There’s no doubt the upcoming weeks of the holiday season can be filled with glad tidings and joy. But if you have a child with Sensory Processing Disorder, the days off from school, numerous outings, and a lack of structure can also lead to a season of chaos, outbursts and frustration.
Our staff has put together the following action points to help your child regulate and your family engage in his or her development as the New Year approaches.
- Preparation is key! Remember to use antecedent strategies prior to transitions or non-preferred activities (holiday parties, meeting Santa, etc.). These may include:
- Telling your child what to expect. Ex: “We will go to Aunt Kelly’s house for one hour and see your three cousins.”
- Teaching/reminding your child how to request a break.
- Providing fidgets or having preferred items available.
- Delivering behavior-specific praise for appropriate behavior in these settings. Ex: “You did a great job staying in your seat during the song.”
- Provide choices whenever possible. Ex: “Do you want to walk or ride in the cart? Do you want to sit on Santa’s lap or stand next to him?”
- Give clear and concise instructions. Ex: “Time to ride in the cart” instead of “I want you to ride in the cart because it’s really busy and I don’t want you to get lost.”
- Remove question verbiage Ex: “Time to get in the cart” instead of “Are you ready to get in the cart?”
- Use first/then verbiage with non-preferred/preferred activities. Ex: “First we will put on our jackets and then we will go outside.”
- Engage in social routines to facilitate language development. Ex: “Where is the Elf on the shelf?”
- Model core vocabulary and fringe words on your child’s system throughout holiday activities such as decorating the Christmas tree.
- Play describing games with holiday characters. Ex: “Guess who has a red nose and flies?”
- Communicate holiday gifts or “wants” by all forms of communication. Ex: “I want ___” or “I like___.”
- Engage in conversations about holiday activities or read holiday stories.
- Sing holiday songs; repeated lines may be able to be programmed on AAC devices so that everyone can join in and sing along.
- Plan daily schedules or routines, and adapt them visually as needed. Try using the “Notes” app on your phone to make a list that can be checked off as things as completed. Use Google Images to find pictures of experiences or places for younger children to follow. Or carry a pad of paper and make stick figures if you need to!
- Plan holiday outfits in advance or consider letting your child help pick out her outfit. The cutest holiday sweater will be a bust if she over responds to how it feels!
- Honor all forms of communication, including words, communicative gestures, manual signs, and AAC devices.
- Bring preferred food options to assure a favorite accepted food remains available across situations. Does it really matter if your child eats turkey or chicken nuggets?
Finally, keep an eye out for sensory friendly holiday experiences. Here’s a great resource from our friends at University of Illinois College of Medicine!
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