Episode 45: Navigating Holiday Gatherings With An Autistic Child

listen on:
Apple Podcasts
Audible
Spotify
Pandora
YouTube Music

The holiday season is a time of joy and togetherness for many families, but it can also be a challenging time for parents of young autistic children. Changes in routines, sensory overload, and social gatherings can be overwhelming. In today’s episode we’ll explore seven tips to help parents of young autistic children navigate the holidays successfully.

Topics Discussed: Challenges autistic children and parents face during holiday gatherings, maintaining a consistent schedule, preparing autistic children in advance with a social story and visuals, using a portable visual schedule, communicating with family and friends, bringing comfort items and preferred food, having a plan B.

Links Mentioned In This Episode:

What Is Autism handout for friends and family

Thanksgiving social story

 Other Links You May Be Interested In:

Autism Little Learners on Instagram

Autism Little Learners on Facebook

You can also join my free Visual Supports Facebook Group to “hang out” with like- minded educators and parents who want to take action and implement visuals at home or at school.

Be sure to subscribe to The Autism Little Learners Podcast so you don’t miss future episodes. Plus, leave a rating & review on iTunes….this will help other educators and parents find this podcast! 

CLICK HERE to leave a review on iTunes, then scroll down to “ratings and reviews” and click “write a review”. THANK YOU!

Free Social Story Library: Support Predictability and Communication

Social stories can be a powerful tool for helping children understand what to expect, build confidence, and navigate everyday moments with more clarity and calm. Yet finding clear, ready-to-use social stories that are respectful, developmentally appropriate, and focused on connection—not compliance—can be time-consuming.

That’s why we created the Free Social Story Library.

This library offers a collection of social stories you can download and use right away—stories that support children in:

  • understanding routines and transitions
  • navigating common social situations
  • learning what comes next with visual and written supports
  • increasing participation and reducing uncertainty

Each social story is designed to put the learner first, using language and visuals that make expectations clearer while honoring neurodiversity and authentic experience.

0
0
Your Cart
Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop