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Halloween can be one of the most exciting holidays for children. Dressing up as their favorite character or superhero, trick or treating with a group of friends, and let’s not forget staying up late to eat all that candy. However, this may not be the case for a child with a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder, who may struggle socially and have a tendency toward logical, rule bound thinking. Much of Halloween is counterintuitive to the societal rules and general safety that parents and therapists place a high value on. Halloween is the one night that we allow our children to break these rules. With this in mind, it will take some preparation to ask your child to walk up to a stranger’s house, ring the doorbell, initiate conversation with “trick or treat”, take candy, and make small talk about their costume. They must do all of this in the dark, dressed as someone or something else, all the while remembering to say ‘thank you’ before moving on to the next house.
Below are a few strategies and tips that may be helpful to you as your family prepares for Halloween.
1. Talk about Halloween
Develop a social narrative, and/or read a book about Halloween to your child. Below are a couple of examples.
2. Involve your child in choosing what their costume will be.
This can be as simple as a silly hat, a Halloween themed shirt or outfit, or an all-out costume depending on your child’s preference. Establish guidelines that allows them to wear their costume around the house. This allows them time to get comfortable with the costume, as well as the opportunity to make adjustments as needed.
3. Practice the ritual of trick or treating within your house.
Have your child go from bedroom to bedroom to get a treat from people who they are familiar with. Once they are comfortable with this, try your neighbor’s house or other friends your child is familiar with before conquering the entire neighborhood Halloween night.
4. Let your child know general rules about trick or treating.
Talk about when it begins and ends and where they can trick or treat (only houses with lights on, or only neighbors they know, etc.). Go over any other safety rules and guidelines that you may have, such as staying with a parent, only walking on the sidewalk, carrying a flashlight or wearing reflective gear, etc.. These guidelines should be reviewed days in advance and again before going out the door.
6. Tell your child ahead of time what they can/cannot do with the candy.
Will they be able to dump it out and eat it all that night? Will you limit them to a certain number of candies?
7. Have fun and try not to set expectations.
Understand your child’s limits and consider alternatives to the traditional door-to-door trick or treating.
