Does the thought of decorating your home for the holiday season bring about anxiety? Do you have a special needs child who is sensitive to all the lights, or is allergic to your artificial and dyed Christmas tree, or even likes to bite into all the pretty but dangerous ornaments? It’s OK. We can help. Below we will give some tips on how to brighten your space safely.
The first step in decorating your home is to prepare ahead of time. A great way to prepare your child for what’s to come is to have him look at décor with you and pick their favorites. You can make a social story regarding what décor items are safe to touch, what your child’s peers touch, how you will feel when your child touches appropriate items, and what privileges he will earn for touching appropriate items.
Another visual preparatory strategy is to make a visual calendar of the day by day processes such as, on Monday we will buy or make a Christmas tree. Then, each day, make an individual daily schedule.
Some decorating suggestions are to purchase a natural dye-free Christmas tree from a tree farm. Take your family with you and have everyone assist in choosing a tree. If your child has specific allergies, research and consult with tree farmers and staff about the safest and most organic trees. If neither artificial nor natural trees are an option for your home, a fun idea is to gather a ton of green construction paper and build a special Christmas tree along a neutral wall in your family room. If your child is sensitive to the bright holiday lights on your Christmas tree or in your front yard, consider purchasing light dimmers and turn them down low.
If you would like to desensitize your child to the lights of your choosing, you can start by turning on one light of a set or turning all the lights down low. If your child is able to tolerate this, try turning the lights to the next setting that causes them to go a little brighter. Gradually increase the brightness as your child is able to tolerate. If your child is still bothered by the lights, try alternatives to lights such as fancy ribbon and garland.
If your child prefers to grab the glass ornaments and places the plastic ornaments in their mouth, consider hanging these items out of reach or get creative and make your own ornaments with construction paper, crayons, glue, glitter, etc. For table top decorations, tiny natural wood houses and fabric cones are cute and safe.
To help teach your child appropriate behavior, in terms of what ornaments can be touched and which can not, while around holiday trees in your home, relatives’ homes, and in the community, you can shape your child’s behavior of only touching appropriate ornaments or only touching toys and not touching ornaments at all. Once all the ornaments are in their desired location, you can first have your child stand next to the ornament with his hands together or to his side while you count to one. Reinforce with specific verbal praise, “good job for keeping hands to your self” or “great playing with your trains” (while next to tree and not touching ornaments) and let him have his favorite toy. Repeat step and count to two, then reinforce with favorite toy. Increase amount of time that child will stand next to ornament as necessary. Specific verbal praise allows your child to understand what it is specifically that he is doing right. Positive reinforcement such as verbal praise and a tangible reinforcer like his favorite toy, reinforce the desired behavior (touching appropriate toy or keeping hands to self – and not touching the ornament) so that it will continue.
Taking the time and planning in advance can ensure your holiday ideas are pulled off without a hitch. During the entire process, take pictures. Capturing these moments will help to prepare for next year’s holiday decorating. Remember to include everyone in your home and have lots of family fun. Oh, and if you have time, share your ideas and creations with others. We are always looking for fun and exciting ways to help our special needs children tolerate the holidays.