Helping Children on the Autism Spectrum to Cope with Thanksgiving
How was Thanksgiving last year? Did your “special needs” youngster handle the day with grace and gratitude, or did you see new behavior problems amidst the holiday hullabaloo? Witnessing more than the average amount of behavior problems during the "long" Thanksgiving weekend is not unusual, particularly when you spend the holiday with a lot of friends and family members. As much as you may attempt to keep life consistent, Thanksgiving often disrupts the routine, causing sleep and meal disruptions. Your child usually (a) sleeps less soundly if he is not in his own bed, (b) goes to bed later than usual, (c) gets too much attention from family members, and (d) gets more sugar than usual. No matter the specific cause of the behavioral issues, you are left to deal with a youngster who is not himself. Whether he is showing behavior problems or attitude issues, your child is behaving uncharacteristically. This can confuse the most well-meaning mother or father. What do y