Creating a Neurodivergent-Friendly Christmas with Your Child.
The Christmas holidays are a time of celebration, love and being together. However, it can also be a time of challenge, stress and change for many. Whilst some love Christmas lights, a break from routine, the joy of gift giving and spending time with family and friends, this can pose significant challenges to others, particularly those who identify as neurodivergent.
To help a little, below are some tips that may make small but important differences in how someone experiences the festive season:
Sensory challenges:
Create a sensory-friendly space that can be used to help reduce stimulation – a place where someone can retreat if they feel overwhelmed. Stock it with their favourite calming items like headphones, weighted blankets, or sensory toys.
Manage sensory demands – opt for warm steady lights instead of bright flashing ones, avoid Christmas scents in candles or decorations, and allow people to make decisions about removing themselves from noisy or busy environments they are finding stressful.
Maintain familiar routines where you can- stick to regular meal times, bedtime routines, and other daily activities as much as possible to provide stability.
Create a visual schedule- to explain what is happening when – use a calendar, pictures, or a whiteboard and make sure to include "rest" or “break” times and times when they can choose what to do.
Give choices- Support them to decide which parts of the celebration they’d like to participate in and allow them to skip what they find stressful.
Beware of the impact of social demands- Strategies like role-playing common social experiences they may have during the festivities can help children feel prepared. Using ‘social stories’ can also help explain and prepare children for unusual or challenging social situations. However, it is important that the focus is on helping them develop strategies that are useful to them, rather than on ‘fitting in’ which may lead to additional anxiety, stress and / or masking.
Aiming for a successful Christmas meal- offer familiar ‘safe’ foods alongside any new or unfamiliar foods, and take safe, familiar snacks wherever you go. Be realistic about the sensory and social demands of sitting and joining in at the table at Christmas and offer them somewhere else to eat if necessary.
Coping with being overwhelmed- Unfortunately, despite the best planning and preparation, being overwhelmed may still happen. Look out for signs of stress – this may be fidgeting, withdrawing, engaging in repetitive behaviour or other signals. Create an exit plan to remove the demands that are causing the stress and allow for some downtime / calming time helping them to regulate.
Advocate– let family and friends know about your child’s preferences, boundaries and needs ahead of time, perhaps giving them specific information about what is helpful/unhelpful.
Most importantly– focus on joy, however that presents. Identify the parts of the celebration your child will enjoy and focus on those. Celebrate in ways that work for you and your child, not in the ways presented in the movies! Prioritise what makes your child happy and relaxed – as that will help everyone to also feel happy and relaxed during this festive season.