How to Make a Special Day Special-Needs Friendly!
Holidays tend to be a challenging time for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Valentine’s Day is no exception. Thinking back as a child, Valentine’s Day was a wondrous day filled with pink, purple, and red decorative cards passed around to each friend in the classroom, bite-sized pieces of candy, and that special feeling when someone asked to be their valentine. While this day holds a special place in most people’s childhood memories, it cannot be said for many children on the spectrum.
So the question lies…how can we make Valentine’s Day an inclusive event for all?
Imagine this, your child wakes up, gets ready for the day, arrives at school, then when he walks into the classroom…BOOM! Banners. Frills. Hearts. Glitter. Talk about sensory overload! Your child is standing there stunned from all the environmental stimulation. This is NOT his classroom. This is NOT normal routine.
Tip #1: Plan with the school in advance.
Check-in with your child’s school to see what decorations they may use and what activities are planned for the students. If your child has auditory sensitivities, perhaps invest in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. If your child tends to grab objects that have different textures or visual appearances like glitter, gloss, shine, or fuzz, caution staff to have extras with the preferred texture on-hand to redirect your child from pulling decorations off the walls. Collaborate with your child’s teacher on any activities that may be challenging and provide suggestions for alternative activities that are part of your child’s normal routine that can help your child deescalate. In addition, discuss any objects or activities that should be added into your child’s communication device that is relevant to the day. Request visual schedules to help your child anticipate what activities are next and support smooth transitions.
Tip #2: Desensitize
Bring some Valentine’s Day related decorations into your home to have your child become familiar with seeing these objects. Incorporate your child’s specific interests with Valentine’s Day related activities such as beading a bracelet with hearts, coloring Elsa from Frozen on a Valentine’s Day card, or baking rose-shaped cookies together. The more your child pairs the colors and shapes associated with Valentine’s Day to their personal interests, the better!
Tip #3: Role-play and practice at home.
Social stories are always a good place to start to introduce new concepts to your child’s world. Social stories are short descriptions of particular situations or activities. They are used to help teach your child the expectation of what is to come, as well as the expectation of how he should behave when placed in these situations. The pictures allow your child to really understand his role by observing the models in the social stories. Social stories can be presented as a book or videos. After reviewing some social stories, practice handing out cards and candy to family, friends, and neighbors through role-play. Giving up highly reinforcing items like candy is often difficult and can lead to challenging behaviors. One suggestion is to start with a candy exchange. Reinforce your child handing over hand, by then providing them with a different piece that they can eat. Practice with various people and hopefully your child will have a more enjoyable Valentine’s Day that they will remember for the next year!
Here are some Valentine’s Day videos and resources to share with your special one:
·????????A Little Spot of Love on Valentine’s Day by Diane Alber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNbOWfunrKs
·????????Valentine’s Day Social Skills Story for Preschool by ABA in School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9FhTaZwkSQ
·????????Positively Autism Valentine’s Day Social Story
·????????Pete the Cat’s Groovy Side to Love Read Out-Loud
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·????????Pete the Cat Valentine’s Day is Cool Read Out-Loud
·????????Spread Love with Llama Read-Outloud
·????????Curious George Valentine’s Day
·????????Valentine’s Day History for Kids!
·????????5 Little Hearts- The Kiboomers Preschool Songs and Nursery Rhymes for Valentine’s Day
·????????I’m a Little Valentine- The Kiboomers Preschool Songs and Nursery Rhymes
Written by Chelsey Kim, BCBA, LABA
ABA Helps, LLC