Have a safe and wonder holiday! Remember, many children and adults with special needs may have sensory issues that inhibit their ability to take part in the festivities. With that in mind, please be sensitive when it comes to triggers such as:
1. Fireworks
2. Heat
3. Crowds
4. New, unfamiliar settings
5. Changes in routine
6. Food preferences
Please check out this video! It shows us the sensory experience from the perspective of a child with autism. While I understood that my son was having sensory issues, especially in public places (even his favorite hang out spots), I never knew what it felt like to him because his expressive language abilities are not well developed. Now I have a better understanding of what life may be like from his point of view.
https://youtu.be/Lr4_dOorquQ
Mila Li is a little girl on the spectrum navigating her emotions as she reacts to situations that she encounters throughout her day.
Check it out at https:// www.mystorybook.com/books/92311
I am definitely interested in trying most if not all of these techniques. Co-sleeping is not really working for me anymore and I'm constantly tired and cranky in the morning after being elbowed, kicked and pushed to the edge of the bed throughout the night. One of my next projects will be making a weighted blanket using instructions I got from Pinterest just to see if it's really going to work. Keeping my fingers ( and toes) crossed!!!
Sensory overload can be triggered by any external or internal factors that can cause a child to become overwhelmed. Whether it's crowds of people, loud noises, bright lights or all of the above, it is important for parents to recognize their child's triggers and explore ways in which to decrease or eliminate subsequent behavior. Planning, not punishment, is the idea way of approaching the issue. For example, my youngest son would completely go into a full-fledged meltdown whenever we would go into a Walmart, screaming, crying and even throwing things off the shelves. I was at a loss as to what was prompting the behavior until someone asked me if I thought it was sensory overload. The thought had never crossed my mind but I decided to eliminate Walmart from our outings and opted for the more scaled down Walmart market. Believe it or not it worked. Not only do we manage to get our grocery shopping done, but I am still able to expose him to real-life social experiences that I feel are important for getting him prepared for independent living. It may take some trial and error, but understanding and addressing sensory overload is about finding ways to make our children's lives easier in the long run.
