Our Kids are Not the Only Ones Who Need to Keep Learning

 Educating yourself should never stop.  If you are working with children with special needs there are multitudes of ways to educate yourself.  Reading blogs like mine and participating in on-line discussions are ways to keep current with popular conversations in the field.  There are conferences, workshops, on-line classes and books to read that can also teach you about current practices and philosophies. The important thing to understand is that the research in this area is just really starting, and it is important to stay on top of it.

    This past weekend, I attended an Autism Conference at The University of North Texas.  There were two keynote speakers and then 4 breakout sessions where attendees could choose from a variety of topic for either professionals or parents.  The information provided ranged from how to interpret data to creating social stories and the importance of play.  I am looking forward to sharing some of what I learned in my future blogs.  What I want you to get from my blog today is that this information is out there and accessible. It did not take me weeks, but rather only a Saturday afternoon with friends to really improve my knowledge base and help me become a better teacher. 

    Future  Horizons is one company through which Temple Grandin works.   I attended one of their conferences in the past and hope to attend one again later this year.  The format there is a bit different.  There is usually only one to three speakers, but again well worth the time as you will come away with a wealth of knowledge.  This is where I learned about fear being the primary response emotion for children on the spectrum.  That one bit of information is probably the most valuable piece of knowledge I have gained and applied while working with children on the spectrum.  Had I not gone to a conference, I would not have the success I have with my students.

    If you are looking for classes and conferences, they are not that hard to find.  Teachers can find on line classes through their education regions, Teaching Unions and organizations, or school districts. Parents can find classes through state support services, doctor’s and service provider’s offices, and child’s health magazines. Both educators and parents can do searches on the internet as well.

    Thank you for wanting to educate yourself by reading blogs like mine.  I hope you find a local conference or workshop that can inspire you and help you to continue your education so that you can help our kids grow.  They are lucky to have someone like you who takes the time to learn with them.

For more information you can start here:

Future Horizons

2013-National-Autism-Conference

Temple Grandin

Council For Exceptional Children

Making Clothing Choices a Positive Experience with Special Needs Kids

   The clothing debate is something that goes on in every house, special needs or not.  With a special needs child, especially one on the autism spectrum, this can be a very difficult thing to handle.  One thing you have to remember is that you are in charge and there are ways to keep everyone happy. 

   Having your child involved in deciding what to wear is always a good thing.  It gives your child a sense of control over a part of their life. However, there have to be ground rules and they have to be clearly stated and reinforced.  I would suggest sitting down with you child and coming up with the ground rules together, just like we make class rule.  Here are some example rules: clothes have to be clean, have to fit, and cannot have any holes or rips. Once you have rules, there are many different ways you can go about letting your child choose their clothes  depending on your family and child’s abilities.

   Choosing clothes for the day should happen at the same time every day.  Establish it as part of your routine.  Some people do it before they go to bed.  Some do it in the morning.  Whatever works for your family is fine. Talk about what your child will be doing the upcoming day and what the weather will be like. Help them decide on the type of clothing: long sleeves, shorts, a sweater, etc. It might be helpful to have a checklist of the items needed. Some children on the AU spectrum will only wear one particular type of clothing all year.  This is a sensory issue to discuss with your OT. From here picking out outfits can be done many ways: choices can be given, free reign allowed, pictures shown, or your child can give you choices. Whichever way you choose, have a backup to redirect to a better choice if they make a poor choice. If your redirection does not work, your child will not die if they get little hot. They will learn. 

     One way to help in controlling the choices is controlling the clothing they have to choose from. Make sure the clothing they choose from is appropriate to the season.  Teach your child to take non-seasonal clothing and pack it away.  If your child will not do it, you can do it during school and tell your child it was one of your chores.  The same goes for clothing with holes, stains or that is too small. Also make sure their clothing is appropriate for their age.  Our kids can stand out on their own; the last thing they need is to be wearing clothing meant for an elementary school age child when they are in middle or high school. If you are not sure what is age appropriate, ask a friend or watch some kids TV shows. If you let them watch with you and comment they may even want to wear it too.

