SpecialNeedsGifts.com Skill Building Holiday Gift Guide Nov. 2013 | Page 10
Keeping Calm During the Holidays
The holiday season can prove chaotic
and nerve-jangling for practically
anyone, but children with special
needs may find it particularly
stressful or upsetting. Whether you
spend the holidays at home or visiting
loved ones, rest assured that you can
make the season calmer and more
pleasant for all concerned. Here are
five ways to ensure a happier holiday
for your special needs child -- and for
yourself:
playthings. Teaching children needs
children how to give presents may
help smooth the road toward
receiving them.
3.
Decorate differently. Unusual or
unexpected decorations can be a
source of stress and confusion for
special needs children who do not
like their regular environment
disrupted
by
sudden
change.
According to the Autism Society, you
can make this aspect of holiday cheer
more cheerful by making your child
part of the whole shopping and
decorating process, and by putting the
decorations up gradually. This
participation helps put them back in
1.
Create a "quiet zone." Special
needs children may feel their stress
levels rising as the level of noise and
activity around them increases or
continues for an extended period of
time. You can defuse this situation by
reserving a particular room or area of
the house as a designated "quiet
zone," a place your child can go to
get some much needed peace. The
Autism Society recommends that you
work out a visual cue or other system
that your child can give you when it's
time to escape the holiday hubbub.
2. Prepare for presents. According to
Friendship Circle, special needs
children may face various challenges
when it is time to receive and unwrap
holiday presents. Children with motor
skill limitations may find it stressful
and frustrating to get through that
elaborately-wrapped gift paper, while
autistic children may feel anxious
about what lies underneath. Make
sure your child's presents are easy to
unwrap, or have your child "rehearse"
by unwrapping some old favorite
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