Tips for Reducing Holiday Stress

The joy of the holiday season can oftentimes be tainted by stress and anxiety. Families touched by autism and the challenges that come with it have an extra layer of potential stress. If you are raising a child with autism, here are just a few things you might consider doing to help make your holiday season as low-stress as possible.

Plan and Prepare

It never hurts to be prepared, and children with autism especially benefit from being frontloaded with information about new environments or experiences. Discuss or use social stories to help your child feel more at ease and ready for something new. Make a plan together about what they can do if they begin to feel overwhelmed. You may even choose to prepare a safe space for your child—whether at home or away—that they can retreat to when gatherings get too loud or overstimulating.

Keep Family Members Informed

It is just as important to prepare your family as it is to prepare your child. Some members of your extended family may not have any experience interacting with an individual with autism and may appreciate a few tips on how best to do so. Tell them a little about your child’s preferences (Do they like hugs? How do they choose to communicate? etc.). You might also want to give them an idea of how they might respond if your child were to become agitated.

Take it Slow

Ease into the holiday season. For example, instead of setting up all the Christmas decorations in one fell swoop, avoid sensory overload by putting up a few decorations each day for a week. Be especially careful with overstimulating decor like blinking lights. Give your child plenty of time to adjust these new additions to their surroundings.

Watch Out for Sugar

One of the best/worst parts of the holidays for many is the abundance of sweets and treats! There are so many delicious things to indulge in, but it can be easy to go overboard. For children with autism, too much sugar may lead to an increase in negative behaviors, so it’s a good idea to try to limit sugar intake and keep your child feeling their best.

We hope these tips help stop some seasonal stress in its tracks. And all of us here at Positive Reinforcement wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season! 

Now providing Toddler Autism Care in Richmond Virginia.