Happy Halloween making the holiday fun for everyone

Halloween is a fun night of costumes and candy for kids of all ages. But for those on the autism spectrum, scary sounds and decorations, tight or scratchy costumes and going out at night can be a lot to handle. Helping your child know what to expect from Halloween can help make it a fun time for everyone. although I don't celebrate halloween I want to make sure its safe for my son that is on the spectrum and my daughter.

How To help your littler one get Halloween off to a good start

help your kids learn what to expect around Halloween. You can add your own pictures and text to the story. It also includes a badge that autistic children can wear to let candy-givers know that they may communicate differently than other trick-or-treaters.  

Scary decorations, places and sounds

Halloween decorations can be scary. Ghosts, goblins, witches and black cats are everywhere! And they often come with bright, flashing lights and loud sounds. Even though they’re just for fun, they may be frightening. They also may be overwhelming to those with sensory issues.

Here’s what you can do to make Halloween sights and sounds less challenging for your child:

• Remind your child that the decorations and sounds are just pretend. They’re not real. They’re just a silly way for people to celebrate Halloween.
• Be aware of things like moving decorations, fog machines and flashing lights. These may make your child uncomfortable or lead to unsafe or impulsive behaviors.
• Take a sensory toy, headphones or ear plugs with you when you go somewhere that may have loud noises and sounds.
• If decorations, places and sounds make it hard for your child to enjoy Halloween activities, limit them. Skip them and find sensory-friendly activities instead. 

Costumes

Lots of kids wear costumes on Halloween. But they’re not required! If they don’t want to dress up, they can wear their regular clothes, or they can wear Halloween colors or a special shirt. The most important thing is that your child is happy and comfortable.

If your child wants to dress up:

• Be aware of sensory needs when helping your child choose a costume. Some materials may be itchy, smell weird or be uncomfortable for your child.
• Think about your child’s special interests when helping them choose a costume. For example, suggest that they dress up as their favorite superhero or other character.  Allow your child to dress up in their preferred costume without judgment, no matter what their age.
• Have your child put on the costume a few times before Halloween so they get used to how it feels.
• Think about getting the costume in a larger size so your child can wear their own clothes underneath.

Halloween can be hectic and unpredictable, so it's important to keep safety at the top of your mind. Even in familiar environments, new sights and sounds can increase the risk of wandering. Here are some ways you can help your child stay safe:

• Before you go trick or treating, take a picture of your child in their costume. This will ensure you have a recent picture in case they get lost.
• If your child may wander, have them wear light-up sneakers or glow-stick bracelets to make them easier to spot after dark.

We wish you and your family a fun, safe and happy Halloween! On Monday please share kids in there costume love to see all the beautiful pictures www.livebeyondautism.com

Autism moms are warriors

 It’s true. Raising a child with autism is overwhelming, to say the least, and it’s impossible to predict how each day will unfold. Even the slightest change in routine can set your little one off, leaving you feeling as though you’re constantly walking on egg shells in an attempt to keep the peace, which is exhausting.

Sometimes it feels as though no one in the entire world understands what you and your family experience on a daily basis, and other times you feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the people who go out of their way to help you.

We live in a day and age where we are expected to put everyone’s needs before our own, but what we fail to realize is that there is only so long we can live in a constant state of stress and fatigue before our bodies start to breakdown and even the smallest tasks start to feel overwhelming.

And when autism moms feel overwhelmed, the effects can be detrimental on the entire family. I’m serious! Your child’s success with various treatments and therapies is very much dependent on YOU

Of course, this all sounds great in theory, but finding ways to catch a break and recharge can feel downright impossible when you have so many demands on your time each day

One of the biggest challenges for autism moms is that, unless you’ve lived it, you cannot possibly understand what parents of autistic children experience on a daily basis

With that said, there are certain struggles most autism moms can relate to, including:

• Chronic exhaustion
• Improper diagnosis
• Long waitlists
• Lack of available resources
• Feeling socially isolated
• Feelings of guilt
• Not having enough time to focus on your child’s sibling’s 
• Financial concerns
• Worrying about the future

Before I jump into our best parenting tips for overwhelmed autism moms, I wanted to take a moment to remind you that it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed. EVERY mom feels overwhelmed! And when you add in an autism diagnosis, and everything that brings along with it, it can feel all-consuming.

Stop feeling guilty.

Make self-care a priority.

Prioritize.

Organize help.

Get more sleep.

Connect with other parents and caregivers. 

Have a plan.

So, what’s it going to be?

