A Blissful Break instead of Holiday Havoc: Tips for a Happy Holiday from School for Autistic Children
31st May 2019
With the summer holidays fast approaching, children, parents and schools alike are gearing up for the 6-week school break. Thinking back to this time of year when I was younger, I remember excitement and anticipation around all the fun things I could do without the strict and monotonous routine of school. For many children, the school holidays are a freeing and joy-filled time, with weeks of lie ins, seeing friends and visiting new places. Whilst some parents might be worried about how they are going to entertain their little ones over the holidays, many are relieved about avoiding the school run or not having to encourage reluctant kids to get out of bed in the morning. However, for autistic children and their parents, the inevitable approach of the school holidays can be extremely anxiety provoking.
Many children with autism benefit greatly from routine and structure in their day. Knowing what is going to happen next, who they are going to see and what time they will be performing activities can help them make sense of their world and reduce anxiety around what they might experience in their day. The rigid structure of school provides just that to many autistic children; they have set lesson times, lunch times and play times that rarely differ day to day, and they know what to expect from their classes and teachers. They can also see how their entire week will be structured, with 5 days of school and 2 days of weekend. Therefore, a sudden and dramatic finishing of this structure can be overwhelming and confusing; a 6-week expanse of uncertainty is a lot to handle.
Fear not: there are many things that can be done to help some autistic children (and their parents or carers) to cope with the transition between school and the school holidays. Of course, as always, every autistic child is different. Therefore, what might work brilliantly for one child may be disastrous for another. Consequently, it is very important to understand each autistic child’s unique needs, and implement strategies tailored to them personally. However, some of these tips could be a great place to start:
Keep a visual holiday calendar or timetable
Sitting down with an autistic child and planning for the week ahead together can help ensure that the child knows what is coming up for them and enables them to prepare for this, often reducing anticipatory anxiety. On top of planning, turning this into a visual timetable for each week can be a really useful tool for the child to use on their own to remind them of their schedule that day or week.
For example; if you know that every Tuesday of the break Grandma will be providing childcare while you are at work, this could be scheduled in every week, with a picture of Grandma, what time she will be picking them up and dropping them off, and what activities they will be doing together that week.
Use the internet to show them places you will be visiting
If you are planning a holiday abroad, or a trip to a theme park or zoo, it can be really helpful to go on the internet and show your child where they will be going in advance. Most websites will offer pictures of the places they will be staying or activities that are available, and this can help make it seem much more familiar when they arrive and reduce their anxiety.
Use alarms
If you child struggles with understanding time cues, it can be really useful to use an alarm or timer to help them know when it is time to finish an activity or leave the house. This way they know that when the timer goes off, it is time to finish what they are doing and move on to the next thing they have planned. This can help reduce your stress, stick to your schedule and get them to Grandmas on time.
Use social stories
Social stories are “ways to help people with autism develop greater social understanding.” They are short descriptions of a particular event, which include specific information about what might happen and an appropriate social response. You could make one yourself about a particular event or situation that is coming up, or find one online, and they should aim to offer positive and clear reassurance about a situation in a way accessible to the age of your child.
Maintain one routine event every day
There will inevitably be a huge number of differences between your child’s holiday routine and school routine. Therefore, it can be really helpful to keep at least one thing routine every day, if that is at all possible. For example; if your child usually eats dinner at 5:30 pm, try and keep this routine throughout the holidays if you can to allow your child to have at least one concrete plan or routine in their day.
Be aware of sensory needs
The beach, swimming pools and sun cream can be great fun for everyone in the summer months. However, for some children with autism this can provide special sensory challenges that you could try to keep in mind when going out and about in the holidays. For example, for some children with autism beach sand can be extremely unsettling, especially if they are not used to having bare feet. A good tip here could be to try water shoes instead, which protect the child’s feet from direct contact with the sand. Similarly, the sensation of thick sun cream can be a lot to handle for some, thus a water-based spray sun cream could work a lot better.
Again, every child is different, so this is one that will be very specific to each individual.
Just do your best, and don’t be too hard on yourself
We have given a lot of tips and tricks in this blog which could be useful in helping you and your autistic child thrive throughout the school holidays. However, inevitably things will come up suddenly which can throw all your plans, organisation and best intentions out of whack. Occasionally things are inevitable, and life will sometimes just happen. Remember it isn’t an exact art; all you can do is try your best and make adjustments where you can.
Don’t be too hard on yourself; you’re doing great.
References
https://www.autism.org.uk/about/strategies/social-stories-comic-strips.aspx
https://nj1015.com/children-with-autism-spectrum-should-keep-a-summer-routine/
https://www.verywellhealth.com/summer-fun-for-you-and-your-child-with-autism-260216
http://www.autismnetworkscotland.org.uk/summer-holiday-hints-and-tips-for-parents/
https://www.autism.org.uk/about/strategies/social-stories-comic-strips.aspx