Halloween Tip – Helping the Less Fortunate Enjoy the Evening

If your child has a disability this is not a reason why s/he cannot go to a party, visit a spook house, or go trick or treating. We can put up all kinds of roadblocks, “But my son can only walk with crutches;” or, “My daughter is in a wheelchair and she can’t move around on the pavement very well,” and “My son has autism and he throws tantrums.” If we just look at the disability we can certainly see difficulties. However, working with a less fortunate child often causes us to react and behave in a different way than we might with another child so Halloween should not pose a major problem.

If your child wants to go trick-or-treating then why stand in his/her way? If your child can get along with crutches then let him try walking door to door. If your child is in a wheelchair and can’t get around then push him/her the same as you would for any other event. If your child has autism or some type of behavior problem then let your child attempt to go door to door. We all know that children act and react differently outside the home. Your child needs this experience just like s/he needs all other experiences.

Another thing that is important to remember is that your child’s outfit may cause him/her discomfort. This may be due to the texture, the cloth against the skin, the unfamiliarity with the outfit, and so forth. If that’s the case then try to make changes to the costume so s/he will be comfortable but still have something to wear or to hold.

It’s also important to remember that many sugars and other ingredients cause a special needs child to react differently than other children may. As you always do, just be aware of this when your child starts digging into his/her goodies bag.

No matter what, your special needs child should be allowed to participate, in some way, in this festive evening. While we are on the subject of festive, please stop by CarvingForKids and see some of our other ideas.