    When possible, take your child shopping with you.  I know for some this can be very difficult.  Wal-Mart and Target are open late and not crowded in the evenings.  If your child is sensitive to the lights, try sunglasses in the store.  If they feel they are involved in the choices, they will be more likely to wear a variety of clothing. You can also use this as an opportunity to teach shopping life-skills.  If going shopping is not possible, try online shopping together.  The more actively they are involved the better. 

  Now that you have their clothes, do not give up on making them dress themselves.  This includes buttons, zippers, and tying shoes.  These are things that every parent is responsible for teaching.  If you have a child that is having difficulty with these, discuss it with your OT or doctor.  There are many ways to help including button tools, and trying multiple ways to tie shoes.  Do not give up on these important life skills.  It may take longer, but do you want your 20 year old asking for help in these things if there is any way they can possibly do it themselves?

The clothing battle is one every parent deals with.  When you have a special needs child, the battle field is littered with mines.  Use care and you can win this battle.

For more information you may want to start here:

How to tie your shoes the easy cool way

Clothing Ideas for Special Needs Children

christopherreeve.org List of Specialty Clothing

Managing Special Needs Melt-Downs

  Everyone has bad days. Our kids are going to have them too. No matter how hard we try to set up the best environment, things are going to bother them. It’s going to be a full moon, the pollen count is going to be high, a disturbance will make the bus late, or some other unexpected thing will just make the day not go as planned. On these days it is important to recognize the signs of a child beginning a crisis and try to avoid it before it become a full out melt-down.  If you work in a district where they offer training in Non-Violent Crisis Prevention or some other form of intervention, I recommend taking it.  They not only teach strategies for the major breakdowns, but focus mostly on how to avoid these in the first place.  An ounce of prevention goes a long way. 

   A child who begins a meltdown goes through a progression and does not just jump into the full throws of being out of control.  The sooner you can get the child back to their normal demeanor, the better. Remember to respect the child’s space and watch your body language. Keep and open non-threatening stance when addressing the child.  Be aware of your voice. Watch your tone, volume and the speed at which you speak.  The first sign is the child questioning you. If the child is questioning directions or content, answer the question simply and calmly.  Do not engage in a power struggle even if you know the child knows the information. If the child is questioning about other things redirect to the task at hand. The next step in the escalation is refusal.  If the child refuses, set limits: use if then statements or give a time limit and consequences, but make them clear, reasonable, and enforceable. If the child begins to escalate farther that is when the meltdown will start, but know you have tried to avoid it.  This is a summary from The Non-violent Crisis Prevention Program which I recommend¹.  They go into more of the mindset of both the caregiver and the student.

   These are great guidelines to follow, but each child you work with will be unique.  You will learn to see the signs for each of what will trigger a melt-down and what can redirect them.  I have found that with some of my students on the Autism spectrum, once they are in a meltdown they have trouble allowing themselves to break the cycle.  Sometimes, they just need the release from all the pent up anxiety and pressure, but once it has started it builds and builds and they cannot stop it on their own. In a school setting always have a second person with you who can get help if needed and assist you.  What I have found to work with these students is to redirect them to an activity and hold the demand to them.  I know they are ready for this when they can follow three simple directions such as touch your nose, touch your head, touch your shoulders.  If they can stop and follow that then I try them on a work related task.  I give them something very simple that does not take much thought, but is almost automatic: simple addition, writing the alphabet, something of that nature.  They may start and then resume some of the negative behavior, but keep with the single demand phrased the same each time ( i.e. “Do your math”) until they focus on the work. Give praise while the work is being done.  Do not grade, correct, or criticize the work.  This is just an exercise on refocusing and regaining composure. Do not try to find out the cause of the meltdown, just focus on redirection and praise of the task. It may take a few tasks to become fully calm.  A meltdown is exhausting for a child, so you might want to offer a drink and restroom break once the occurrence is over. This is hard on you as well, remember to take a minute for yourself to rest and refocus. Have the child help get the room back in order if anything was disturbed. Then decide if it is a good time to talk about what happened, or if it is better to let the child know that it was not OK to do that, but you will talk about it later when they are feeling better.  Then try to get back to your regular activities.

