Surviving the Christmas Pageant: Prime 10 methods for with youngsters with autism, sensory processing dysfunction or language difficulties
The Christmas Pageant is filled with enjoyable, pleasure and… sensory overload for even the commonest of youngsters. For youngsters with autism, sensory processing dysfunction or language difficulties it may be a nightmare. The good information is that with just a little cautious planning, you make the occasion a optimistic expertise for all.
Preparation
- Sensory Eating regimen: Guarantee youngsters are nicely fed, toileted, dressed appropriately and have had LOTS of their sensory weight-reduction plan enter earlier than leaving residence.
- Watch final 12 months’s pageant on the iPad so your baby is aware of what to anticipate in the event that they haven’t been earlier than, and even simply as a reminder.
- Select your location nicely (e.g. ideally place your self close to to a patch of grass the place the kid can play and run round if wanted, and near public bathrooms).
- Take a photograph of your baby within the garments they’re carrying as you permit for the pageant and write your cell phone quantity on their arm in everlasting marker.
Within the second
- Use ‘ready’ actions (e.g. blowing bubbles, chalk drawing, iPad, exercise books (eg sticker books, mazes, dot-to-dots) to kill time whereas ready for the motion to start.
- Use a visible timer (bodily timer or an iPad/iPhone App) to point how lengthy till the pageant begins and/or how lengthy till it’s over. Possibly even use a social story to stipulate what to anticipate anticipated in additional element.
- Take sensory aids akin to noise discount headphones or iPod with favorite or acquainted music as ‘white noise’ to masks the noise round them, deep strain clothes (e.g. Jet skins or weighted vests), oral chew toys, fidget toys or ‘sensory snack’ meals. Ideally enable the kid to hold these on their very own physique in a bum bag or private bag.
- Present common small snacks and drinks (ideally small chewy meals or exhausting sucking meals) for regulation assist all through the day, not simply as ‘meals’ when hungry. Be sure to take a BIG drink bottle for hydration and regulation.
- Educate the motion plan to the kid in the event that they get misplaced (e.g. stand nonetheless and yell for mum, don’t transfer, rely to twenty then search for a ‘secure’ particular person (police, first aider, site visitors marshal) and present them your mother and father cellular quantity).
After the occasion
- Don’t attempt to beat the crowds when leaving– keep put after the occasion has completed and the group will disappear round you in a short time giving youngsters extra space and fewer sensory overload.
- Don’t plan any additional occasions that day. As a substitute give the kid time to ‘relax’ and make sure you give them numerous further sensory weight-reduction plan enter to assist counteract the overload skilled in the course of the pageant.
Plan nicely and make the day a optimistic reminiscence for all.