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Happy Holidays…What does that mean to the average person?

• Family gatherings
• Fun traditions
• Shopping
• Eating
• Snow
• No school
• Family photos
• Holiday parties

Happy Holidays…What does that mean to a family with members with special needs?

• ADDED STRESS!
• Family gatherings: Can we go?
• Fun traditions: Will my other children be able to enjoy them?
• Shopping: Will there be too many people at the store? Will he/she wait in line?
• Eating: Will grandma be mad that he/she will not eat their dinner?
• Snow: Will they put on their snow pants and gloves?
• No school: What will I do?
• Family photos: Will we ever have the “perfect” holiday card?
• Holiday parties: Will people look?
  
  

Some Strategies for SUCCESS!

1. Prepare

    Prepare, prepare, prepare.

• Prepare Yourself
  • Identify what could potentially be stressful
  • Let go of expectations
• Prepare your child
  • Identify what are stressors for them
  • Set expectations
• Prepare your family/friends
  • Give people a chance to help you
• 2. Routines

    Routines are helpful for many individuals with special needs and their families which can be disrupted during the holiday season.

• Work to create some consistency in routines
  • Bedtime (i.e., brushing teeth, taking a bath, reading a story, etc.)
  • Mealtime (i.e., continue to use added supports
• Create a routine when one is absent
• Visuals can help with predictability of what is to be expected
  • Review the visual schedule with your child so they know what to expect
  • Make sure to incorporate motivating items and preferred activities in the visual schedules
  • Create travel books for places you travel
• Some visual examples:

3. Familiar Items

    New environments, schedules, activities, people, etc., can be very stressful.

• Comfort with familiarity
  • Take along familiar foods, toys, objects, music, etc.
• Remember to praise and pay attention to appropriate, social behavior!
  • May look a little different than the usual day to day

4. Communication

    Communication plays a stressful role during the holiday season.  Be sure to:

• Reduce asking questions
• Limit demands
• Increase comments
• Holiday gatherings are often times where people take opportunities to ‘show off’ what they can do – Avoid asking kids to ‘show grandpa……’

5. Quiet Place

    Do not put your child in the spotlight the entire time.

• Know when your child needs a break
• Identify a safe place at each activity where your child can take a break away from the crowds or away from family/friends
• Have your child practice asking for a break or using a picture card to express to you when they need a break