Navigating the Holiday Season with Your Child with ASD
The holiday season is quickly approaching. During this time, your child will very likely experience a number of changes in their daily routine. Most schools offer a number of holiday breaks including a fall break, Thanksgiving break, winter break, and Christmas break. Many kids with autism spectrum disorder struggle with changes in routine. Holiday breaks, of course, represent just one of the many changes in routine your child may experience. There are strategies you can use to help your child cope with the changes in their schedule. Let’s explore how children with autism experience changes in routine and discuss things you can do to help your child cope with the upcoming holiday season especially as it relates to coping with the changes that come with holiday breaks.
Kids with Autism Struggle with Changes in Routine
Children with autism often struggle with changes in routine. Consistency and predictability are very comforting for many children on the autism spectrum. Changes, even small ones, can feel overwhelming and lead to anxiety, confusion, or distress. This difficulty with change is part of a broader pattern often referred to as “insistence on sameness.”
When routines are disrupted, children with autism may react in various ways, such as:
Meltdowns or tantrums – They may display behaviors such as crying, whining, becoming aggressive, falling to the floor, or yelling due to feelings of being overwhelmed or anxious.
Withdrawal – Some children might shut down or disengage to cope with changes.
Repetitive behaviors – Many people with autism have what are referred to as repetitive behaviors. These behaviors are also known as stimming. During changes, including changes in routine, some children with autism may display increased reliance on repetitive behaviors or rituals to regain a sense of stability.
Helping Kids with Autism Cope with Changes in the Schedule
There is not just one right way to help kids with autism cope with changes in routine. However, some common strategies that have been found to be helpful for many kids with ASD include creating visual schedules, using social stories, and giving advance notice of the upcoming changes. Let’s look at some more specific examples of ways to help your child with autism cope with the changes that will be happening in the upcoming holiday season.
Prepare in Advance
Talk About Changes – Explain upcoming changes ahead of time. Keep the explanation clear and concrete. Discuss the schedule changes that your child will experience in the upcoming months.
Use Visual Schedules – Visual supports like calendars, pictures, or symbols help children understand what’s coming up. You can review the visual schedule with your child. For example, look at the calendar with your child often to help them be more familiar with what is happening today, what is happening this week, and what will happen in the future.
Social Stories – Create stories that describe what will happen, using simple language and visuals. These can help ease anxiety.
Provide Consistency and Predictability
Keep Some Routines Stable – Even if certain events change, try to keep other parts of the daily routine consistent (e.g., bedtime, mealtime rituals). You can help your child feel some level of predictability and stability by keeping some things about their daily routine the same even when the school schedule changes.
Transitional Objects or Comfort Items – A favorite toy, blanket, or other familiar item can provide comfort during changes. Help your child use their preferred items for comfort and relaxation to help them cope with stress.
Provide Choices and Control
Offer Simple Choices – Giving choices about small things (like which shirt to wear or what snack to have) can empower the child and make transitions feel less overwhelming.
Teach Your Child to Manage Stress & Time
Teach Coping Strategies – Encourage deep breathing, listening to calming music, or other self-soothing techniques. By teaching your child coping skills in advance and working on these regularly, it will be more likely your child will use these skills when it is actually needed such as when they experience stress from schedule changes during holiday breaks.
Encourage leisure time – Oftentimes, during holiday breaks, kids have more downtime than they do during the typical school year. Some children with autism struggle with initiating leisure activities independently. They may find it challenging to find things to do when their schedule isn’t controlled for them. Teaching kids to be able to use their time appropriately, even when they are free to do fun and leisurely activities, can help them to stay regulated and reduce challenging behaviors, stress, and overwhelm.
Positive Reinforcement and Praise
Praise and reward your child when they successfully navigate a change, even if it’s a small one. Reinforcing their flexibility can encourage more positive reactions to future changes.
Kids with autism often struggle with change, such as the change that comes with holiday breaks. You can help your child navigate the upcoming holiday season by being proactive, focusing on relevant skill development, and supporting them as they experience changes over the season.