How to Cope with Christmas with a Child with Special Needs - My Child's Not Broken

With Christmas festivities approaching, kids with disabilities may be in need of some extra

support. With the changes in routine, crowded shopping malls, bright Christmas lights, and

more, children with special needs may begin to struggle.

Here are some of our tips on how to provide the extra support that your special needs child

may need.

• Try and predict what difficulties your child might face.

  • Make a list of issues that might make your child uncomfortable or overwhelmed.

  • Try and come up with ways to avoid them.

  • If you can’t avoid some, try and prepare your child for them by letting them know what’s going to happen.

    
    

• Prioritise yourself and your child.

  • It is OK for you to not attend certain Christmas events, if you think that your child may feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable at them.

  • Don’t feel bad about having to make certain changes, and having to ask visitors to take them into consideration, in order to keep your child happy.

  • Take some time for yourself to relax and look after yourself.

  • Understand that it’s normal to feel a little bit frustrated when your child is struggling to understand the Christmas holidays and the effort you’re putting in to making sure they’re OK.

  
  

• Try to avoid shopping malls and other crowded spaces.

  • Shopping malls may be overwhelming for a child with special needs due to the Christmas music, crowds, and Christmas lights.

  • Try to do some shopping online.

  • Visit holiday displays at off-peak hours, to avoid the crowds.

  • If you do go to a shopping mall, try to avoid going on weekends, especially the weekends closest to Christmas.

  
  

• Create a safe room in the house.

  • If you are having visitors it may be worth it to have a designated room in the house for situations where your child may get overwhelmed.

  • Keep this room entirely free of anything Christmassy, whether that’s decorations, smells, or anything similar.

  
  

• Try and keep routines going.

  • Try to keep at least some of your child’s typical routine going to keep things familiar and comfortable for them.

  • For example, if they have a specific bedtime routine, try to keep to that bedtime routine as much as possible for them.

  • By keeping as much familiarity as possible, you could help prevent them from being overwhelmed.

  
  

• Involve them in decisions about the holidays.

  • Letting your child choose things like the decorations means that they have the opportunity to express what makes them comfortable.

  • Try to ask them what they think of different decorations, and different plans.

  • Let them choose what kind of things they might want to do, and what kind of things they don’t want to do.

  
  

• Scale down the festivities.

  • Try to keep the festivities as small as possible to avoid overwhelming your child.

  • Try and manage the amount of visitors that are coming in and out of your house, and prepare your child for them .

  • Limit the amount and length of journeys that you are taking your child on, where possible.

  
  

• Schedule some time away from the festivities.

  • Try to schedule in some time for your child to be in a space that is familiar, without any visitors.

  • Take time for both you and your child to relax, and not worry about the stress of the holidays.

  
  

• Let your child participate.

  • It’s important to let your child get involved in the aspects of Christmas that they feel comfortable with.

  • Letting them participate may make them feel more comfortable, involved, and in control of the situation.

  
  

• Remember that sometimes things don’t go to plan.

  • It’s important to remember that sometimes things will not go perfectly, and you should accept imperfections in your plans.

We hope that these tips and ideas help you make your holiday more manageable for both

you and your child. Merry Christmas!