How Was Your Fourth of July on the Autism Spectrum?
Saturday July 5, 2008
Our holiday was fairly quiet... a tiny parade, followed by a big fireworks display, but no family, friends, barbecue or partying.
This year, for the first time, we forgot the special headphones (Tom has used them annually to muffle the sound of the fireworks) - but it wasn't a problem! The biggest problem, as it turned out, was driving home through out-of-town crowds.
How was your Fourth? Any tips or hints for helping folks on the autism spectrum to manage the crowds, sounds, and general sensory overload?
Comments
Autistics are good judges of what they can or cannot endure.
If they don’t wish to attend an activity, they should not have to go.
If they wish to attend an activity, the older they are, the more accommodations they will know how to make for themselves.
Younger folks may need to be prompted. (i.e. “Do you need ear plugs?” etc.).
Many folks on the spectrum watch the town fireworks display in their area, but then shutter themselves up in their homes afterwards to avoid the firecrackers detonated by local residents afterwards.
Parties on the Fourth tend to be the biggest issue. They start off well, but the more people drink, the louder and more obnoxious they get. For autistics, it’s usually the behavior rather than the noise that sets them off, and so they tend to want to leave parties early.
My son is almost five years old and has a big problem with auditory sensitivities. However, this year, I told him we would be going to the fireworks and asked him if he wanted some headphones to wear. He said no and was fine with everything–just a little excited, of course! It helped that we watched the fireworks from the boulevard area and not where they were actually setting them off, so the noise wasn’t as loud for him. We made sure we were not in the middle of a huge crowd of people either. It was perfect, as we walked the cove while we waited for it to get dark and then sat down on a bench to watch the show. After it was over and we went home, he asked if he could draw a picture of the fireworks and that was all he talked about yesterday!
This is the first year we allowed Kyle (6yrs old, PDD-NOS) to stay up that late. We had the privilege of seeing fireworks off of my mom and stepdad’s new boat (Kyle-”faster Grampa, faster!”), displayed over Boldt Castle at the 1000 Islands, at the US and Canadian border where they have a camp. He was pretty tired but THOROUGHLY enjoyed himself! It may not have worked at all last year because of his anxiety and sensitivity to sound, but his meds allow him to do so much more these days. Even with the loud echo behind us (SO cool!) he was as cool as a cucumber, without earplugs. It was a huge relief to the whole family that he had such a great time!
Greetings, Lisa Jo and friends. Because so many folks struggle with the issue - especially with children, teens, and adult family members with autism who are functionally non-verbal - we discussed fireworks on a recent post on FAQautism.com.
Q: How can we help our son enjoy the fun and excitement of fireworks displays? He reacts to random, loud noises by screaming, scratching anyone close, and biting his arm. But we think he would love the colorful visual patterns and brilliant bursts of light in a fireworks display. Any ideas?
A: Fireworks are part of holiday celebrations like the Fourth of July or New Year’s Eve. We can also enjoy fireworks at baseball games, outdoor concerts, amusement parks, and other big events. In some communities, individuals and families shoot fireworks to celebrate birthdays or sporting team victories. So, how do you help a person who is extremely averse to random loud noises enjoy the celebration and the lights?
Here’s a plan a family successfully implemented several years ago for their 6-year-old daughter. The plan worked better each summer, and now their daughter actually looks forward to the Fourth of July celebration in her community every year.
1. Find out the approximate time and the location of the big fireworks display in your community or in a surrounding community.
2. Several nights before the celebration, scout out a hill or a roadside park at least one mile away from that location that would allow you to see the pretty lights without so much sound.
3. Originally, this family moved to the car and rolled up the windows when the fireworks started because their daughter had extreme reactions to random sounds. But, over the past five years, they have been able to crack the windows a bit. In order to capture the spirit of the celebration of the Fourth of July, pop in a CD of John Phillip Sousa patriotic marches to play while the fireworks are “bursting in air!”
4. Last year the family videotaped the event and their daughter has enjoyed watching the show over the past twelve months. The video captured the sounds of the fireworks along with the beautiful bursts and colorful patterns of light. Because the youngster is now more familiar with the concept of lights and sound, her family anticipates she may be able to sit on a lawn chair outside the car during the distant fireworks display this year. YIPEE!
