July 4th on the Autism Spectrum
Thursday July 2, 2009
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If you're a family about to cope with July Fourth on the autism spectrum, you'll want to explore Terri Mauro's fabulous collection of resources, ranging from ideas for managing noise to recipes for gluten free cookies! In fact, if you're a parent raising a child with autism, you can't do better than to explore Terri's entire Special Needs Parenting site here at About.com.
By the way - our own "secret" to managing fireworks: buy a pair of the earphones used by jackhammer operators. They do a great job of muffling the sound, and they're terrific in the dentist's office too (the sound of the dentist's toothbrush can make my son nuts!).
Comments
Great resource. We know better than to ever go to fireworks again.
We go to a less crowded place with lots of other kids (ie he’s less likely to annoy ppl bc they have kids of their own) and where Tristan has room to run around without bugging people. He actually loves to see the display. The local highschool was a great spot last year. It’s also helpful to not arrive early. Its better not to make kids wait, regardless of the diagnosis. Not all autistics are sensory sensitive or on GFCF diets. (with proper testing, we learned our sons problem was with processing sugars, so we just have to reduce his portions, rather than restricting his diet). In some areas, TV stations broadcast the fireworks. If you are lucky enough to live there (I did as a child) you can mute the TV and enjoy the display in the privacy of your own home (or you can watch videos of fireworks on the Internet)
I love seeing the fireworks every year and have brought DS, who is now almost 6 years old, the last couple of years. We have found a place that my son can tolerate–the noise from the fireworks isn’t as loud and the crowds not as bad. My son has a hard time standing or sitting still, so the place we go is a boulevard with a walking path that overlooks the bay where they set off the fireworks. So, my son can move around all he wants without bothering anyone and we both get to enjoy the fireworks (my husband doesn’t enjoy it at all, so he stays home). We had a blast this year!