mother in witch hat with 2 children
While the sights and sounds of Halloween can be exciting for many children, some children are completely overwhelmed by the suspenseful music, cackling laughs, and grimacing skeletons associated with the holiday.
For those children who have some form of a sensory processing challenge, such as children with autism, ADHD, developmental or speech and hearing delays the sights, sounds, and smells of Halloween are difficult to absorb. “Children’s routines are disrupted, they are exposed to strange lights and sounds, and costumes can be unfamiliar”, says Dr. Ari Goldstein, Director of Cognitive Solutions Learning Center in Chicago Illinois. “While the child might want to participate in the festivities, the uncertainties can lead to withdrawal and confusion.”
“My daughter has a difficult enough time processing her daily experiences,” as a friend with an autistic daughter pointed out, “celebrations such as Halloween add an entire layer to the information that she needs to process and her challenges are magnified.”
Paula Tobey, a special needs parenting coach located in Texas, suggests that her clients look for alternative Halloween festivities that their children can participate in. “Locations like churches and malls can be great places to celebrate Halloween as their celebrations tend to be a little less scary, and offer environments that the parent can control a little more easily to fit the needs of their child.”
One way to have your child and their friends participate in the ritual of Halloween is to host your own Halloween party taking into account the needs of your child. You might decide to host this party solo, or join with a group of parents who are also looking for an alternative way to celebrate Halloween.
When hosting a Halloween party for children with special needs some things that are important to take into consideration are:
• What are the needs of your guests? Take time to find out what the abilities of your guests are, this will help with all party planning from what food to serve, to what games or activities to play. What are the mobility needs of your guests? Do some rooms have to be rearranged to accommodate wheelchairs? What sensitivities do children have to noise?
• Decorations: Halloween decorations don’t have to be focused on the scary or the macabre. Try decorating your house with orange and black decorations instead. This will create a festive atmosphere, but will not overwhelm.
• Make Your Own: Costumes can be tricky for children with sensory processing challenges. Many do not feel comfortable wearing masks, or itchy costumes, and it can also be difficult for children to understand the idea of “make-believe” Let parents know that costumes are optional. Consider having a craft station where children can make their own “costume”. Have children decorate either foam visors, or tagless cotton t-shirts.
• Candy might be dandy. However, for children who are on monitored nutrition plans due to food allergies or sensitivities it can be difficult to navigate ingredients. Make sure to offer a variety of foods and stay away from some of the most common allergens such as peanuts or wheat. Again, check with parents to see if there are any specific food issues. There are numerous resources out there to help you think of alternatives, kidswithfoodallergies.org and nut-freemom.blogspot.com are two great places to start.
• Set up a quiet area. Even with a well thought out party plan there will still be a time when a child simply needs to get away. Designate an area of your space as a quiet area. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy, as long as it is removed from the festivities. Try putting a couple of chairs in a bedroom and keeping the lights dim. Let other parents know there is a space where they can take their child when there is a need to regroup.