How to Support Neurodivergent Children In The Halloween Season (+ Free Resource Download)

It's October, and you know what that means – Halloween is right around the corner!

Ghosts, goblins, and an abundance of candy have taken over the grocery stores, and the Halloween season is in full swing. But it's not just the schools, stores, and communities that are buzzing with Halloween chatter; it's also a season that many parents experience as their children get supercharged with Halloween excitement.

You might have noticed some changes in your child during this time – the constant talk about Halloween costumes, plans, and an increased demand for all things related to the holiday. It can be quite overwhelming for parents, as it adds a new dynamic to everyday life when your child is in high Halloween spirits.

But fear not! With RDI (Relationship Development Intervention), we have several effective strategies to help reduce some of the challenges and dysregulating situations that children may experience during this exciting and heightened time of year.

Here are three RDI strategies that are proven to be incredibly helpful for times of heightened excitement (like Halloween!):

• Declarative Language: This involves providing your child with verbal information about your own feelings while acknowledging their excitement. For example, you can say something like, "I can see and feel that Halloween is such an exciting time for you however my brain is not ready to talk about Halloween all the time.. so I'm curious about what other choices you have to share your excitement”  I encourage to go  ideas to help redirect that energy that fits with who they are . Activities could be journal, art, recording a video, looking at halloween books, write a halloween story, build something spooky with lego etc. 
  
• Co-Regulation through Activities: Get your child involved in creating an activity focused on co-regulation process. This could be a simple (ensure your child is competent and can sustain interest and attention) craft or project that your child and you enjoy, with clearly defined roles. Use less language and increase nonverbal communication while modeling a fun and cooperative atmosphere. The key is to choose an activity that aligns with your child's interests and competencies. Whether it's art, building, or any other creative endeavor, keeping it simple and meaningful is key.
  
  Example:  Does your child like silly, gooey horror stuff? Create a fun sensory bin. If your child's more artsy, offer halloween art supplies (dollar store is great for this!). If your child likes building things? What kind of Halloween contraption can you build together?
• Creating a Calm and Regulated Environment: Given the heightened excitement of the Halloween season, it's essential to establish a calm and regulated environment for your child. For me it  involve lighting some pumpkin-scented candles, playing soothing jazz or acoustic music in the background, and dimming the lights for a cozy atmosphere. When you, as a parent, its important to remind yourself to model a calm and regulated state and environment.  

Need an activity to do with your child? Download my free Halloween RDI Activity Resource here!

These RDI strategies are a lifesaver for me when it comes to keeping things in check with my child. It's not just about me reacting to their challenging behaviour; previously we would want to encourage changing or stopping behaviour but we can approach things differently through these effective RDI tools.

Our initial goal was to have our kids smoothly handle their daily tasks, but let's face it, that's a bit of a stretch. With the Halloween season in full swing, it feels like everything around them is a constant reminder of the excitement.

So, rather than resisting it, we're shifting gears and working on developing their ability to adapt and have a blast during this fun time.

It's more about guiding them on how to respond during these super exciting holiday seasons that we celebrate everywhere – at school, in the community, and at home.

I mean, let's face it, Halloween is awesome! You get to don cool costumes, go knocking on people's doors, and score some sweet candy. It's all supposed to be a blast. But what we really need to think about is how to maintain that sense of balance, so our little ones don't get overwhelmed and have those tricky moments.

Here's to a spooktacular Halloween season!