Christmas is coming so families are ready for shopping but for some families shopping can be challenging who have children with autism. Some autistic children have difficulty in handling in a public place because of the abundance of sights, sounds, crowds and other sensory stimuli that is why some families avoid taking children with autism to public places unless necessary.
Here are some tips to prevent meltdowns during shopping or going to any public place:
- Prepare for the schedule. Individual with autism wants to have clear schedule for the day ahead. It is good to schedule all the activities ahead of time so that your child gain a sense of where he’s going and what he will be going. A visual schedule is also helpful.
- Give warning. A child with autism should know what to expect to cope with the potentially stressful situations. It is recommended to let him know ahead of time where he or she is going and what to expect.
- Recognize triggers. Some sights, sounds, or situations are tend to produce a meltdowns. Since you know your child, avoid visiting a store with your child with autism for such triggers.
- Bring something to provide support. As parent, you know the things that triggers meltdown, try to bring things to prevent this meltdowns such as bring headphone if loud sound triggers or wear sunglasses if there is a lighting problem.
- Carry a cool down items. Bringing an item or make an activity that you know will sooth when meltdowns happen.