Trick or Treat and Autism

This month, several articles have appeared online suggesting ways for parents to help their children with autism celebrate Halloween this week. Since Halloween and its accompanying costumes, candy, and creepiness can be overwhelming to any child--let alone those with sensory and and/or anxiety issues associated with autism--these tips can provide useful guidelines. As I read various suggestions, I found myself nodding my head in agreement at times, but at other times, I was scratching my head in disbelief at some of the stupid comments in these lists. Taking the best of these ideas along with our positive experiences of trick or treating with Alex, I offer my own version of Halloween Helpful Hints.

1. Costume Comfort: Many articles include this suggestion, which is a good one. Sensory issues may make wearing certain costumes, makeup, or masks difficult for children with autism. Here in Northwest Indiana, all kids have to consider the cold factor, which means being able to wear a coat or several layers of warm clothing under a costume to keep from freezing while trick or treating. For that reason, I usually incorporated sweatshirts and sweatpants into Alex’s Halloween costumes when he was younger.  Since I made his costumes for him, I involved him in their construction, discussing ideas with him, picking out the fabric together, and trying on the costume as I sewed it. Also, we knew he would never wear a mask, so that was never a part of his disguise.  Consequently, he was pleased with his costumes and eager to wear them. One article from a national autism organization pointed out the obvious: “If your child does not like their costume, don’t make them wear it.” Aside from the pronoun agreement error [their should be his/her—which bothers me as an English teacher!], this tip should be true for ALL children, not just those with autism.

2.  Practice: Several articles offered ideas of how to prepare children for trick or treating by doing trial runs at the houses of friends or relatives prior to Halloween. The process of ringing the doorbell along with saying “Trick or Treat” and “Thank you” seems like a simple one, but for kids with autism, this can be difficult. Some articles suggested social stories that include the steps for trick or treating to prepare children for this event. With Alex, we used to go over a list of rules before Halloween. We knew he was paying attention, because I could hear him softly chant: “Don’t go into people’s houses, don’t ask their weights or ages, say ‘Thank you’” as we walked along our trick or treat route.

3.  Vigilance: Since almost half of the children with autism have a tendency to wander away from places of safety, parents need to keep their children close at hand when trick or treating. With the additional activity and darkness, children could easily wander away and get hit by cars. Several articles mentioned the importance of carrying flashlights to help guide the way, keep an eye on the child, and reassure the child in the darkness. In addition to keeping the child safe, parents also need to make sure the child is calm. With all the activity, children with autism may become overwhelmed and melt down. As one article stated the seemingly obvious: “Know your child’s limits and do only what he or she can handle.” While this should be a guideline for autism parents (or any parents, for that matter) every day, this tip proves especially true for holidays. When Alex was younger, I kept him right by my side during trick or treating, which once led to my getting yelled at by a grouchy old man who informed me that I was too old to be trick or treating. (My lack of costume and trick or treat bag should have been a clue that I was a parent.) Also, I continually monitored Alex’s mood, asking him if he wanted to go to more houses or go home. Because he had the choice, he remained calm. When he was tired and indicated he was done, I immediately took him home. Common sense prevails.

4. Communication: Although autism is more prevalent, many people do not recognize children with autism nor understand their behaviors and may mistake their inability to communicate as rudeness. Although Alex could say “Trick or Treat” and “Thank you” (often with reminders), he wasn’t prepared for unscripted questions friendly people may ask him. Sometimes, I would cue him with an answer, and other times I would explain that he has autism, which makes speaking difficult for him. One article recommended placing an autism awareness sticker on the child’s trick or treat container and printing cards to hand to people with facts about autism. This struck me as a bit overboard, but I liked the idea of printing cards for nonverbal children that explained that they could not speak, so this card was a way of saying “Trick or treat” and “Happy Halloween.”

5. Alternatives: While trick or treating may be overwhelming for children with autism, some organizations provide Halloween parties for children with special needs that allow them to enjoy the holiday in a more structured setting. Another tip offered in articles is to have the child pass out candy instead of going trick or treating. After Alex was too old to go trick or treating, which he always enjoyed, we have had him engaged in passing out the candy. Most of the time, he prefers to watch us actually give kids the candy, but he likes seeing the little kids dressed up in costumes and listening to “the little voices” they have. With his mathematical mind, he keeps track of how many kids come to our door, which comes in quite handy. Yesterday, as I was buying Halloween candy, I turned to him to find out how much I needed to buy. Since he remembered how many trick or treaters we had last year, he was able to calculate how many bags of candy we should get.

Although most children eagerly anticipate Halloween as a favorite time of the year, for children with autism, this holiday can be overwhelming. By preparing them ahead of time, anticipating their needs, and being willing to change plans, parents can help their children with autism enjoy the occasion on their own terms. For more helpful suggestions regarding children with autism and Halloween, I recommend “Your Tips for a Safe, Comfortable, and Enjoyable Halloween” on the Autism Society’s website. [To access this link, click here.] This article is a compilation of ideas from parents of children with autism and offers truly useful suggestions. As for Alex, although I no longer need to make him a costume, he still insists that we decorate our pumpkin that we picked from the pumpkin patch last weekend. Truthfully, I’ll be glad when he tires of that tradition, since I’m the one who has the task of scooping out pumpkin innards. Happy Halloween to all!

