An Autism-Friendly Holiday Season

The Christmas holidays are a time of great excitement and anticipation. Holidays also mean changes in routines, visitors, crowds, line-ups, noise, bright lights, and socializing. For many autistic children and adults, the Christmas holidays can be a stressful and anxious time as well as taxing on sensory sensitivities. Meeting family demands can be especially nerve-wracking, particularly if you want to break with time-honoured traditions that just don’t work for an autistic family member. This can be a difficult time of year, but with some preparation, planning, and scheduled down time, the holiday season can be enjoyable.

10 Tips for the Holiday Season

1. Maintain Routines – Try to stick with routines like bedtime, bathtime and meals. If that’s impossible, try to keep one routine in place so an individual has something they can count on being the same and predictable. If there is a change in routine, let the person know ahead of time on the schedule.
2. Pick the Right Time for Activities – With everyone on Christmas break, most attractions will be busier. Call ahead and ask when the less busy times are. Matinees are better than evening shows. If eating out, get there by 5 pm or after 7 pm. A Sunday may be quieter than a Saturday; mornings are usually better at most places.
3. Sensory Friendly Santa Visits – Autism Alliance of Canada is offering inclusive in-person Santa experiences designed for the autism community. A list of malls that are participating across Canada can be found here.
4. Manage Family Expectations –  Be clear with family members what will and won’t work and make a compromise. Get togethers may have to be shorter, ask for a quiet space at someone’s home, pick a visiting time to meet that aligns with your child’s routines.
5. Christmas Presents – Some autistic children find presents overwhelming. Tearing off wrapping paper can be a challenge with fine motor issues. Some children might feel anxious not knowing what’s inside. For those with fine motor issues, consider putting things in gift bags with loose tissue on top. Put a picture of what’s inside the box on the outside. Not everything has to opened in one day – stretch the gift opening over the course of a week. We did that for years at our home.
6. Coping with Sensory Overload – Sometimes it may be impossible to have a sensory friendly environment at a family gathering or outing. Consider bringing noise cancelling headphones, fidget toys for waiting times or to use for calming, and allocate quiet spaces ahead of time if you are able to.
7. Exercise and Outdoor Breaks – Exercise and movement can help an autistic person self-regulate, keep arousal levels calm, and manage stress and anxiety. Going for a walk to the corner store for an item, riding an exercise bike or doing a few yoga poses can help with anxiety management and support a better night’s sleep. Spending some time outdoors is also helpful.
8. Start Your Own Traditions – Create your own memories and do what works for your family. My daughter loves to bake so we make Christmas cookies with a friend one weekend. My son loves trains and live music so we have gone to see the Holiday Train. We built our Christmas traditions around our children’s interests and have tweaked those as the kids have gotten older.
9. Christmas Activities – Go for a drive and see the Christmas lights at night. Decorate the tree over the course of a week – hang a few decorations a day so that it isn’t a huge job in one go. Buy an themed Advent Calendar that supports an interest and count down the days until Christmas. Lego has a Harry Potter one; Playmobil has a horse rider’s café.
10. Allow for down time. Unscheduled time is a chance to recharge your batteries, engage in interests, and maintain a sense of calm. Most autistic individuals need some alone time.

Every family has its own rhythm and pace. Do what works best for your autistic family members – think about maintaining predictability through routines and familiar things, places, and people. Merry Christmas to everyone and all the best in the New Year!