Halloween is the New Christmas

Halloween wasn’t this big a deal when I was a kid.  Sure, it was a very exciting few days while we planned costumes and imagined all the candy we were going to get, but it was never the season it now seems to be.  I’m not sure whether Halloween is so much on my mind

because we’ve all become Halloween-mad, or because of the kids or because autism makes it a bit of a project.  Whatever the reason, I’m glad to find that there are literally thousands of tips online for surviving and even enjoying the day (or week or month).

One Place for Special Needs likes to post lots of videos among its resources.  If, unlike our family, you’re lucky enough not to own your own DVD or video of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” you can watch part of it on Youtube.  One place links to the trick-or-treating part, which can be helpful for kids to study how to trick-or-treat.  (We were thinking Ned should make the Charlie Brown ghost costume with all the extra holes — we have an old white sheet that would be perfect — but he’s chickening out.)

Wondering how to make a Halloween costume for a child with sensory integration dysfunction? Autismsupport.org has instructions and advice (sweatshirts and sweatpants are your best friends).

Kimmy Krocker has posted a fun Youtube video of herself making gluten-free, casein-free Halloween sugar cookies. It’s a straightforward video, but stick around for the recipe at the end, when she runs part of Bernard Herrmann’s mood-setting music from “Psycho.”

There’s no law saying you have to trick-or-treat.  Have your own small party or themed get-together or see what other community alternatives there are.  These and other tips are courtesy of Beth Kelleher, the Philadelphia Autism and Parenting Examiner.  Beth has other tips coming up for Halloween, so check here for more info.