a Fun Christmas with a Child with Special Needs appeared first on All About Therapy, PLLC.

Halloween can be a fun time spent with family, friends, and neighbors. When you have a child with special needs, it is possible to have a fun Halloween, but it often takes some extra planning and preparation. Children who have sensory processing issues, are on the Autism spectrum, or have other special needs can enjoy Halloween with some easy modifications. Here are some of our best tips to help everyone join in the fun!

Before Halloween

• Parents, take a moment and lower your expectations. I know most of us fantasize about our child wearing a Pinterest-worthy costume, posing for perfect pictures, and cutely saying: “Trick or Treat” at every house. Sometimes the typical outcome isn’t quite this perfect.
• Find a Halloween-themed age-appropriate book or social story to share with your child. In particular, go over the book to help your child understand the sequence of events. Go over your family rules for Halloween several times, in advance. Give them to your children in writing if that would be helpful (ex: we stay together in our neighborhood, we knock once, after getting a piece of candy we say “thank you”, etc.)
• With the help of a kind neighbor, rehearse the steps for trick-or-treating.

Costumes

• Let your child choose his/her costume, within your stated limits. To avoid a meltdown in the store, let your child know the limits in advance.
• Avoid masks, hats, and other types of headgear. These things may look cute, but children with special needs often have a hard time tolerating them. Some masks pose safety issues anyway.
• If your child has any kind of sensory issues, you must test the fabric for comfort. Cut out any bothersome tags. The costume should not feel restrictive to your child.
• Allow your child to wear the costume around the house several times before Halloween. You can observe to see if anything about the costume is bothering your child and make adjustments.

On Halloween

• If your child is familiar with a daily schedule, give him a special visual or written schedule for Halloween day. Be sure to add in any special school parties or events that will occur that day. Often, this helps a child with special needs feel more secure and in control.
• Consider starting to trick-or-treat before it gets dark.
• Feed your child a healthy dinner before trick-or-treating. A hungry child is more likely to melt down and will be tempted to eat candy before you can inspect it.
• Stay in familiar areas and don’t go too far from home. If your child melts down, you will want to be close to home.
• Avoid houses with flashing lights and loud, scary sounds – these often trigger meltdowns.
• Watch your child for the beginning signs of a meltdown, fearfulness, or discomfort. Be ready to end the evening early if necessary.
• If you have other children, consider having another adult at your house to help out if you need to bring your child with special needs home early.
• After trick-or-treating, promptly transition back to your child’s normal bedtime routine. This will help your child feel safe and secure.

Keep the goal in mind – that your family has a fun time together on Halloween and that you all have great memories of the holiday. From all of us at All About Therapy in Raleigh, we wish you and your family a fun and safe Halloween!

The post Preparing for Halloween with Children with Special Needs appeared first on All About Therapy, PLLC.