There are plenty of things about Christmas that can be very stressful for kids who have an autism spectrum disorder. Their “system” gets thrown off when there is no school. Here are a few tips that can help make Christmas a bit easier on a child who has autism.
Let’s face it: Christmas is one holiday that can easily takeover one’s daily experiences. From the perspective of a child who has autism, this can be stressful, anxiety producing, and perhaps even too much to deal with.
Kids get a few weeks off of school at Christmastime. This means that the structure, and schedule, that comes with going to school five days a week has suddenly changed, (often to little or no structure at all). Often, kids with an autism spectrum disorder find comfort in knowing what will happen next, and what to expect when they walk into an environment that was familiar to them before all the Christmas decorating began.
It is very likely that many of you who choose to decorate your homes for Christmas have already started (or perhaps even finished), this year. If so, then keep these tips in mind for next year, when they will be useful once again.
Give your child time to acclimate to the Christmas decorations. Take him or her to the garage, or storage shed, where the decorations are stored, and let your child explore them there. This can be done more than once, if necessary. Bringing a bunch of boxes in the house, and putting up decorations everywhere, without warning, can really trouble kids who have autism.
When it is time to put up the tree, have your child help. Or, if he or she isn’t able to do that, then have your child in the room while the rest of the family decorates the tree. Kids with autism may benefit from watching the decorations happen, as opposed to walking into the living room one day and unexpectedly encountering a fully lit, completely decorated, Christmas tree.
Limit the Christmas music. There are some families that want to play Christmas music for hours on end for the duration of the vacation from school. This can be too much stimulation for some kids who have autism. You might also consider limiting how long you burn holiday scented candles, and avoid using too many holiday air fresheners. Having a real tree inside the house, for a week or more, might be too much for kids who have sensory issues to deal with.
Mark on the calendar exactly what day the Christmas decorations will be taken down. Let your child cross off each day before he or she goes to bed. This can help your child feel as though he knows what to expect, which can be comforting. It also emphasizes that the Christmas decorations will not be there forever, which can help kids “hold out” for another day. They know it will end, and when that end will be.
Image by Stacy1437 on Flickr