G.P.S. Newsletter for October

 

Top Five Tips for Getting Your Autistic Child Into Their Fall Coat

Fall is in the air, and a change of seasons means a change in temperature. This can be problematic for some on the autism spectrum because of difficulty with temperature regulation. Jeannie Davide-Rivera, mother of three autistic sons, wrote an excellent post about this very topic. She says, “Temperature regulation is an automated body system that regulates the body’s core temperature in response to outside stimuli. The temperature of the body is regulated by neural feedback mechanisms in the brain, which operate primarily through the hypothalamus. It has the remarkable capacity for regulating the body’s core temperature that keeps your body temperature somewhere between 98F and 100F. When your body is exposed to heat or cold conditions this system balances your internal temperature with the temperature outside.”

Because of sensory processing issues, autistic individuals may exhibit hyper or hypo sensitivities to heat and cold. A child may not feel how cold it is in the winter and take off his coat. Another person may start to shiver as soon as they come out of the sun and enter an air-conditioned room.

Temperature regulation issues are important to know about because it can lead to discomfort and later, challenging behavior such as meltdowns or shutdowns. Teachers and school playground supervisors will have to work extra hard to keep an eye on those children who are not wearing a coat while outside at recess. Look for signs of overheating or the need for extra cool down time, like after physical activity.

Here are my top five tips for helping ease the transition, and getting your child dressed for the change in the weather:

  1. Be a good role model. Dressing yourself for the outdoors is going to help show your child the way. Don’t like wearing a hat? Likely your child is going to follow your lead. So dress yourself up first before you get your child ready.
  1. Pick your battles. Leaving the house, or coming inside doesn’t have to be an all out struggle. Choose what you think is the most essential, and go from there. Do they really need mittens to get out the door, or is that something you can take with you, or put in their pockets for later.
  1. Offer choices. Giving your child a sense of control over what they want to wear, or being able to provide some other choices when one has been turned down can really help avoid frustration.
  1. Just keep trying till you find what works. Not all those with sensory sensitivity like the same things. Some can’t stand the prickly feeling of wool, others won’t like the slipperiness of silk. Your child will eventually let you know what works for them.
  1. When you find something that works, buy more of them. Some kids are very particular about what works for them. Buying a few different sizes up can limit arguing about putting on clothing for several years while your child grows. Understanding that your child is truly uncomfortable, and that you just need to try and work with them to find a solution can often waylay the dreaded daily door frustration that can happen for many parents.


How Autism Affects Kids in Winter : Introducing Them to a New Routine


If you’re the parent of a child with autism, there is one word in your vocabulary that stands out from all the others: routines. Kids with autism create routines to help navigate through various situations they find themselves in. As you’re probably well aware, abiding by these rituals is paramount for autistic children and they are likely to show their irritation if you try to stop them.

The Challenge of Winter

Most people don’t look forward to the onset of winter. It means getting out the warm clothes, wearing lots of layers, starting the car and letting it sit for a while, etc.

For those of us who are parenting children with autism, though, a whole new challenge emerges. Just because autism and routines go hand-in-hand doesn’t always mean they do so amicably.

All of a sudden, your son or daughter has to wear bulky clothes. Now they can’t go play outside as much as they used to. Maybe some of their favorite outdoor activities are no longer possible.

Keep in mind that winter can be especially dangerous for those with autism too, so you really need to prioritize helping them transition.

How to Help Your Autistic Child Adjust to Winter

You’re not alone when it comes to managing your child’s autism symptoms in light of winter. Other parents have successfully used these three tips:

· Use motivators to help your child adjust to their new routines. You can even modify motivators you typically use to make them match the season (e.g. candy canes or Christmas cookies instead of their favorite treats).

· If your child doesn’t like wearing his or her coat or other bulky clothes, start small. See if he/she can wear it for five minutes or even just five seconds. Should that prove too daunting, see if he/she’ll put on a sleeve for a few seconds to begin with.

· Introduce step-by-step instructions with pictures. Like motivators, your child may already have a version of this, so now you just need to introduce one for winter.

Make sure your child gets outdoors too. Unless the temperatures are dangerously cold, this will help a lot. Of course, safety is still paramount. You can also use some of our indoor activity tips to help them blow off steam when it’s too cold to go outside.

Winter is tough for all of us, but especially so for children with autism. If you notice the above tips aren’t helping enough, please feel free to contact our team at Woodburn Pediatrics as well.



References: 

Maureen Bennie, Autism Awareness Centre Inc. (2015) Top Five Tips for Getting Your Autistic Child Into Their Fall Coat. https://autismawarenesscentre.com/five-tips-for-getting-child-with-autism-into-coat/#:~:text=Because%20of%20sensory%20processing%20issues,enter%20an%20air%2Dconditioned%20room

Woodburn pediatric clinic,(March 4, 2016) .How Autism Affects Kids in Winter: Introducing Them to a New Routine.https://www.woodburnpediatric.com/blog/how-autism-affects-kids-in-winter-introducing-them-to-a-new-routine/



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