It seems I have neglected to update since just before Thanksgiving, so I am here to remedy this. I hope we all have had or are having a nice holiday. While holidays are a wonderful time for festive events, seeing family, and having delicious food it can also be a time for stress. While it is true that many people endure stress this time of year those with autism can experience a unique kind of stress that can making holidays especially difficult.
The loud noises common at the holidays, excessively large crowds, and changes in general routine from winter clothing to food special to the holidays can be a trying experience. People with autism often have challenges navigating these changes and part of ABA therapy can be to ease these transitions and make them more comfortable to make life at the holidays easier and more enjoyable.
Some manners of working on these challenges include social stories to explain the changes and reinforce that its okay, practice, and tolerance programs to help them be able to tolerate things such as wearing a winter coat. These programs help the child and their family have a smoother holiday season which relieves anxiety and stress of all involved.
We must remember that while certain rituals or habits might seem silly they are a way to cope or perhaps something extremely difficult for that child to handle and that they need support and understanding to work through it. Even little things such as letting them feel the material, or practice wearing items for short periods can help and ABA therapy helps facilitate and guide these skills. After the holiday season I'll be talking about ABA therapy's role in helping with safety.
Happy Holidays Everyone
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