Tips for a Spook-tacular Halloween

As Halloween is approaching quickly, we know for a child on the Spectrum it may be a difficult day with a lot of new activities and changes. Here are some tips to help you and your child make the most out of the day!

Costumes:

• Take your child's lead on the costume they want to wear! This will make it more likely that they will want to wear it.
• Practice wearing the costume before the day of. This will make sure there are no itchy or uncomfortable parts and help ease putting in on, on the day of Halloween.
• Simple costumes could help ease the stress of putting a costume on. Finding props that can be placed over your child's clothes (wings, vests, ect) may help them feel more comfortable
• Brining sensory items that your child typically uses could help ease some stress, like noise canceling headphones, fidgets, or any comfort items. 

Trick-or-Treating:

• Practice the act of trick-or-treating before Halloween. This can be done on different doors in the house, or neighbors or families front doors. During practice, have your child knock on the door, say "trick-or-treat," grab items from a bucket (toys, food, candy, ect), saying "thank you," and moving on to the next location. The practice and repetition will be very helpful day of. 
• It could be helpful to walk the route you will be taking the day of beforehand. 
• Go over Halloween Social Stories. We like this example here!
• Go with friends or family your child is comfortable with! 
• Make sure to reinforce any positive behaviors your child engages in. This will probably be a tough day for them, any reason to give them positive praise will help ease the stress they are feeling! 
• Non-verbal individuals should still trick-or-treat, too! 
  • Make sure to know where the "trick-or-treat" phrase is on any device your child may use. If you need help figuring this out, reach out!
  • Sign language may be beneficial when using "please" or "thank you"
  • Cards to let others know that your child is nonverbal can be found here.

• If trick-or-treating is tough on an individual, you can practice passing out candy at home!