Parenting blogger and autism activist, Jackie Davidson, shares Autism-Friendly Holiday Traditions.

If you participate in holiday traditions and have a child with autism, then you know how hard it can be. Change in routines with a break from school, family get-togethers, and high social expectations create a breeding ground for meltdowns. Here are a few ideas for celebrating the holidays with your child in ways they might enjoy!

Decorate cookies

This tradition has been around forever. Some autistic kids love to decorate the cookies! However, many kids with autism lack the care or fine motor skills. Here are a few ideas to try!

• Pick a theme of cookies they will enjoy! Play into their interests by making decorations that are something they love. There is no reason that all the cookies have to be Santa!
• Have the child be involved in a different part of the cookie-making process like putting their hands in the dough, organizing the sprinkles, and cutting out the cookies. Maybe decorating isn’t for them but another part will be.
• Do not put pressure on them! Set them up with things they enjoy just sitting at the table with all of you.
• You can buy a tablecloth that can be colored on and every year on decorating day they can decorate the tablecloth and add to it!

Holiday Shows

Many families like to take their kids out somewhere for a Christmas tradition. This can be tricky for those of us with autistic kids. Here are some local ideas!

• The Detroit Christmas Circus can be seen at McMorran Place. It wouldn’t be a good choice for a child who wants to avoid sensory input, but if you have a seeker this might be right up their alley! With popcorn, seating with clear boundaries, and a fast-paced show it might be a great choice. It’s noisy, so let them stim away and enjoy the show!
• The City of Port Huron hosts the Pine Grove Park Winter Celebration light show every year. It’s easy to walk through and look at your own pace with very low pressure. Bonus, there’s a park so if they get over it you can take breaks! Make sure to have a plan (like a wagon) for elopers since there is a busy road nearby.
• Many churches have holiday gatherings but we have found St. Stephen’s Santa Breakfast to be the best around! It’s in a gym, and Santa is very understanding of special needs. We just love the program for our entire family and it’s a safe space for a special needs child to meet Santa if they want.
• Driving around looking at Christmas lights is an easy, safe, simple, and fun tradition the whole family can enjoy. Sherman Woods has fantastic lights on display around that time of year!

Picking a Christmas Tree/ Decorating

Cutting down and decorating a Christmas tree is a great activity for the whole family!

• Pick a small family-owned Christmas tree farm and try to go not during peak times. A simple call ahead and explanation to the owners goes a long way!
• For decorating, lower the expectations. If the child is able and wants to hang ornaments, have at it. If they would rather collect ornaments and group them, buy them a cheap set they can put on their mini tree or play with (plastic of course).
• Buy a felt tree that hangs on the wall that they can decorate whenever they want to like this one here: Felt Tree.
• Family time is family time so as long as they are with you, that’s all that matters! This might mean they will sit on the couch and watch, they might run circles in the room, or if they’re like my Lydia they might like to lay under the tree and stare up through it at all the sparkling lights!

What Might Not Work

There are a few things we avoid with Lydia as a rule of thumb around the holidays and I think most parents with autistic kids would benefit from considering them.

• Stay away from long shows like a play. Spectators need to be quiet and follow social norms that might not be there for them yet.
• Places like Frankenmuth can be way too over-stimulating.
• Church around that time of year gets really packed, and it’s ok to pray with them from afar and take the rest of the family.
• Santa Parade is a lot of standing around in the cold and they often don’t see the point in it. It also poses a high elopement risk.
• Going to see Santa at the mall might be scary for them, even if you make an appointment.  A more Private Santa visit with low expectations might be a better choice.

Have a great holiday season!

Story by Jackie Davidson for BlueWaterParent.com

All content of BlueWaterParent.com is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.