It's about to be Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving can be an exciting and fun holiday, but it can be stressful for autistic people at the same time. Do you want to know some ways to help an autistic person have a good and fun Thanksgiving? Here are some ways to help out:
Give a heads up that Thanksgiving is approaching! It is important to teach autistic people about this holiday ahead of time and how the holiday goes, so they are aware of some expectations that occur during the holiday. Personally, I recall my parents telling me that we will have cousins over to celebrate the holiday, so we need to prepare food and set up the table for family when everyone is over.
Create a sensory space in the house for an autistic person to take a break in. Autistic people have the right to take a break from the regular environment, so they can focus on their own mental health. As you may know, a lot of autistic people have co-occurring conditions like mental illness due to lack of break from regular environment or routine. Holidays like Thanksgiving can get overwhelming for autistic people, so respect that they need a break and will come back into the regular environment when ready to.
Do not force an autistic person to do anything! This can be from eating just all new food to sitting with everyone at the table during Thanksgiving. It's enough as it is that some autistic people feel stressed during holidays, so remember to adapt to them as much as they do with the world. There needs to be a fair ground and compromises must be made.
What are some other ways to help autistic people for Thanksgiving?
Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section!
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