My son, almost 4, had never had issues in the past. He’s always enjoyed the fireworks so we didn’t anticipate any problems. We went to a nearby town that has a great playground for kids while waiting to get dark. He loved that but even before dark someone lit something loud and my son literally flipped out. I had to drop to the ground and rock him for 10 minutes before we could move. Figuring out real quickly this wasn’t going to work, we left.
Luckily we had a back up plan and drove to the outskirts of town and sat in the van with the windows up and watched them. He absolutely loved that! I’ve recently ordered special headphones for his OT, so we’ll take those next year and hopefully that will help.
Our daughter (PDD-NOS) is 16 now and she loves the fireworks. she does sit with a blanket over her head for comfort. She pokes her face out to see the big bursts of color. We usually watch from the inside of our van, but this year I opened up the back tailgate and she loved sitting there and watching. We were the only ones around that area though so crowds were not a problem!
Hi All. The 4th of July is my son’s favorite holiday ( he used to start counting the months after Christmas……lol.
Before the fireworks in our town , we had a live band playing 70s & 80s music…..his favorite & he loved it. He spun around in the grass. Right before the fireworks started , someone sang God Bless America with no accompany music……….he hated it & covered he ears (and I let him go…wasnt hurting anyone). When the fireworks started , he flapped his arms so hard , I had to give him deep pressure massage for a few minutes. After 10 minutes he said “You can stop rubbing me now” And he was totally fine after that & we all enjoyed the show. The family BBQ the next day went well. It was a small group of people he knows well & only 2 other kids his age.
My best advice for getting through any holiday is to prepare the autistic person, as well as you can, so they know what to expect. Of course, I’m not perfect at this so sometimes we have to “wing” it and provide as many accomodations and as much patience as we can. (I also believe in letting my son have a voice in whether he wants to participate in all the holiday events. I try to let him take a break and avoid somethings if I think he’ll be too overwhelmed.)
My son is 16 and this is the first year that he actually wanted to go watch fireworks. He’s always been very sensitive to unexpected noises. This year, we decided to go watch the local fireworks with another family and a couple of our daughter’s friends. Our son has become quite a social teenager, so being with several lovely young ladies helped a lot!
He had a lawn chair, instead of sitting on the ground. He wanted his ear protectors, which,fortunately, we remembered to bring with us! He was still a bit antsy while we waited for the show to begin, so I offered to let him listen to the radio on my cell phone - the small earbuds fit easily under the large ear protectors. The music helped him relax while we waited and it may have helped muffle the sounds of the fireworks! Once the fireworks started, my son seemed to really enjoy the show! And so did I!!
We go through fireworks twice, 1st is the town up the road has some 2 weeks before the 4th of July and that first time, I forgot the noise reduction head phones, so both my hands did the ear work. Then from about that time up until the 4th, many of our neighbors are having at it. I think my dog has a worst time than my own kid does! The best part for my kid than the actually fireworks he gets to see, is the left overs. Last year our neighbor hooked up a sweeper to his bobcat, to give a good visual as to how many they blow off, and the next day there is my son, collecting as much as he can of the ’spent’ remains. This year we had to hold him back from running off with the whole trash bag of em.
My best advice for fire works is start from as far away as you can but still be able to see them, and each year move closer. Be prepared for it not to go well and having to leave if it’s too uncomfortable. A child for the most part needs the opportunity to experience things in order for them to learn their coping skills to tolerate it, or anything. By offering these opportunities, when they neighbor goes haywire overboard, there’s no escaping that.
4th of July was great! Best one ever! Made the very smart choice of parking the car a slight distance from the “main” crowd, and in an area where our son could play/run and be noisy!!
Let him enjoy himself, without the constant harassing sounds of parents asking him to stop:)
I have three with an autism spectrum disorder and one with MR. Our holiday was out of town in our family’s state driving for 45 minutes to a lake. Since all four of my boys vary, they have varying needs. My son with MR has sensory integration issues and so the fireworks are a little difficult for him but he likes them. My oldest son was reserved but enjoyed it. My 15-year-old drove us crazy with perseverating on another issue and he basically didn’t even watch the fireworks because he was so upset. He doesn’t do well away from home and away from routine. My youngest child stresses out from anxiety but does okay. Each one stresses out over a different aspect of things and so we have to deal with it as it comes. We give them a choice to sit outside at the lake or sit in the van, limiting their choices helps because then they don’t stress out about trying to make a decision.