Check out our Halloween tips:

With only a week to go till the spookiest night of the year, we have compiled a few helpful tips for families with autistic children to help reduce any anxiety created by trick or treating. 

1. Create a visual map of the route and help prepare your child for the houses they will visit and who might answer the door. Use apps like Google Street View to help prepare them.
2. Pick a costume that your child is comfortable with or is part of their passions - don’t feel you always have to fit in with the ‘scary’ theme.
3. Take the opportunity to talk to your child about what in the world they find scary - are there things you hadn’t realised they find difficult about the day-to-day sensory world?
4. If your child struggles with unexpected events, pre-arrange to visit a limited number of houses to collect the different parts of one bigger thing, like a Lego model or small toys as part of a set.
5. Reverse trick or treat! Have your child purchase some treats for the neighbours and go door-to-door handing them out.
6. Daytime trick or treat. If your child finds the dark scary or anxiety provoking, go during the daytime instead.
7. Create ‘trick or treat’ cards that your child can hand out instead of feeling the need to talk to each person

For more information please visit our page: What is Autism?