Tips for Supporting Neurodivergent Children During the festive season

13 December 2024

Christmas can be a wonderful time of year but for parents of children who are neurodivergent, the festive season presents challenges both at home and in educational settings due to sensory overload, which can lead to distressed behaviours.

The festive and New Year party season brings an abundance of sensory triggers such as loud guests, balloons popping, Christmas songs being played on repeat, busier than usual shopping centres, late nights, bright lights, shiny tinsel and the added anxiety of a strange man in a red suit (AKA Father Christmas) delivering presents down the chimney on Christmas Eve. For many families, It can be difficult to navigate and hard to make it fun and relaxing for the whole family. 

Michelle Myers, our Head of Central Services, Inclusive Practice and North West Autism Central,

is an autistic woman and mother to autistic children, shares her knowledge and some of her experience and tips from her team for supporting neurodivergent children and young people at Christmas.

Michelle says, “We expect Christmas to be an exciting and magical time, but for neurodivergent children, the disruption to their routine, the sensory overload, and overwhelming influx of new information, can be very stressful and sometimes even distressing. Add in a few later nights, a nativity play at school plus Christmas parties and all of this can trigger episodes of increased levels of anxiety, fluctuation of needs and different behaviours as they process these changes.”

It can be a really challenging time, but there are steps that parents and schools can take to better support children and young people and reduce the overall stress of the festive period. 

Design your own personal Christmas Celebrations

Be unapologetically you and do what brings your family peace and joy this Christmas. Whether it’s the unwrapped presents under the tree because your child has a sensory sensitivity to wrapping paper, or they eat their favourite pizza covered in ketchup instead of Christmas dinner. Do what works for you. Create new traditions and be flexible with your plans. Neurodivergent families are wonderfully unique so it makes sense that our Christmas should be just as wonderfully unique as we are!

Plan Ahead & Stick to Routine

Keep as many routines in place as possible. Some routines for autistic people are as essential to us as breathing so to have too many changes can really impact us. When things do have to change, plan as far in advance as you can and give your child as much warning as possible, and don’t change too many things at once. 

Flexible Foods 

Keep familiar favourite food choices on the menu alongside Christmas dinner as too many new options can be overwhelming at mealtimes. Providing flexibility as to when and where they eat is important too – try not to get fixated on making sure everyone sits down together at the same time and go with the flow. If your child prefers to sit away from the table or eat a picnic on the floor, let them! 

Visual Supports 

Visual supports such as lists, calendars, text messages or even photos can help us prepare for new experiences such as the Christmas tree going up or a visit from Father Christmas. It helps us to process time, sequence activities and even reduces our anxiety. Any kind of visual support you can provide will act as a ‘sat nav’ to guide their day. Helping them see the steps they need to take, preventing them from getting lost, mapping out the time it will take so they can see it will end, and most importantly preventing them from getting lost and overwhelmed.  

Remember to recharge 

Imagine we all have a battery inside us. Some things we do drain our battery, and some things we do charge our battery. December brings with it lots of things that can quickly deplete autistic children’s batteries. The carols, the flashing lights, the party poppers, noisy guests and so on. So, we need to remember that their little batteries may need more opportunities to charge at this time. More rest, more down days, more sensory strategies, more visual support. Even on Christmas day. Take a sensory bag, ear defenders, a dark den, their favourite snack or blanket, whatever works for them. 

Advocate the needs of your child 

Say no to events that you know will be stressful. Tell Aunty Irene that hugs are a no go. Ask school for a timetable of events. You owe no explanations to anyone. Autistic individuals deserve to have their often-hidden needs accepted and respected. We can easily fall into the trap of feeling the pressure to conform but this can lead to masking, which is never a good thing for anyone. Communicate your child’s needs and be proud of your families’ differences. 

Re-think Gifting

For autistic people, gifting can be an overwhelming and confusing experience, so re-think traditional and give gifts in a way that reduces anxiety for your child. Autistic children can find the ripping sounds and even the colours and patterns of wrapping paper overwhelming. Some families use ‘easy to see inside’ gift bags or clear cellophane to wrap gifts or ditch wrapping paper altogether.

Decorate your way

If it makes life less stressful, decorate the tree in stages rather than doing everything at once. Provide a visual plan to show how the Christmas tree will look and ask your child if they would like to decorate it in their favourite colours or styles. Consider muted colours, avoid bright flashing lights and use plastic decorations that won’t smash and make a loud noise like glass. Keeping one or two rooms undecorated ensures that your child has somewhere familiar and safe to go to if they need down time.

Set the scene

It’s tempting to fill the house with music, light some scented candles and make the house look and smell festive. Instead, opt for softer lighting, quiet music and fragrance free candles as all these can be overstimulating to a neurodivergent child. Create a cosy corner away from the daily festivities where they can just retreat to as soon as they feel overwhelmed and make sure there are headphones, soft blankets, fidget toys and any items that create calm.

02 April 2024

Soap star and singer Stephanie Davis has been appointed as an Ambassador for Great Minds Together (GMT), a leading not-for-profit provider of support for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

Stephanie’s appointment is owing to her deep personal connection to GMT’s cause, as they work to increase awareness and understanding about behaviour as well as challenging the use of isolation in schools, highlighting its negative impact on young people.

As someone who has openly shared her journey with her autism diagnosis and her difficulties navigating her undiagnosed needs growing up and the impact that had on her mental health, Stephanie brings a wealth of empathy, understanding, and first-hand experience to this role.

Stephanie shared her experiences in an authentic and candid speech at GMT’s Charity Ball in 2023 which was incredibly impactful. It was her openness that cemented to GMT that they wanted to work more closely with Stephanie.

Commenting, Stephanie said “It is a privilege and an honour to become an Ambassador for Great Minds Together. Together we want to raise awareness about the challenges our young people are facing and to have more understanding about our children’s behaviour. To have compassion for our children who are often misunderstood and change our approach and mindset to these behaviours. Being an Ambassador means so much to me, as when I was a child I fell through the net, so growing up I struggled with life and not understanding why I was the way I was, or having the right help to help me navigate my way through this difficult thing called life. I’m looking forward to working with Great Minds Together to make sure no one else struggles like I did. It’s time for change and inclusion not isolation and ignorance.”

In her role as Ambassador,  Stephanie will use her experience and platform to increase understanding and raise awareness about challenges that impact children and young people with SEND.

Emma Mander, Founder of Great Minds Together said “We are thrilled to welcome Stephanie to GMT. Her passion and dedication to supporting children and young people facing similar challenges resonate deeply with us at Great Minds Together. We are honoured to welcome Stephanie to our team and look forward to the positive impact she will undoubtedly make as our ambassador in 2024.”

Stephanie will take an active role in GMT’s Behaviour Awareness Week, that will take place from 23 – 29 September 2024. The awareness week was launched last year with the purpose to raise awareness and understanding of behaviour in young people and the dangers of sanctioning led behaviour policies in schools.

GMT advocate that all behaviour is a form of communication, and that we should be listening to what children and young people are trying to tell us, using a more therapeutic approach, which has proven benefits and positive outcomes.

Stephanie joined GMT at the North West Autism Hub on Tuesday 2nd April to celebrate Autism Acceptance Day.