Preparing for the Holidays for Children with Autism

To most parents, the holidays seemed to come earlier every year. This year was no exception. The children recognized things were already beginning to change once the pumpkins had come and gone. Haystacks and turkey pictures seemed to be appearing everywhere in town and in the school. Now, even Christmas trees could be seen several weeks ahead of the actual holiday. The holiday season was an exciting time for most children. However, this time of year could also bring about some unexpected behaviors, too.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approached, Joanie, one of the newer parents of a child with autism, told the teacher that her son Willy was not able to go to family gatherings. The teacher knew that Willy still had difficulty parting from his mother. Joanie told the teacher that her son did not like going to any home other than his own. Willy was a child that had difficulty communicating what he wanted. Usually, Willy was a sweet child. However, when he didn’t get his way, the boy would throw a tantrum. Fortunately, that behavior hadn’t been occurring in the classroom but it was happening at home.

The teacher listened to Joanie’s concerns about her son Willy. She knew that Willy did well communicating his wants and needs with pictures in the classroom. The teacher also knew that the young mother was afraid of her son crying. Joanie had a daughter who was in the terrible twos. The mother could stop her daughter from having tantrums but not her son. The fact of the matter was that Joanie was afraid of putting boundaries on Willy. That was exactly what he needed.

The teacher sat down with Joanie one day after school. Joanie said that it was getting more and more difficult to take Willy to places. Visits to the doctor’s office, speech therapy, and occupational therapy were becoming almost impossible. Now with the holidays coming up, Joanie was at a loss for what to do with her son. The teacher explained to the mother that she had to make her expectations clear to Willy both verbally and with pictures. Pictures can be a powerful tool not just for children with special needs, but for any person.

With the holidays approaching, the teacher gave Joanie pictures to help Willy behave better when the family was traveling or at home. The visuals included one of Willy’s mother along with the icons of stop, quiet, listen, sit down and wait. The boy was used to those specific visuals from school. Using these same pictures made it easier to correct any poor behavior that might be occurring outside the classroom. When the mother arrived the next day, the teacher had her practice using the icons with Willy. It wasn’t easy. Willy wanted to leave the classroom right then and there. The teacher told the boy to wait because she needed to talk to the mother. Willy did not understand the teacher’s words but he did understand the visuals. Willy figured his mother was there so the teacher’s authority was over. To his surprise, a great teaching moment was occurring for both the boy and for his mother. Willy cried and had his tantrum. He wanted his way. The boy discovered that he had to wait.

Over the next few days the mother helped the boy adjust to changing his expectations by using the pictures. Willy did learn to wait. The mother also discovered that boundaries are okay. Boundaries actually help a child adjust to changing expectations. The teacher knew it wasn’t going to be an instantaneous change for Willy. Rather, it would be a gradual change for the boy. Using the icons was just a starting point to help Willy prepare for future events that would occur throughout his life. Fortunately, using the visuals helped the boy adjust to surprises. Like any child, lifetime changes would need to be gradually taught to Willy. The holidays were a perfect opportunity to prepare the boy for the unexpected.

Getting ready for the holidays in the classroom included a practice dinner for Thanksgiving. This event included eating traditional foods. The children also had to practice sitting at the table with a placemats and silverware. Waiting for desert was certainly a challenge for many of the children. The holiday preparations, like any home, included decorating the classroom, wrapping presents, putting up the Christmas tree and making sure that the students all behaved. Of course, the children knew or would soon discover that Santa was also coming for a very special visit to classroom.

The last few days of classes before the New Year included a huge feast for the children and their families. The children’s parents, siblings and relatives all came to school for the annual tamale dinner. For some of the children, the noises, parent visit and food smells were overwhelming. Behavior challenges like those of Willy were not unusual. The older children knew that poor behavior meant sad faces and removal from the festivities. Their families would continue to have fun without them. The children quickly discovered why it was great that Santa Clause came as the special visitor to the Christmas dinner. Behavior always improved after the first year. The gathering was a great rehearsal for the days to come. Ultimately, practicing for the holidays at both home and school usually leads to the same end, good behavior and lots of fun.
(Source: brownsvilleherald.com)