     Taking time to go over the events is an important part of the process for the child and for the caregivers.  The child needs help processing what caused them to break down so they can have tools to avoid it in the future, while the caregivers need to process it so they can discuss how they handled the situation, decide what worked and what didn't, and improve for the future.  When talking to the child, assist the child in determining the emotions they were feeling. Using emotion cards and pictures can help. Role playing better ways of coping with these feelings is a wonderful way to teach dealing with emotions. I feel _____ because________I want ____________________is a great tool.  Giving a consequence for a meltdown is something necessary as well.  They need to know that if they do not follow directions and use their words and therefore disrupt others there will be consequences.  Make the consequences reasonable and immediate.  Being grounded from recess for a week will not affect them because by the end of the week they do not know why they are missing recess. I use not sitting with friends at lunch or ice-cream at lunch quite a bit. Then we move on. Make sure to explain that a consequence is given so that the next time they stop and think, “I didn't like missing my ice-cream. Do I want to miss ice-cream again? Should I stop?” You need to model this thought process each time or consequences will not work.  Remember, give consequences when you are calm, not upset, they are to teach the child not punish.

    It may not be possible to avoid every meltdown, but with time and patience they can be made a little easier to handle.  Everyone has bad days.  We need to remember our kids have them too and they have fewer skills at handling them.  It is our job to coach them through it.

1.   1.    http://www.crisisprevention.com/Specialties/Nonviolent-Crisis-Intervention

  

   

How to Stay Calm During Meld Downs with a Special Needs Child.

   No matter if you are parent or teacher of the year, melt downs are going to happen from time to time.  I will talk about what to with the kids in another blog.  Today, I want to talk about us, the adults in charge of  the chaos that is going on?  I have two things I want you to keep in mind at all times: 1. it is not aimed at you, not really 2.  two always try to find the humor in the situation.  Keeping things as light as possible will keep the stress level down and everyone as calm as possible.

   Whatever is happening always remember it is not you that is the problem, it is the situation,  Do not get caught up in a power struggle or be offended and hurt by what is going on.  The child in a meltdown has lost control and you are the one who is there to help guide them back into control.  An “I hate you” or other such nonsense said in the heat of a meltdown is just verbal vomit.  Think of it as that.  The child is on over load and is literally vomiting up emotions that are coming out all mixed up and jumbled.  They make no sense.  The I hate you could be the hate from the “I hate the way I feel” and the you from “ I wish you would help me.”  Do not take it personally or confuse the issue more by getting your own feelings involved.  Take a deep breath and remind yourself, the child is upset and does not mean what is being said.  It is verbal vomit.

  Always try to see the humor in things.  I do not mean to laugh at the child.  These children are in pain. It is possible, though, to try to find humor in most situations.  Some of the things that are occurring are humorous.  I sit with my gown children and we laugh at the silly antics that they pulled as children.  My oldest ran around a planter and had me chase her until a neighbor cut her off when she was 3.  We laugh about that.  I wish I had laughed then. When your child tries the same routine for the 50^th time and you sit there calmly and they make that face like “not this again,” go ahead and giggle inside.  It will relieve your stress and help you handle the rest better. 

 When the meltdown is done, take some time to walk away and re-energize.  If you are in a classroom, get someone to cover while you take a lap around the halls.  At home, if no one else is there, find a quiet room for a couple minutes.  You can read a book, walk on a treadmill, or call a friend.  The important thing is to take care of you.  A meltdown takes it out of everyone concerned.  Do not feel bad if your plans for the day get tossed out the window.  Everything will be there tomorrow.  It always is.

  Dealing day in and day out with the challenges of special needs kids is stressful. There are so many things you have to be in tune to at any given time.  No one could possibly be expected to be perfect and do it 100% all the time.  So cut yourself a little slack.  As long as you are doing your personal best and your heart is in the right place your kids will thrive.  Do not forget to take care of yourself or there will not be anything left to give to the kids.

