Autumn is a lovely time of year, the trees turn beautiful colours, the darker nights showcase the amazing cosmos, and we don’t need to make up an excuse to snuggle up indoors with a hot chocolate (with cream and marshmallows, of course!)
There are lots of activities that you might be thinking of taking your child with additional needs to; maybe going to a ‘pick your own’ farm to choose a pumpkin to carve (or paint), a walk through the woods to kick the leaves, a bonfire and fireworks event, or perhaps there is an enchanting light show near you.
While these activities can be a lovely treat, for families of children with additional needs (of any age!), careful planning is needed in order to make sure that we are ready for all eventualities!
If you are thinking of having an Autumn adventure with your child, here are six things to remember:
1. Plan when you are going to go. Some pumpkin farms, for example, have sensory calm times with no music and shorter (or no) queues. The same can be true for light shows.
2. Help your child understand where you are all going by showing them photos of it and an online map of how you are going to get there. If you did the same activity last year and have photos of them there, use these to help them visualise themselves back there again. All of this will help to reduce anxiety about the ‘unknown’.
3. Provide them with choices to consider, such as “When we go to the farm, do you want to pick a big pumpkin or a small squash?”, “At the light show, will you choose a hot chocolate or a cool lemonade?” This helps them to think about any choices in advance and be better prepared when you are there.
4. Pack an ‘emergency kit’. Have things in a bag that you might need such as ear defenders, sunglasses (if the fireworks are too bright, for example), a weighted lap mat, some favourite snacks or a sensory chew, and some fidgets.
5. Keep it flexible. If they are struggling, don’t try and push them through it, it won’t work. Yes, it can be disappointing if after much planning they have only managed 20 minutes, but help them to remember the great time they had for 20 minutes and not the trauma they experienced afterwards. A short positive experience this time might lead to a longer one next time! With this in mind, make sure you are parked so that you can get out easily without having to wait for everyone else to leave!
6. Keep the memories. Take photos, and collect things to help your child remember the activity (if it’s a walk in the woods, collect colourful dry leaves and stick them in a memories book, or start to make an Autumn fidget box – see here for how to do this: https://theadditionalneedsblogfather.com/2021/11/21/autumn-fiddles-box/
I hope these simple tips will help you to have lovely Autumn adventures with your child with additional needs. If you can think of more ideas, do add them into the comments after this blog post!
Happy Autumn!
Mark
All text and images © Mark Arnold / The Additional Needs Blogfather
