14/12/2023
For families who celebrate Christmas, it can be busy and often involves a understandable change in routine.
Many children thrive from a having a familiar routine. Those children with neurodiversity find security in routine, find it calming and that it helps with their emotional regulation.
How you can help your child...
Make time more concrete. "How many more sleeps 'til Christmas?" A question that many parents will be hearing a lot at this time of year. Time is an abstract concept and by making time more concrete it is easier for children to understand.
❄️ Make a Christmas paperchain with your child, with each link representing one day. Cut a link off at the end of each day then count how many are left.
❄️Use an advent calendar. Once your child has opened a door, count how many doors are left to open.
❄️Cross days off on a wall calendar. Older children could cross off each day at bed time and count how many days are left.
Make the routine visual. Many of us adults use visual methods to help us plan. Maybe your child is still learning to read? Maybe your child is a visual learner? You can use visual tools to support your child know what to expect.
❄️Use photos. Photos are highly personal and so children can relate to these more easily that other forms of visual (such as pictures or symbols.) Showing photos of family that they will see during the Christmas period, or showing a photo of where they will be going for Christmas helps children to feel more secure about what is going to happen.
❄️Pictures and symbols. If your child enjoys cutting and sticking they could cut out images and stick them on the family wall calendar. They could find a car and place it on the day when you will be travelling. If your child loves to draw, they could add their own drawings.
Explain things that will be different in an emotionally safe and accessible way. For children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), 'change' can be an uncomfortable word. Using 'different' can be more supportive. If there are lots of differences this Christmas, consider writing a Social Story.
❄️Write a Social Story. Carol Gray's Social Stories (and Articles for young people) provide a means of helping your child to learn about a concept, idea or situation in an emotionally supportive, accessible and reassuring way. Visit carolgraysocialstories.com for guidance.
Horizons Suffolk is an independent Speech and Language Therapy practice providing assessment and therapy for children aged 2 - 18 years of age. There is availability for 2024 so please get in touch for a free 15 minute consultation.
