An Inclusive Halloween

“Wait, Declan!  You don’t have to go up there.” I called to the back of a Trick or Treating Spiderman.

We had prepped, practiced and planned.  Gone over the whole Trick or Treating thing.  I told him:

“Declan, you walk up the driveway to the house with Bobby and Catelyn.  You ring the bell.  You can say “Trick or Treat” if you want to.  When someone gives you candy, you try to say “Thank you.”  Walk back down the driveway to Mom and Dad.”

All was going well – until we reached the house where the family sat at the end of their driveway.  Declan was still following the rules of Trick or Treat and walked passed them to go to the front door like he was instructed.

It took a couple of minutes, but once he saw where the candy was, he was able to adjust and continued his Trick or Treat journey.

That was Declan’s first successful night of Trick or Treating.

In previous years, a completely over stimulated Declan could not make it through two streets before coming to screams or taking off all his clothes.

He was always excited to go, so we always gave it a try.  It was just that my husband and I were doing it wrong – and we didn’t even realize.

Fellow blogger, Jay, over at Assholes Watching Movies (great blog which I would completely recommend) asked in a comment if there was anything she could do to make Trick or Treating more inclusive to all the Trick or Treaters.

How thoughtful!  Yes!

Jay mentioned that she will be putting out a teal pumpkin – already pretty inclusive!  If you don’t know, the teal pumpkin is a sign to all Trick or Treaters that the home will have regular candy, but also non-food treats for those with food allergies.

Great!

For kiddos like mine, sensory overload is a real thing.  We skip the houses with the loud music or the scary sounds playing.  We skip the houses that have people coming out of coffins or jumping out at you.  Some other possible triggers I found online could be strobe lights and fog machines.

We skip those houses because they aggravate Declan’s senses.  And in the past, we would have to carry home a screaming, sad child.

We encouraged Declan to say “Trick or Treat” and “Thank you” but he didn’t.  Going face to face with a stranger is not one of his strengths.

Declan can do about 3 to 4 streets.  We don’t push it for “just one more.”  He and I usually come home, and the big kids stay out with Dad.  That is how we have successful Halloweening!

We know our limits now, and we make accommodations.  But if you are looking to provide an inclusive Halloween, just keep some of these ideas in mind.

Thanks again, Jay for asking about an inclusive Halloween!

I also saw this picture on an Autism Support Group for Families page.  Thought this was pretty on point as well and wanted to share!

Hope everyone has a great one!