Halloween on the Autism Spectrum
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On the "up" side, though, Halloween can offer some real opportunities for a child with autism. For example, many kids with autism are passionate about a particular TV, movie or comic book character. Now's his chance to "become" that character with the full approval of society as a whole!
And while Halloween does require some social interaction, that interaction tends to be very repetitive. That means it's possible to practice the "Halloween conversation" until your child is comfortable with it.
Try practicing in your own home, with a parent or older sibling outside with your child and another ready to answer the door with a bowl of candy. Have your child ring the doorbell (or do it yourself if necessary). When the door opens, have your child practice the line "Trick or Treat!" When he takes the candy, have him practice a "thank you." Outside of these two lines, the only other required line might be a practiced response to the question "who are you supposed to be?" and variations on that theme ("are you supposed to be Anakin Skywalker?" etc.).
Depending upon your situation, you might want to plan out a route, and practice walking the route ahead of time. You may also want to have a plan in mind for managing, for example, large groups of kids barging ahead of your child at a door (if a big group comes, we'll wait until they're done).
Some parents have found that a social story incorporating pictures of their child's individual plans and expectations can make a big difference in improving Halloween fun. Do you know the Joneses will be away? Include NOT knocking on their door. Can you expect a creepy Halloween ghost at the Smiths? Mention that as well. And don't forget to include a plan for returning home, going through loot, and deciding what to keep, give away, and eat tonight!
Need more ideas? You'll certainly want to explore Teri Mauro's Special Parents Guide to Halloween, which contains hints for everything from costume selection to treat baking on a gluten free diet.
Do you have any tips for managing Halloween on the autism spectrum? Good ideas for selecting costumes, handling unexpected spooks, or reducing melt downs? Please share!
Comments
We decided to have a small Halloween party instead of trick-or-treating. The kids weren’t interested in costumes so I just got some Halloween themed t-shirts and some Halloween movies and games. I figured this would be better in terms of candy control because I won’t have to inspect everything he puts in his mouth. Also, our son will be in a safe place if things get to be too much for him. Anyway, that’s how we’re doing Halloween this year. I think it will be much less stressful for everybody in our family while we still get to have the Halloween experience.
Last year we were doing GFCF diet only. This year SCD, no dyes, no artificial stuff, no sugar, etc. So , last year my daughter munched out on candy. I wanted to just skip Halloween this year. She loves to put on her witch costume 365 days per year anyway. We’ve decided on Zoo Boo, Halloween at the Zoo. Should be fun and there plenty of other attractions besides candy. Maybe it’s just the PDD-NOS vs Autism thing, but the sights and sounds of Halloween aren’t a problem for us. Candy on the other hand will be.
Halloween has both been fun and not fun for us. Partly it’s due to the weather here. We have to go through picking out one costume, not wanting every single one, and alot of reminding that the face masks no matter how cool they are, have a smell that my kid wont wear. We have to consider costumes that fit over winter clothes, or have a fit when it cant be worn as shown in the picture. Most TV shows or movies shows Halloween not being in a cold climate state, which is hard for my kid to understand why it’s different here.
I make a Halloween trail in a portion of a wooded area, I love this holiday myself. I put a bunch of motion activated spooky things there and it sort of prepares my kid for spooks on Halloween. I also use past costumes on that trail, stuff em with news paper and nail em to a tree. Helps to also see past Halloweens for my kid.