From ghosts and goblins to costumes and candy, every year millions of children eagerly await the arrival of Halloween, and a fright-fest night filled with trick-or-treating and fun for the entire family. For neurodiverse children, however, Halloween can be a challenging experience as the sights and sounds of the holiday may negatively stimulate their senses and create a difficult and uncomfortable break from their usual routines.
Behaven Kids, one of Nebraska’s leading providers of services for children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), mental health-related issues and behavioral difficulties, offers the following tips for parents of neurodiverse children to make Halloween fun for everyone:
1. Discuss Halloween plans with your child in advance
Listen for indication of worry or distress about certain activities. Respond in manners that communicate flexibility (e.g., “we can take breaks if you need”) and validation (e.g., “sometimes I get frightened by scary costumes, too”).
2. Consider backup plans
Providing two or three choices when in unfamiliar or relatively uncomfortable situations can be one way to give a child autonomy. Perhaps instead of trick-or-treating, your child might be more comfortable in the controlled environment of a party or simply handing out candy to fellow trick-or-treaters. Another option would be to participate in a trunk or treat like Behaven’s Sensory Friendly Trunk or Treat!
3. Be willing to be Flexible
Have flexibility in your expectations for kids to eat certain foods. Especially for children who are neurodivergent, having access to safe foods can support their ability to enjoy and participate in Halloween activities.
4. Use Positive Reinforcement
Look for opportunities to provide positive reinforcement. Halloween has a built-in system of rewards in that stepping outside your comfort zone will provide the good consequence of getting candy.
5. Limit Transitions
Limit transitions to multiple locations. For example, don’t shuffle your child from a school Halloween party to a friend’s Halloween party to trick-or-treating in the neighborhood and then to a Halloween dinner. This can be especially difficult for children with ASD.
6. Encourage Breaks
Honor your child’s need to take breaks from others. As much as you want your child to participate, the pressure of engaging and tolerating non-preferred social situations can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety.
7. Sensory Friendly Costume
Be mindful of your child’s costume. For example, if your child has sensitivities surrounding things touching their ears, then avoid a costume that requires a hat or head covering.
8. Fostering Participation While Respecting Choices
Encourage your child to participate but ultimately do not require it. If the child chooses not to go trick-or-treating, for example, then maybe they can participate in another capacity, such as opening the door or passing out candy to other trick-or-treaters from the comforts of their home.
9. Stay close to home
Try to stay close to home. Your child will be more likely to struggle when exposed to new environments, neighborhoods or people.
10. Prioritizing Your Child’s Experience
Be mindful of your own perceptions and expectations of what makes a fun and memorable Halloween. Parents have a tremendous amount of pressure on them during Halloween to make their child’s experience magical and unique. Instead, let your child guide the holiday – after all, it is first and foremost a holiday for the kids!
11. Educate Friends and Family
Prepare friends and family for your child’s specific preferences or sensory sensitivities. Conversations or reminders ahead of time can help. Stand firm in your advocacy for your child. For more resources to use to educate others visit this article from the CDC.
Behaven Kids is a provider of services for children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, mental health-related issues and behavioral difficulties. The company provides a full range of therapy, counseling and care services to help children, parents and families at four locations in Nebraska. Behaven Kids has more than 100 professionals with a variety of credentials and expertise, including board certified behavior analysts, licensed behavior specialists, licensed mental health practitioners and certified clinical trauma professionals. Behaven Kids was founded in 2000. More information or last year’s Halloween Blog post visit our blog post at BehavenKids.com and on social media @behavenkids.