January 30, 2020
Valentine’s Day can be a wonderful holiday for kids to celebrate in the classroom or at home. It’s a day for love, friendship, hearts, and chocolate. But some children with special needs, such as those with autism spectrum disorder, may find the holiday to be more overwhelming or frustrating than enjoyable.
Jenika Karnik
AnswersNow BCBA
Valentine’s Day can be a wonderful holiday for kids to celebrate in the classroom or at home. It’s a day for love, friendship, hearts, and chocolate. But some children with special needs, such as those with autism spectrum disorder, may find the holiday to be more overwhelming or frustrating than enjoyable.
You're walking through your favorite store when you see pink and red balloons, teddy bears, and chocolate hearts. You think to yourself, "ughhh, is it February already?!"
There are red and pink heart-shaped balloons everywhere. Stuffed animals everywhere you turn. You're doing everything you can to redirect your child from reaching over and unwrapping the chocolates and other valentine's candy at the checkout counter.
Kids who struggle with interpersonal connections may find the idea of filling out cards, celebrating in large groups, or having to interact closely with kids at school to be quite daunting. Others who struggle with socializing might feel left out if they don’t think they will be getting valentines cards from classmates. Still, other kids with general learning disabilities might just find the task of creating and writing on notes for friends to be a grueling one. Here are some helpful tips to get through the holiday:
If you or your family need extra support surrounding Valentine’s Day, chat with one of the BCBAs at AnswersNow to create a plan specifically for your child.
Jenika K.
AnswersNow BCBA
Specializes in:
Communication deficits, social skills deficits, verbal behavior, aggressive behaviors, self-injurious behaviors
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