“Yes, the Lord pours down His blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.” Psalm 85:12

Halloween

Last weekend, we took Alex to a local orchard to pick out his Halloween pumpkin, which is an annual ritual he anticipates every October. For many years, we took him to Keel’s Country Corner, a nearby pumpkin farm that closed a few years ago. Although the idea of choosing a pumpkin doesn’t seem to excite Alex as much as it did when he was younger, he still enjoys the ride to the outskirts of town and the chance to select from a variety of pumpkins the one that will be his. While his lack of dexterity prevents him from carving a pumpkin, he does like decorating one. Several years ago, we found a kit that contains colored translucent pegs, similar to those found in a Lite Brite set, that are placed in the pumpkin to form a face, along with a small flashlight to illuminate them from the inside. Much safer than knives and candles, this is a terrific option for him. Although I have to scoop the inside of the pumpkin and poke the holes, Alex can put in the pegs to decorate the pumpkin himself.

Like most kids, Alex looks forward to Halloween, and when he was younger, he liked dressing up in costumes and going trick or treating. Of course, his difficulties in saying his r’s made his request sound like, “Twick or Tweat,” and we had to explain to him that people's opening their doors to him did not mean that he was invited to come into their homes. He would keep reminding himself, “Don’t go in people’s houses!” as we walked along. Because of his restricted gluten-free and dairy-free diet, he wasn’t able to eat most of the goodies he acquired in his treat container, but the fun for him focused upon dressing up and ringing people’s doorbells. Beginning in early October, Alex and I would discuss what he wanted to be for Halloween, and then I would start working on the costume he’d requested. Where we live in Northwest Indiana, we must always include warm clothing as part of the outfit since it could easily snow at the end of October. I learned quickly how to incorporate sweatshirts and sweatpants in various colors as part of his costumes, or I made costumes that were roomy enough to accommodate sweats underneath them. In addition, we tried to come up with hats or headpieces as part of the costume that would also keep his head warm and dry in damp and cold weather. Because of his sensory issues, Alex would never wear a mask of any kind; therefore, we had to make the costumes definite enough that he didn’t need anything on his face to tell who he was supposed to be. For his first Halloween when he was just a few months old, my mom found a baby devil costume with a red tail, horns headpiece, and bow tie. He wore those accessories with red fleece footed pajamas for comfort and warmth. The next year, I made him a costume out of a white sweatshirt and sweatpants, some white, purple, and gold material, and a blue feather to transform him into Aladdin as the prince, from the video he’d watched over and over. I was particularly pleased with how the turban turned out and even happier that he was willing to wear it. The next year, I made him a Bugs Bunny costume out of gray sweats but had trouble getting the ears to stand upright. Alex liked the costume, though, but he didn’t like wearing the white knit gloves that were designed to look like Bugs but also to keep his hands warm. The next year, he dressed like Raggedy Andy, complete with the plaid shirt, navy pants with buttons, red and white striped socks, and the red yarn hair I attached to a sailor cap. After seeing a clown at the county fair the following year, he wanted me to make him a clown suit; out of brightly colored fabric I fashioned a loose tunic and baggy pants that allowed sweats underneath them. He wasn’t too thrilled about the crazy blue curly wig to go with it, so we left that at home. The next year, I didn’t have to make him a costume because he found an old one my mom had made of a pumpkin, which he thought was great. With a green sweatshirt and sweatpants underneath the orange pumpkin, he was ready to go. For his preschool year when he was into reading Dr. Seuss, I found a red and white striped felt hat that made him a perfect Cat in the Hat. With black sweats and a big red bow I made, he created much less mischief than the Cat ever did. The next Halloween, I found a fabric Reese’s peanut butter cup candy wrapper that made a tunic with a few simple seams to be worn over sweats. Of course, we gave out Reese’s cups that year in keeping with the theme.

As Alex got older, he requested costumes that required less sewing on my part. One year, he wanted to go as his favorite NASCAR driver, Mark Martin, and we found him a long-sleeved racing t-shirt and a Ford Racing hat to top off—of course—sweatpants. Another year, he wanted to go as Chicago Bears football player Brian Urlacher, which only required finding him a number 54 jersey to go with navy sweats. The next year, he decided that he’d like to be a doctor, so I thought that making surgical scrubs would be easy, but I was wrong. After struggling with the neck of the shirt, I wished I’d simply bought him scrubs instead. With his stethoscope around his neck, Alex looked really good, which made the effort worthwhile. His final trick-or-treating costume was literary character Harry Potter. After putting him in a dress shirt and pants, necktie, and my college graduation black gown, he was willing to wear Harry’s style of glasses to look the part perfectly. Out of all of Alex’s Halloween costumes, his favorite was no surprise to us; he liked the calculator costume I made out of felt when he was nine because he loves math. In many ways, he is a calculator with his mathematical skills, so this costume probably represented him best. What pleases me most, however, is that whenever Alex thinks back on the Halloween nights of his childhood, he tells in an animated way about the costumes he wore, which brings a smile to his face and to ours.

“The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no one will recognize me, but you will wear your royal robes.’ So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.” I Kings 22:30