All children love holidays....right?

So many well-meaning people make the assumption that what is fun for "most" children should be fun for all children. It is often the child with autism who most clearly demonstrates how incorrect this supposition can be.

Parents who know their children with autism very well are often burdened with the additional chore of fending off unsolicited advice or criticism from those who do not understand.

Describe a dozen of the worst scenarios for a child with autism, each one challenging enough by itself, and you can bet that most of the items on that list actually occur at the same time around the holidays. In a nutshell:

On the 12th day of Christmas the world imposed on me...

12 guests a-talking

11 doorbells ringing

10 trips for shopping

 9 routines breaking

 8 strangers doting

 7 new foods cooking

 6 new loud noises

 5 "What-the-hecks??"

 4 broken rules

 3 shopping mauls

           2 creepy santas          

                                                        

and a tree growing in the living room

Do you have tips and tricks to help people with autism cope with the demands of the holiday? Are you feeling anxious about how your child will handle the holidays? Do you have some great stories to tell?