Costumes, Halloween parties with sugary treats, trick-or-treating, and spooky decorations are fun and exciting for most kids, but for a child with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Halloween celebrations can be very overwhelming. A child with SPD has trouble processing input from any of the five senses in a normal way – what is background music to others may be loud and distracting to a kid with SPD, costumes may feel too itchy, make-up may feel sticky, and masks may have a strong scent or may be too restricting for kids with SPD.
Playdates are an important part of childhood. They offer time for kids to interact socially without the structure of school or extracurricular activities. They also help kids learn to share, socialize, and play freely while still having support from their parents as needed. Kids with special needs are no exception and benefit from playdates as much as their peers. While they may take a little more planning and patience, it is well worth the efforts for everyone involved.
Neurodivergence is the term used when someone’s brain processes, learns, and/or behaves differently from what is considered “typical!”.
Neurodiversity includes conditions like autism, ADHD, Down syndrome and epilepsy, as well as chronic mental health illnesses such as bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, or depression.
Many children with Learning Disabilities (LDs) also have co-occurring social-emotional and behavioural concerns such as anxiety and ADHD. These disorders can often present similarly in children which can make the cause of certain behaviours hard to pick apart. Increased understanding can help guide effective, as well as individualized, accommodations for your child in both the home and school settings.
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