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For more information you may want to start here:

http://www.apa.org/pi/about/publications/caregivers/faq/well-being.aspx

It’s Not Ok, They Do Not Understand.

    At one time or another, one of the children we work with does something inappropriate to another person and they respond, “That’s ok, I understand.” Do not let that slide.  They do not understand.  If they understood, they would take the time to stay there and role play the appropriate response with the child.  A disability is not a get out of jail free card.  What might seem like cute behavior now will not be so cute two to five years down the road.  If it is not appropriate now it will not become appropriate later.  It is important to correct these behaviors as they come and to educate those who come into contact with our students on a daily basis not to accept inappropriate behavior.

   Personal space is very important in our society.  If you get too close to someone, they feel uncomfortable.  Children with sensory issues may reach out and touch people looking for sensory input.  It is important to teach our children when and where it is appropriate to do this.  There are other ways to get this sensory input in public places that is appropriate for older children and this needs to be taught.  Your OT can help give you some ideas.  One thing I teach is to pull the arms of a sweatshirt tight around themselves.  Another sensory issue arises when giving a high five.  Some kids will do so with great force.  This is not ok.  A consequence should be given if the behavior continues after giving a warning, and appropriate pressure should be practiced.  It is important that new appropriate behavior be taught in a positive way.  The first couple of times the behavior occurs, explain to the child that they are not in trouble, you are just teaching.  Once they know the behavior and then choose to not use it then you can decide to use consequences.

  Children with special needs grow up to be adults with special needs.  What is cute and endearing as a child makes them stand out and be needier as an adult. As teachers and parents it is important to start looking at our children with an eye on their future.  How will the world see them once they are out of school?  Do we want the world to see them as little children, dependent on those around them with a lack of social skills and etiquette, or do we want the world to see them as adult with disabilities doing amazing things in the world? If we want the latter, we have to begin teaching them early and not allowing others to say, “That’s ok, I understand.” 

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For more information you might want to start here:

what-to-say-to-when-meeting-someone-with-special-needs

Choices: The Key to Controlling a Situation

   Moments of frustration and power struggles are inevitable with any children.  All kids need to learn boundaries and how to handle the hierarchy of social situations.  For children with special needs this can be especially difficult. Once they decide” this is my stand, I am in charge here;” it can be difficult to move forward.  It is up to you as the adult to decide what the most important lesson is at the moment.  In other words, choosing your battles is extremely important. Unless they are taking charge of the class, or putting themselves in harm’s way, giving them some sense of independence and feeling of control over their lives can be a good thing.  How you do that can either make your life easier or create problems.

   Choices are your friend.  Be sure to give kids two choices and be sure you can live with either choice that is made.  Then stick to your guns until the choice is made and followed through.  I use the visual of my hands when giving choices.  I will put one hand out with one choice and then the other hand out with the other choice and ask the child to choose.  I can repeat the request for as long as it takes.  If the child tries to add a choice or redirect, I state calmly that is not a choice and repeat the request ignoring all other behavior.  The other behavior can be addressed later.

  When dealing with a student with autism, I stay keenly alert for signs of a sensory problem I may have missed earlier that may have triggered the episode.  Sensory problems always override any other behavior.  If I do notice something, I address it with the student.  Once the sensory issue is handled, I go back to the original two choices until the choice is made and the task completed.

  Having the child make a choice may take quite a while the first time.  Have strength and confidence that you are doing the right thing.  The next time it will be shorter and shorter.  Your child will learn that they have control, but in a limited way.  Isn’t that life?  We can choose the car we drive, but have to follow the laws.  We can choose the movie we want to see, but have to choose from the times the theater shows it.  We have limits put on us all the time we must choose from.  When the child is calm this is a lesson that can be directly taught and explained.   Remember during an episode is not the time to go over the lesson.  You and the child need time to think about what happened and calm down before you sit down and figure out what you both can learn from it.

