Halloween doesn’t have to be frightening: Autism, GFCF ....

My kids having a blast at Brick SEPTA & Challenger co-hosted 2007 Fall Festival

Halloween doesn’t have to be a frightening: Autism, Gluten & Casein Free treats, Sensory Issues & other demons in the dark

Part 1: Planning & Preparation

Tip: Start Early
Halloween comes October 31st but I like to start planning for it in early September. The store shelves have already started to become full with decorations, candy and costumes. But, when you’ve got your hands full as I do with a special needs child (Autism), the gluten/casein free diet, as well food allergies and a neurotypical sibling it is not as easy as zipping off to the nearest Target and picking everything up in one trip. Absolutely do not put it off until the last minute unless you want to bring on lots of unnecessary stress.

The Costume Timeline: 1-2 months before Halloween. I actually suggest starting in early September after Back to School time.

When planning a costume for Halloween for a child with Autism you need to make some extra considerations in addition to usual ‘costume concerns’ for kids.

1. Easy to Take it on and off - especially for toileting reasons, getting in and out of the car, before and after any school costume parade, etc.
2. Able to move - mobility shouldn’t be restricted.
3. Vision/Hearing should not be limited by the costume
4. Comfortable so as not to cause sensory problems. – To give you an idea, my son hates tags, doesn’t like anything tight, doesn’t like anything heavy, and up until last year would not even consider a mask or hood. Some schools have rules about masks as well for safety.
5. Weather appropriate - Make sure the costume is not going to be too hot or too cold. For cold weather – can you layer underneath it.
6. Visibility – a costume that will stand out and be seen – especially if Trick or Treating after dark – reflective colors are a must.
   

Last but not certainly not least, if your child is fighting you on the costume....Don’t push it. The whole point is that it is supposed to be fun so don’t stress over the costume if you don’t have to.

Last year we did a lot of Halloween celebrating in Disney at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. They had Trick or Treating right in the Magic Kingdom. My daughter dressed up as Minnie Mouse and my son did not dress-up. I knew he would be most comfortable in regular street clothes.

This year my kids will be:

I miss the days when my kids both were too young to voice opinions on their costume but those days are long gone. I let both of my kids pick out their own costume (with some guidance). This year, my 3 year old neurotypical daughter made her choice immediately when she saw the costumes start to hit the racks over the summer at the Disney Store. She is going to be Ariel the Little Mermaid and I know for a fact that she will want every gazillion add-on accessory. My saving grace for her is that she absolutely will use it for dress-up play for many months to come so I'll get my money's worth.

Still, if you don’t have to buy your child's costume – even better. If you can get away with making a costume from your own wardrobe that is the best! In preschool my son went as Bob The Builder one year and wore a pair of overalls and a plastic construction hard hat. This made a very easy costume for a school party since I was able to send him to school in the overalls and simply pack the hardhat in his bookbag.

Ask around to other moms you know if they have extra costumes that are boxed up, most are glad to pass them on and clear out closets. Freecyle, Craigslist and Consignment shops are also a great place to go for cheap or free costumes. Or if you really want to plan ahead, shop for next years costumes immediately after Halloween when the stores want to get rid of left-over merchandise. One year I shopped at Target the week after Halloween and picked up costumes that were 75-90% off, my daughter has the best dress-up gowns now!

My 7 year old son on the Autism spectrum presents more of a challenge to find a costume. When I ask him what he wants to dress up as for Halloween he doesn’t respond appropriately to the question that I’ve asked him and will give me a Yes or No response or start talking about Trick or Treating. He was Spider-man for a couple years in a row which made things easier. In the past I have gone to the store and taken him with me and showed him different costumes until he picked the right one. I didn’t want anything “scary” or possibly dangerous (with weapons), or anything that is in the slightest bit violent which pretty much ruled out most of the costumes for boys that Target carried last year. Costume selection took forever and this year I vowed to do it differently. To avoid this stress, this year I looked up costumes online with him at Amazon.com's Kids Costume Shop and he picked out that he wants to be Wall-E. The Wall-E costumes are really pricey ($50!) so I’ve decided that I am going to try to find the time to make him one using a “good old fashioned” cardboard box and some goggles. The current plan is that we’ll make the costume together with him doing most of the drawing for it. If making it doesn't work out, then I'll cave and buy it.

Make a Day of it – What is Your Family Tradition? Timeline: Month ahead (2-4 weeks beforehand)
Are you a person who goes all out with Halloween decorations? I’m not – but I absolutely love autumn and all that comes with it. Our tradition is going to local farm markets that have hayrides and pick your own pumpkin. Its often chilly and the ground can get muddy but we love to bundle them up and head out for day and let the kids pick out a couple of pumpkins. We do this in early to mid October and the whole family enjoys it.

Other fun Halloween Activities for your child:

Carve a pumpkin on line


Halloween coloring pages & coloring websites
http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/halloween/color.html
http://www.ivyjoy.com/coloring/halloween.html
http://www.thecolorsite.com/Holidays/Halloween/Halloween.html
http://www.alphabet-soup.net/hall/onlinecolor.html

Halloween is here…Trick or Treating & Alternatives: Timeline: Halloween!
I grew up without trick or treating door to door – we always attended local Halloween parties put on by one or another organization and those included Trick or Treating. Some communities have special Halloween events, parties, mall trick or treating, parking lot “trunk” events, and other safe venues which may be more suitable than going door to door depending on your neighborhood. I like the mall trick or treating event because then weather is a non-issue and it is safer than taking the kids out in the dark with traffic. We also attend events that are sponsored in our community specifically for special needs children. Last year Brick SEPTA and Brick Challenger put on a Fall Festival for the kids with inflatables, a hayride, pumpkin picking & painting and more!

Our tradition the past couple of years has been to get together with neighbors and go Trick or Treating early. We go before it gets dark and just to homes that we know. My son likes to go Trick or Treating and has learned to say “Trick or Treat” and hold out his bag and then say “Thank you” afterwards. Even though he basically can’t eat any of the candy due to being on the gluten/casein free diet and other food restrictions– he still collects it and has fun going from door to door. Once he shows any signs of being tired, non-compliant, or anxious we turn around and head directly home. Usually we are out for about an hour to 90 minutes or so, which is definitely long enough, and then home for dinner and bed as usual. Helping to pass out the candy at home is also a fun way to include your child with the festivities (they can even wear their costume too!). If your neighborhood has kids who do late Trick or Treating, I highly suggest that you turn off your front lights and don't answer the door after say, 8pm (or whatever bed time you follow). Keep your routine as close to your usual routine as possible so as not to rock the boat.

Have a safe, fun, and enjoyable Halloween!

Part 2: Coming Soon… Dealing with Special Diets- Gluten & Casein Free & Food Allergies

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This blogpost in response to Autism Family Adventures Blog seeking info about Autism & Halloween!