{"id":1940,"date":"2012-11-22T19:14:20","date_gmt":"2012-11-22T19:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/?p=1940"},"modified":"2023-11-08T10:21:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T18:21:20","slug":"solutions-for-holiday-survival-with-special-needs-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-disorders\/solutions-for-holiday-survival-with-special-needs-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Solutions for Holiday Survival with Special Needs Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_1987\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-disorders-2\/solutions-for-holiday-survival-with-special-needs-kids\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1987\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1987 lazyload\" title=\"Holiday Stress with Special Needs Kids\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Holiday-Stress-with-Special-Needs-Kids.jpg\" alt=\"Holiday Stress with Special Needs Kids\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Holiday-Stress-with-Special-Needs-Kids.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Holiday-Stress-with-Special-Needs-Kids-300x225.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/375;\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1987\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image source: Thedigeratilife.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The holidays are an exciting time of year, but for families with special needs children, they can also be particularly stressful. Some children, such as <a title=\"What is Autism?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.autismspeaks.org\/what-autism \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">those with autism<\/a>, cannot easily cope with changes in routine, loud and overbearing relatives, and shopping-crazed Black Friday crowds at the mall. Other kids with articulation disorders and similar speech issues might become frustrated that they cannot communicate well with extended family members. Some families choose to skip the mayhem altogether and take off for a relaxing vacation in Costa Rica. But if Costa Rica isn\u2019t in the cards for your family, consider these solutions for holiday survival with a special needs child.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Prepare Your Child<\/h2>\n<p>Many special needs children can benefit from a little extra preparation for the holiday season. Discuss exactly what\u2019s going to happen when your family goes to the airport or to Aunt Mary\u2019s house. Discuss who is going to be there and how your child can best interact with them. Children with a <a title=\"Sensory Processing Disorder\" href=\"http:\/\/www.spdfoundation.net\/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sensory integration disorder (SID)<\/a> can be reminded that if they get overwhelmed, they can retreat to a quieter room for a while.<\/p>\n<p>Roleplaying can also help children with speech disorders. Pretend that you are Aunt Mary, and hand your child a gift. Your child can practice good manners and thank Aunt Mary for the gift. Roleplaying is also beneficial for conversation skills. Children who have difficulty with <a title=\"Semantic Pragmatic Language Disorder\" href=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-disorders\/semantic-pragmatic-language-disorder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pragmatic language skills<\/a> can practice taking turns in a conversation, making eye contact with you, and changing the topic of conversation at appropriate times.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Stress Tips for the Holidays from Lori Lite of Stress Free Kids\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eTI0o8yNOf4?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;playerapiid=ytplayer\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Prepare Your Relatives<\/h2>\n<p>If the relatives that you plan to visit for the holidays haven\u2019t had many opportunities to interact with your child, talk to them about your child\u2019s speech disorder. Explain that Jonas needs a little extra time to respond to questions, for example, or that Sarah has difficulty forming certain sounds. You might encourage your relatives to always face Jonas so that he can see that person\u2019s lips move, or your relatives might interact with Sarah by using her <a title=\"How to Use the Picture Exchange Communication System\" href=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-therapy-techniques\/how-to-use-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs\/ \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">picture exchange communication system (PECS)<\/a> cards.<\/p>\n<h2>Prepare Yourself<\/h2>\n<p>As a parent, you probably feel that it\u2019s your job to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. But remember that no family is perfect. Kids get overwhelmed, relatives stick their feet in their mouths, and the best laid plans often go awry. Try to set aside the stress and enjoy family get-togethers. As well, it never hurts to have an escape plan. If your youngster has sensory issues, for example, have a prearranged signal. Your child can signal you that he really, really needs to get to a quieter place without being rude.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1988\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Managing-Stress-with-Special-Needs-Kids.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1988\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1988 lazyload\" title=\"Managing Stress with Special Needs Kids\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Managing-Stress-with-Special-Needs-Kids.jpg\" alt=\"Managing Stress with Special Needs Kids\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Managing-Stress-with-Special-Needs-Kids.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Managing-Stress-with-Special-Needs-Kids-300x210.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/350;\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1988\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image source: Facebook.com<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Survive the Holidays<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to <a title=\"Making Family Holiday Gatherings Work\" href=\"http:\/\/www.greatschools.org\/special-education\/assistive-technology\/990-parents-top-tips-making-family-holiday-gatherings-work-for-you-and-your-child.gs \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">preparing your special needs child for the holidays<\/a>, check out the list of quick tips below. And remember that changes in routine can also disrupt speech therapy sessions. Pack <a title=\"Speech Buddies: How It Works\" href=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/parents\/how-it-works \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Speech Buddies<\/a> and other speech therapy tools so your child can fit in some articulation practice during the car trip or while waiting at the airport.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t feel guilty about turning down a few holiday party invitations if you\u2019ve got a mailbox full of them<\/li>\n<li>Bring a backpack with some of your child\u2019s favorite toys to the family get-together<\/li>\n<li>Volunteer to supervise all the kids; this way, you can work with your child on his communication skills<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Special Needs Families &amp; Relatives\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.easystand.com\/2010\/11\/special-needs-families-relatives-and-holidays\/ \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deflect comments from misinformed relatives<\/a> by explaining your child\u2019s needs in the simplest terms possible<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n    <span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"\">\n    <span class=\"hs-cta-node \" id=\"\">\n        <!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]-->\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/speechbuddy.com\/guides\/communication-challenges\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img lazyload\" id=\"\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 655px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 655\/211;border-width:0px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/533600a3-8950-4500-aa3b-fab8818be024.png\"  alt=\"Parent's Guide to Speech & Communication Challenges\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/a>\n    <\/span>\n    <\/span>\n    \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The holidays are an exciting time of year, but for families with special needs children, they can also be particularly stressful. Some children, such as those with autism, cannot easily cope with changes in routine, loud and overbearing relatives, and shopping-crazed Black Friday crowds at the mall. Other kids with articulation disorders and similar speech [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[972,974,973,20,975],"class_list":["post-1940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speech-disorders","tag-holiday-stress","tag-parenting-during-the-holidays","tag-special-needs-kids","tag-speech-disorders-1","tag-speech-therapy-during-holidays"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1940"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11951,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1940\/revisions\/11951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}