Some examples of choices you can give are below:

Home:

Give two outfits to choose from to get dressed in the morning.

Given two pairs of shoes if your child does not like to get ready to leave.

Do you want to make your bed first or put your toys away first?

Do you want to eat half your vegetables and all your potatoes or all your potatoes and half your vegetables?

School:

You can do this page or this page first

You can do the odds (highlight them one color) first or the evens (highlight them another color) first.

You can choose two problems not to do, but you have to cross them off now.

You can read the directions to me or I can read them to you. 

You can use pencil or pen.

For more information on choice you can start here:

challenging-behavior-the-power-of-choices

ten-things-your-student-with-autism-wishes-you-knew

Reward vs. Bribes the Battle for Better Behavior

    When trying to deal with behaviors, the term reward is often used. It is very important to know the difference between a reward and a bribe.  As parents we often make jokes about bribing our children to do things they do not want to do.  When you have a child with special needs it important not to cross that line and confuse them. 

    What is the difference between a bribe and a reward?  It really is very simple.  A reward is a token which is received after a task is done which is established before the task begins.  A bribe is a reward that is received after a task is completed, but it is offered after the task has been requested and negative behavior has started.  While a bribe may have the short term benefit of getting what you need done at the moment, the long term pattern it establishes is to reinforce negative behavior.

    What do rewards for behavior look like?  I personally do not like food rewards.  I avoid them except for really big exciting events.  Stickers are my preferred reward. Kids love stickers.  You can find stickers for your child’s particular interest.  There are different sized stickers for emphasis on larger tasks, and if you want you can add stickers up to use to purchase larger items if that is how you want your reward system to work.  You can use pennies, Popsicle sticks, ribbons, or anything.  Be creative. For some children who are very tactile a high five is all that it takes.  I am always giving out high fives in my class.  These can be given for smaller parts of a larger task as well. For other children time is what they value most.  A promise of a couple of private minutes of your time listening to them read, watching them color or some other special talent is a great reward. The important thing is that you and the child know what is expected before the activity and that it is not presented once the negative behavior has begun.

  One problem I have seen in my classroom is when a student wants to get in on another student’s rewards.  I may give one student a high five, or give verbal praise to one student and another asks for the same praise when none was earned or appropriate at that time.  Teaching children that rewards are earned and only the person that earned it receives the reward is important and needs to be directly taught and reinforced.  You may be tempted to give a high five to that child as well, but that diminishes the value of that and future rewards.  Gently explain that the other child earned the reward and it is his, and an opportunity for a reward will be given to them when it is appropriate.  Then redirect the focus on the student who earned the reward and have both of you congratulate him on a job well done.  By doing this you teach group dynamics and support of a class or family.

  Everyone works for rewards. You go to work for pay: your reward.  You get dressed nice and your significant other tells you that you look good: your reward.  You work hard on a home improvement project and your neighbor asks for your help on theirs: your reward.  There are all kinds of rewards we work for every day. It is no different with our kids. Find the reward that works for your kids and use it to find success.

 For more information you might want to start here:

http://thetlc.org/2012/04/23/reinforcement-vs-bribery/

http://www.aspireearlyintervention.com/news/the-difference-between-bribery-and-reinforcement/

Chores Can and Must be Done by All Kids

        When I meet with parents, they are always eager to ask, “What can I do to support you at home? Is there some homework you can send that I can work on to help my child?”  My answer is that we at school work these kids very hard.  We have been trained in the special methods and programs to help their children succeed academically. The best way the parents can help is to be the strongest parents they can be and to work on those things parents are responsible for: teaching daily life skills and allowing their child to be a kid.  Remember, playing and being a child is a part of learning.

      The word “chore” brings out anxiety in most parents of special needs children.  I will get responses from “My child cannot do any chores,” to “My child likes to lock all the doors at night, so we let him.  That is his chore.” The first thing I do is define a chore with my parents. A chore is a job that is required to be done because you are a part of a group, a family, or a class.  It is not something you choose to do because you like it and want to do it.  It is required and there are consequences if it is not done.  The second thing I explain is that all kids can do some sort of chore.  It just takes some creativity and flexibility on standards to find the correct chore for the child. Chores also have to be taught and practiced before they can be expected to be done independently.  Once these steps have been done, all parties involved will feel pride at seeing the growth and responsibility achieved.

