Preparing for Halloween
For the next in my special edition blogs, I want to cover a holiday that many families have preparing throughout the month of October or even after Labor Day…Halloween.
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Now, Halloween is a holiday that can be both fun and problematic for neurodiverse and disabled individuals. The excitement of putting on a costume and going from house to house saying “Trick or Treat” can be matched with the anxiety of the holiday itself and being forced into social situations that you don’t want to be in.
For one thing, I get the fact that parents want to make memories with their children that they can look back on later in life. But as I have said in many blogs, you cannot force anyone to do anything they don’t want to do and that especially includes neurodiverse and disabled children. Just because Halloween is a holiday that everyone loves in the fall, it’s a holiday for everyone. In this blog, I offer a few tips that neurodiverse and disabled families can take to make Halloween as comfortable as possible for their loved ones.
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Do not force anyone to wear a costume: I get the fact that Halloween is a time for wondering who we are going to be for one night or if you are a convention goer and cosplay as your favorite character, we are all the same body and mind. If your child doesn’t want to wear a costume, don’t force them to. The costumes can be both sensory and emotionally to the child to the point that it can cause more harm than good.
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Go Trick or Treating at the earliest possible time: There are some of those out there that are not really big into be out so late at night and I don’t blame them: I am not a night owl myself. Some families may wait until well after dark to go trick or treating because of “tradition.” But traditions are made to be broken to make things inclusive for everyone. If a child doesn’t want to be out late at night, please respect their wishes. Even going out before sunset may not be a bad idea. In fact, some families prefer to go out before it gets dark because that’s their personal preference.
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Tell Social Stories: There is no better way to prepare a neurodiverse child for Halloween than to tell social stories about what to expect. Social stories can give the child a creative idea to get into the spirit of the holiday. Another aspect is by showing your child forms of media that contain Halloween themes or topics. There are also some really good sitcoms out there that are sort of monster themed. Case in point?
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Have Sensory Objects in Hand: Of course, Halloween is also going to be a noisy time of year. This can range from screaming to spooky noises to any visual objects that may be overstimulating. Some parents may argue that headphones and sensory toys can ruin the look of the costume that their child is wearing. But take a moment and think to yourself what is more important: the holiday or your child’s overall well being?
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Your neurodiverse child may not want to go trick or treating: A lot of neurodiverse families will have a child not want to go trick or treating and yet, they are forced to go which causes both psychological and emotional trauma. Parents and guardians need to remember that there is more to Halloween than just trick or treating. Your child will probably want to prefer staying at home and it’s up to you to make Halloween tailor made for the child. For one thing, the child can help hand out candy to those who are trick or treating and to lighten the mood, the child can even take count on who comes to the door. This kind of activity is what I did when I stopped trick or treating and I actually enjoyed more than the actual trick or treating.
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Don’t Judge: Recently there are some individuals out there that will judge those who wear costumes or who think they are too old for trick or treating. The truth of the matter is that no one is too old for trick or treating. Many neurodiverse individuals love Halloween as they get older and still go trick or treating. So, if you see any neurodiverse adults wearing costumes, just remember that we are not being immature, we’re just trying to enjoy the holiday as much as anyone!
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Catch you all later!! Happy Halloween!!
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