The festive season - a stressful time? Practical tips for parents to help prepare your autistic child.

SEND Advisor for Cavendish Education Group, Vanessa Danz, shares practical tips to help support autistic children during the festive period.

The festive season is upon us, however this joy and excitement can also create challenges for neurodivergent children and young people. Lights, noise, the hustle and bustle along with changes to the usual routine, can lead to sensory overwhelm and/or stress and anxiety for autistic children and their families.

Festive activities

While it is tempting to try and attend every party and festive event, providing rest days and keeping to regular routines where possible will support your child to keep regulated and recharge. 

Plan ahead! Social stories (link to blog) and visual timetables (link) are useful tools to make the unfamiliar and less predictable a little less anxiety inducing in the run up to the event and can support the familiarisation on the actual day. There are a number of free social stories that can be found online to help a child/young person prepare in advance and manage expectations.

Consider arriving early, this provides an opportunity for your child to acquaint themselves with their surroundings before things get too busy and could also provide an opportunity for you to identify a ‘quiet area’ which may be helpful if they get overwhelmed later on. 

Remember to bring your child's preferred snack in case they aren’t keen on the choices of party food, along with any items which help regulate your child. These can be invaluable in reducing sensory overload and easing anxiety.

A top tip if you want to enjoy productions over the festive period, is to research ‘relaxed’ theatre performances, pantomimes and cinema viewings. These ‘relaxed’ shows aim to create supportive and accessible environments which may improve comfort levels and promote more enjoyment. You can even find ‘relaxed’ visits to Santa’s grotto for those celebrating Christmas. 

Gifts

If you plan to shop with your autistic child, consider going during the ‘quiet hour’ (link) a dedicated time where the lights are dimmed, the checkout noise is reduced, screens, music and tannoy announcements are all turned off to provide a calmer and more positive shopping experience.

Even though giving and receiving gifts is an enjoyable experience for most people, it can be overstimulating and even stressful for those with autism.

Not everyone enjoys the surprise and anticipation of not knowing what the gifts are, some children can struggle to wait, and some find the unwrapping of a gift causes sensory sensitivities. It may be worthwhile to consider the nuances around the expectations of giving and receiving gifts too. 

To help reduce these anxieties and support a calmer experience, you could consider having a conversation with your child first to establish what they think will make them feel the most comfortable. It may be that they would prefer to have more time to open their gifts- this could be over the space of a few hours or even longer if needed. They may want to open gifts alone or in quiet space to make it more manageable. Reducing the number of gifts or not wrapping them at all can also be helpful.

Festive foods

Party snacks and traditional foods are the cornerstone of most festive celebrations, however if this causes your child stress it may be worth having a plate of their favourite food available. This will ensure that everyone gets a meal that they enjoy and the likelihood of a calm and enjoyable meal is more likely!

Festive Decorations

Lights, decorations, a tree - these changes to the home can be overwhelming for a neurodivergent child. Consider a gradual introduction or keeping the decorations to a specific room or two.

If you are putting up a Christmas tree, you could introduce the idea ahead of time, by sharing pictures/videos of a tree from a previous year; this will support your child to prepare for the changes and ease anxiety.

Lights and decorations for those with sensory differences may cause challenges, it is important to let your child communicate this and for them to have some control and ownership of their sensory experience. 

The festive season can be a great time for families and friends to come together and celebrate. However, for a child or young person with autism the changes in routine, alongside the additional social and sensory demands can really impact their ability to stay regulated and enjoy the celebrations. Forward thinking, planning and shared understanding of individual differences and your child’s preferences will help support a calmer and more enjoyable festive experience for everyone.