      What are some realistic chores that can be expected to start out?  Whatever you choose, be specific.  Just saying clean your room is too vague and will leave the child so frustrated they will not be able to start.  It would be better to say, put all the toys in the toy box.  Make sure you start out with just one or two directions at a time.  Setting the table, again, takes many steps, but maybe they can do it with directions for each step or a check list. Vacuuming a single room is also a good place to start, but do not expect them to pick things up unless you make that a step to do first.  Remember breaking everything down into steps is very important.  Check with your child’s teacher if you are not sure how many steps your child can follow at a time.  It may help to write the steps down to be able to see just how many steps activities really have. Just like in that old school assignment of writing how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, there are more steps than you may think.  For some students taking pictures of the steps and placing them in order can help.  I am sure your teacher or OT would be happy to work with you on developing a chore routine.  Remember the goal is a simple chore to teach responsibility first, then as they develop to teach life skills.

     You may be wondering about kids with physical disabilities.  They can also be taught to do chores.  You might have to adjust your standards, but they love to help out.  Dusting is something everyone can do.  You might have to remove the items on tables, but they can dust it.  Assisting with setting or clearing the table is another thing they can do with some modifications.  You can devise some sort of carrying device so they can push the items to the table once someone else has put them in a basket.  The same method can be used for trash or laundry.  It takes some thinking outside the box, but the more involved in the family the more independent and proud they will feel.

     Our goal is to prepare our kids for the future.  We need to look at them and try to see them 15 -20 years down the road.  Do we want them to rely on others for everything or to be as independent as possible? To gain that independence, it is imperative that they learn to function in a family or group living setting as an active member, not a passive bystander.  With guidance from caring teachers and parents our kids can reach this goal.

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For more information on Chores you may want to start here:

http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2012/10/24/the-ten-benefits-of-chores-for-your-child-with-special-needs/

http://yourbeautifulchild.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/how-to-teach-chores-to-your-special-needs-taken-from-the-friendship-circle/

http://specialchildren.about.com/od/sensorystrategies/qt/chores.htm

Holidays, Vacations and Schedule Changes Oh My!

                With the 4^th of July coming one of my first thoughts is, “I hope my kiddos are doing ok with all the holiday activities and changes to their routines.” The summer is a wonderful time full of great family time and vacations.  It can also pose some challenges to a family with children with special needs.  If you take some time to do a bit of work ahead, your summer can be full of wonderful memories.

                While holidays and vacations can be a fun time to teach history and social skills, they can also be a difficult time for your special needs kids. In order to make them successful, we need to be aware of all the little changes that occur to the regular routine and prepare kids for each of these. If we take the time to do all of this, a holiday can become a huge learning experience.

                One of the common denominators of holidays and vacations is a change in schedule.  People have days off, meal times are changed, and routines altered. It is important to let our kids know in advance that the holiday or vacation is coming up and what changes to the routine to expect.  Use a calendar to mark the day and count down to it.  Use some sort of day planner to help plan out the events of the day or extended time if it will be more than one day, so your child will know what to expect.  Be sure to emphasize that these are not exact times, just guesses or the order things will happen.  If at all possible in your scheduling, try to keep meals to their regular schedule.  Trying to keep some things normal will help.

      New people are always a challenge as well. Go over pictures of the people who will be there and why they will be there.  Role play greetings and simple conversations.  Practice appropriate ways for your child to let you know if they are scared or over stimulated and have a safe quiet place for them to go where no one will be allowed to search for them but you and a trusted few. You might want to prepare the people coming as well.  They should be aware that a hug or kiss may not be welcomed nor should it be expected.  Giving everyone clear expectations beforehand will make all in attendance feel more at ease and comfortable. This is also important in the school setting.

