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July Fourth is one of those lose-lose holidays for folks on the autism spectrum. If the noise doesn't make you nuts, the crowds will. If the crowds don't bother you, the gluten-and-dairy-filled desserts are likely to do you in. Meanwhile, it's almost impossible to avoid SOME celebration of our national holiday: even if you're safely tucked in bed, you'll wind up having to cope with the noise of "rockets' red glare!"
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!).
What are your summer success stories? Share your tips and ideas by writing a short article for Autism @ About.com!
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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!
We bought noise reduction ear muffs at the sports store, $14 bucks. It’s in the gun section and they sell children’s sizes. The child can still hear which is important, they reduce the noise and we also take them to the dentist and my son hide them for the bus ride. They also work well for the parent during a melt down.
As years have passed, my son has learned to love fire works and has a passion about them. He’ll keep the spent boxes they were in, too and we have to really work with him to alow us to throw those away. We spent much more time on the beauty of fire works and a small amount on the loud booms of them.
My son still has sensitive hearing, but much less sensitive than when he was small. I remember one year when our family went to see some fireworks on the 4th, and I had to take my son to the car where we were farther from the noise and we could watch through closed windows with the noise not so loud. He loved seeing them.
Now we usually go to a place a few blocks from the fireworks where we can still see well but the noise isn’t so loud. He covers his ears part of the time, but is not too bothered to enjoy them.
My son is also part of the growing crowd wearing those increasingly stylish earmuffs/headphones. He has multiple pairs – some that are really hi-fi that he uses when he’s “mixing music” and some that are really cheap. It took awhile for him to get use to ear plugs, but he also frequently wears them now too. He has a couple of different pairs of those – some you can’t even hardly see when he’s wearing them. Various forms of hearing protection is the best investment we ever made. My son just loves fireworks now, of all kinds. He even likes setting them off on the rare occasions when he gets an opportunity (fireworks regulations are tougher in Canada). It’s Canada Day here (July 1) and they should be starting up here soon.
Any one have any suggestions if where we can watch the new york city fireworks show tonight with 10 year old with Autism? Sound not an issue for us but crowds could lead dad to have nervous breakdown. Waiting would be a problem too. Email me at Autism.parent@gmail.com with suggestions please.