Are you going to keep drowning, or are you going to make a commitment to make yourself a priority so you can be a better mom (and wife) to those that matter most?

If you found these parenting tips for overwhelmed autism moms helpful, please share this post and page Livebeyondautism 

Website Www.Livebeyondautism.com

How to Handle After School Meltdowns

It’s back-to-school time! Many parents look forward to this all summer long, while others absolutely dread it. Changing your child’s schedule abruptly at the beginning of a new school year can cause lots of chaos and big emotions. Children on the autism spectrum typically feel this stress much more intensely, which can lead to after school meltdowns. If your kids struggles with this, check out these great ideas to reduce the overwhelm!

Why do after school meltdowns occur?

How is it even possible? Your child was a perfect angel all day; their teacher said so! Now they are sobbing uncontrollably and throwing things. What happened?! How can your kid have such a great day at school, then come home and completely fall apart?

So many moms struggle with this. They begin to wonder if they are a horrible parent, if the teacher is lying, or if their child despises them. The drastic change in behavior is difficult to wrap your mind around.

Believe it or not, after school meltdowns are pretty normal, especially for autistic children. Home is their safe place. They know they can get away with more at home. No, they aren’t necessarily trying to manipulate, mistreat, or use you – they just know they can be themselves without fear of unknown punishment. They don’t have to try to bottle up all of their overwhelming emotions, stress, and sensory overload any longer, so they explode.

How to reduce after school meltdowns

What are we supposed to do then? Just let them explode on us each day? While it is necessary for our kids to have a safe place, and to be able to release their bottled up emotions, we also need to teach them healthy ways to do it. That is obviously more of a challenge with special needs children. 

These sensory integration exercises require assistance, but have super results:

• Ball squashes (roll an exercise ball up and down your child, as they lay on the floor or a mat)
• Joint compressions
• Deep squeezes (slowly squeeze and release up and down your child’s arms and legs)
• Body rolls (wrap a blanket around your child and roll them from one side of the bed or floor to the other) 

Some of us may not have all the times on out hand but it worth trying 

Help them feel comfortable

Most parents have an internal instinct to ask their kids about their school day the second they get home. If your kiddo enjoys this, don’t bother stopping. But if you’re reading this, my guess is that your child doesn’t want to answer questions after school, because they are stressed.

Check their IEP

If you have tried these suggestions and still feel like your child is not improving, talk with the powers at be about changing their IEP. You can request sensory breaks, special exceptions, and therapeutic aids to be written into the IEP in order to help your child during the school day. 

What have you done to help your child regulate after school? What has worked? I always love to hear what works for others, as we all know that our children respond to different methods! Leave a comment below and let me know what you’ve tried!

IEP MEETING CHECKLIST FOR PARENTS

 Let me tell you am that one mother who doesn’t stop at nothing less when it come to my kid’s especially when it come to education. I have my annual IEP meeting today and it’s was very successful. Having a great teacher on your team is everything. It’s on point When you're looking for help for a student who struggles with a learning disability or mental health condition, you know it's important to have a plan in place to ensure your child's special needs are being met at school. That's where the Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting comes in handy

Review IDEA

Get familiar with the IEP meeting and process before you show up for a meeting. Every school provides a copy of your rights, so make sure you request and review a copy of the manual that was provided 

Compile Your List of Questions

It's easy to forget the questions you want to ask about your child's progress at school. Simplify what you need to remember by writing down all the questions you want to ask prior to attending the meeting.

Invite People and Professionals

You don't have to face a group of IEP review members, teachers or school counselors alone. If you have your own "support team," consider inviting them to the meeting.

This was one of the best thing I have ever done is reaching out for help and let me tell you professional help is the best 

At the end of the meeting they will review the evaluations with you 

Review and Complete Evaluations and Forms

Review and sign evaluations and forms that the IEP review team has prepared. These forms typically let the team know all of the meeting's participants, and give you insight into what will be covered, such as goals for the next school year 

At last help the teachers 👩‍🏫 so they can help you. So with that said 

Create a Student Profile

As a parent, you're an expert when it comes to your child. Help your IEP team in advance with a profile to help them gain more knowledge about your child outside of school. You can include your child's strengths, learning challenges or any special accommodations they may need as part of this profile.

 

IEP meetings can be informative, but you will benefit even more by being prepared in advance.

For the passed 4 years all I have learned with IEP I hope what I learned could help another parent so it’s was a success for me  #schoolcounselor #schoolteacher #students #therapy #disabilityrights #livebeyondautism