Whether you celebrate the traditional Halloween holiday or take part in an alternative activity like a Harvest Festival, planning costumes and dressing up is a big deal for kids. But if your child has special needs–be they medical, mobility, or developmental–extra planning and creativity may be required.
Families.com Can Help
Nancy Flanders blogs about parenting kids with special needs at families.com. Recently, she posted an informative article about helping kids prepare for Halloween. She has suggestions for kids in wheelchairs, those on the autism spectrum, or those with medical conditions like cystic fibrosis, asthma or severe allergies.
Masks & Kids with Medical-Induced PTSD
Flanders article is very thorough, but one condition she doesn’t address is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children who have experienced pre-verbal invasive medical procedures. Those children may freak out at the sight of a mask.
Our son, who had numerous surgeries starting at birth, did just that on the first Halloween he celebrated at 16 months. (He spent his very first Halloween in the hospital.) When the door bell rang the first time that evening, I invited my elementary students, all decked out in costumes and masks, into our kitchen. Our son was sitting in his high chair, and started screaming, “Take off! Take off!” while pointing at the their faces. They did so, but he was inconsolable and trembled the whole evening.
When the therapists explained PTSD to me during our son’s treatment for PTSD in December of 2008, his response all those years ago made sense. The masks triggered our baby’s fear of surgical masks in the hospital, and he was justifiably terrified.
How to Do Halloween for Kids with Special Needs?
So how should parents do Halloween for kids with special needs? Start by reading Nancy Flander’s article at families.com. But if you suspect the celebration will traumatize your very young child, the best thing to do is skip the celebration this year. If your child is old enough to understand masks, choose friendly masks, not scary ones for your family members. Have everyone put them on and take them off in front of your child. Have your child do the same in the mirror until comfortable. If the child is still scared, ditch the masks and use face paint instead.
If you have other suggestions about how to prepare kids for celebrations involving masks and costumes, please jump in. Your comments are appreciated! You can read more about Nancy at www.chronicadmissions.blogspot.com and www.parentingsquad.com.
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