Preparing for the Holidays with ABA-Friendly Strategies

The holidays are an exciting time of year. Extended families and friends get together, celebrating traditions that have been passed down for generations.

With so much being different during these celebrations, though, holidays can prove to be very challenging for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The change in routine, the noisy environments and the different smells, sights and sounds can all cause children with autism to feel overwhelmed easily.

Because of this, it’s important for parents of children with autism to prepare a little differently for the holidays. Following some strategies from applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) can help make the holidays more enjoyable for everyone.

Here are some ideas on how you can do that.

Key Takeaways

• Children with autism benefit from visual preparation and routine consistency during the holidays.
• Address sensory sensitivities by planning ahead and offering tools for self-regulation.
• Involving children in holiday activities promotes comfort, understanding, and independence.
• Use ABA principles such as task breakdown and positive reinforcement to support behavior.

Table Of Contents

Tell Your Child What’s Coming

Children with autism thrive on routine. When things are different, it can cause them to feel anxious, stressed and overwhelmed.

This is why it’s so important to prepare your child for what the holidays hold by communicating to them what they’re about to encounter. Using visual aids, social stories, visual schedules and even photo albums or videos of past holidays can be very helpful.

Since children on the autism spectrum are typically visual learners, these aids will help them to better grasp what’s ahead.

With so much being different and sometimes chaotic during the holiday season, it’s important to keep your child on their normal routine as much as possible. This includes ensuring they eat at similar times every day and go to bed with the same routine at the same time.

This will help them to feel safe and stable, which will put them in the best position possible for when change occurs.

Prepare for How They Might Feel

It’s always best to prepare for what your child might encounter and how they might feel as a result. If your child has sensory sensitivities to sound, light or smells, for instance, you can anticipate that they may react with self-stimulatory behaviors.

To help them through this, you can bring things such as fidget toys, noise-cancelling headphones and other familiar items that bring them comfort and help them to manage their emotions.

If you’re celebrating at your home, consider keeping the decorations to a minimum, keep the music low and ask your guests to be cognizant of your child’s needs. It’s also OK to allow your child to take a break and spend time in their room or another quiet space if they feel overwhelmed.

If your celebrations are at someone else’s house, you can ask the host to do the same — going as far as providing a quiet space where your child might go to if they need a break.

Get Them Involved

An effective way to have your child understand what the holidays entail, and to feel more comfortable as a result, is to get them involved in as much of the preparation as possible.

Examples could be having them help decorate the house or cook the dishes that you’re responsible for preparing. This will allow them to understand what it’s all for, since they’ll have hands-on opportunities to learn.

As you do, break down these complicated tasks into small and more manageable steps. This is a core strategy in ABA therapy, and it’s effective at helping children on the autism spectrum grasp concepts.

Another good idea is to use positive reinforcement strategies, just like they receive during ABA therapy. As your child successfully completes tasks or behaves as you’d like, provide them with extra praise, time with a toy they love or some form of token they can exchange for something they love later.

It’s also imperative that you give your child the freedom to make some decisions when it makes sense. Allowing them to decide where to hang certain ornaments, for instance, empowers them and makes them feel special.

It’ll also help them to advocate for themselves if they need something, such as a break from the holiday celebrations, which in the long run will help them build independence.

Blue Gems ABA Prepares Children for Changes in Routines

ABA therapy is the leading treatment option for children on the autism spectrum. As a science-based approach to learning and behavior, it helps children with ASD build social, communication and daily life skills while also modifying certain behaviors.

At Blue Gems ABA, we administer ABA therapy on a one-to-one basis, crafting personalized treatment plans that specifically target each child’s unique strengths, challenges, needs and preferences. Using tried-and-true principles, we can help your child prepare for changes in their daily routines, such as during the busy and hectic holiday season.

To learn more, please contact us today.

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