Trick-or-Treating Tips
- Practice. Have your child put on their costume. Have them say “trick or treat” (using their voice, AAC or sign). Then, once they do…give them a treat. I promise, they’ll catch on quick. Then prompt them to communicate their thanks in whatever way they are able.
- Get some glow bracelets to put on your child so you can easily find them in the dark. Put some in a place they cannot remove them, like the back of their costume.
- Keep it short and sweet. If your kid cares how much candy they got, buy some to supplement.
- Go with a small group if you can. Friends, neighbors, etc… Then, the other kids will all be saying ‘trick-or-treat’ and your child may just be able to hold out their bucket and reap the rewards. You can even print the words directly on the bucket so when your child holds it out, it is as if they are saying ‘trick-or-treat.’
- Take photos of your child with other children, doing all the Halloween stuff! You can use them for next year to prepare your child for Halloween after a long year of doing other things.
- Prepare one thing you might say if anything awkward happens, like for example, an old person with no filter answers their door and asks you what’s wrong with your kid…you know, words that can replace the swift punch to the face you’d be considering.
- If your kid only likes one or two kinds of candies, add alternate candy to the practice (see tip #1). Show them what to do. They can say thank you and trade you for one of the candies they like, which you have brought because you knew this would happen.
- Have an exit strategy. What happens if your special kiddo can’t go on? Can your other kid(s) stay with another family and keep trick-or-treating or can another family member come get your special kiddo so you can keep going with the other kids? Just think it out ahead of time to save yourself panic, in the dark, while you’re trying to keep track of kids.
- Consider an alternative: parents of kids with special needs – and all kids who might march to the beat of their own drum – need to think outside the box. Could you pop some popcorn and watch The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown? Could you buy some candy and make a little scavenger hunt around the house? Does your school or town offer a trunk-or-treat option which is often more manageable and takes place during the day? You get my drift…if trick-or-treating is not right for your child, you can still celebrate Halloween.
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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