      Holiday activities and rituals can be a very difficult road to navigate. Summer activities tend to be outdoors and loud, two things that do not always mix well with our kids.  Being prepared is the key to success in these environments.  If you are working with an OT, having a consultation before your events could save heart ache during.  Your OT may be able to recommend some strategies specific to your child in these environments. In general, being sure there is a cool shaded place available away from all the chaos and noise would be recommended.  Be sure to have any fidgets, weighted items, thera-putty etc. your child uses available.  If noise bothers your child, try a music system with head phones and calming music. Just headphone with no music can even work.  This is something I use with my kids at assemblies.  Something else to be very aware of is hydration. Sometimes our kids have difficulty knowing what the sensation is that they are feeling.  Be sure to keep the kids hydrated.  In school, my kids are on a restroom water break schedule.  It keeps them from the uncomfortable feelings that may make them irritable.  Just keep thinking an ounce of prevention…

       While people are having a great time with the activities you have planned for the group, your special needs kid will get bored.  Their routine has been disturbed.  They just want to do what is “normal”.  Be sure to have some of the normal things for them.  Have activities that they can sit and do so that they will feel their needs are being met.  You can bring a timer, or use your watch to time them, but as I have said before, you cannot take the autism out of the child; you have to work with it. This goes for ADHD and other forms of disability.  A holiday party and get together is not the time to teach a new lesson.  That should have been done in the weeks leading up to the party. It is a time to practice skills that have been introduced and your child is confident in.  It is a time where everyone should have a good time and with a little planning that is very obtainable.

      When going on a vacation, try to plan sensory friendly places.  You know your child’s sensory needs, plan around them.  If your family wants to go to an amusement park, show video from You Tube to your child to prepare your child, but have a plan for your child to have an alternate activity while the rest of the family enjoys the park if it is not working.  The sensory over load may just be too much.  Some children may be ok with it for short amount of time while others may not.  All will need to be prepared.  Having a plan of what rides and activities you are going to do before you go to the park is recommended.  A call ahead to get a handicap clearance to avoid the lines would also be recommended. Whatever you plan to do, frequent breaks and down time to allow for sensory needs should be scheduled into your day.  Be proactive to your child’s needs and your trip will be more enjoyable.  

        If a meltdown does occur, try to find out if there is a sensory issue going on.  I was at a water park yesterday with friend and her little boy with Asperger’s did wonderfully until we had to leave.  It took us a while, but we found out he did not like the feel of the wet swim shirt and wanted dry clothing before he left the park.  Once he had the dry clothing all was happy again.  Mom did wonderful, she carried him out of the park to the car to avoid attention seeking behavior and focus in on what was causing the issue.   Distractions were removed until he had to focus just on what was bothering him.  Choices where given to help him key in on what it was he wanted, and he was able to express what he didn’t like.  Once it was obvious what was bothering him, it was posed to him in the form of a question.  He answered yes.  He was then given the words to use and asked to use them.  He was given lots of praise for using his words correctly.  A resolution was found to the problem and he calmed down.  Most meltdowns will be fear or sensory issues.Help your child find the words to express themselves.

       All of these ideas can be applied to the school setting when you think of special days, assemblies and activities.  The teacher needs to plan ahead, prepare the students for who, what, where, when and why the changes will occur.  The teacher needs to think of where will be kids be when and how will this affect their sensory needs?  How can I address these needs ahead of time and what do I need to have with me? Being proactive can prevent dramatic melt downs and decrease anxiety allowing everyone to enjoy the exciting events planned for the whole school.

For more information on The 4^th of July and Holidays with Autism you may want to start here:

http://www.pathfindersforautism.org/articles/view/parent-tips-surviving-4th-of-july-fireworks

http://autismhomesupport.com/the-five-%E2%80%98f%E2%80%99-fourth-of-july-plan

http://www.pathfindersforautism.org/articles/view/putting-fun-into-family-holiday-gatherings

For More Information on vacations you may want to start here:

http://www.abpathfinder.com/autism-vacation/

http://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/documents/family-services/schlosser.pdf