Today's post will cover FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS and SANTA/TRADITIONS!!
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Family
Photographs
1) Go at a time
of day when children are well-rested and not hungry. Do not rush and arrive early. Even though you may not realize it, children
pick up on your energy and mood. Try to
remain calm and relaxed about the photo shoot. Some of the best pictures are candid and taken at un-expected times.
2) Write a
letter or speak to the photographer ahead of time. Most studios will schedule extra time for
children who have special needs. Request
a photographer who is patient. If
possible, schedule a photographer to visit your family outside of the
studio. We have found that this may be a
more affordable option than a studio because of low-overhead costs.
3) Use social
stories and real-life pictures about what the child will encounter during the
photography process. Practice often. Explain
that the bright lights/flashes are OK and will not hurt children. Photography props are often wonderful
distractions for kids.
4) Permit a
child to have a transition or “safe” item.
In every one of my family’s holiday pictures there’s an item that doesn’t
quite belong, such as a train car or Minecraft figurine. Remember that the memories of family being
together should be more important than the “perfect” picture.
Read MORE about TOLERANCE of clothing and TRANSITIONS in our book, The Pocket Occupational Therapist for Families of Children with Autism and Special Needs
5) Be
flexible. Consider that “fancy” clothes
are often scratchy, have tags, and may contain textures that aren’t familiar to
children. Permit the child to wear
comfortable versions of colors that you’d like the family portrait to
have. For example, last year we used
blue and while colors. My younger son
will only wear soft sweat pants so we permitted him to wear blue sweats. We all matched, and no one was the wiser!
Visits
with Santa and Holiday Traditions
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| Don't get too close! |
1) Make a plan
of all the things your family wants to accomplish during the holidays. Allow your child to participate and explain
that while there are things everyone must do, other things can be
flexible. For example, choose a visit to
see the local holiday light show or the light-up night at the shopping
plaza. Post the schedule in a central
location and review it daily.
2) As my children grew, I had high expectations that
the traditions we had in our family would continue. This was not the case. Instead of feeling let-down, we decided to
begin fresh. Every year, I permit my
boys to choose the types of lights on our tree, colored or white. They love being given the choice. We permit them to help decorate the tree and
do not move the items which are clustered together or imperfectly perfect!
3) No holiday
is complete without the visit with Santa Claus….not true for all kids. My older son never enjoyed or felt
comfortable looking at someone in a costume. It seemed as though he always knew that Santa was a “helper” and not the
real deal. To make the memory of Santa
special, we take children who are younger, such as cousins or neighbors, to see
Santa and my son enjoys seeing their excitement!
4) If children do agree to see Santa, create a social
story with pictures of Santa, including his beard, velvet/soft red suit, and
the setting in which Santa will be located. Go to the location prior to the visit and watch other children. Practice, practice, practice!
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Keeping calm and taking a few deep breaths goes a long way. Remember how important it is to relax to avoid getting too run-down or sick during this busy time of year.
By: Cara Koscinski MOT, OTR/L
Cara is the homeschooling mother to two boys. She has been an OT for over 17 years and is the author of two books to help teachers, parents, and therapists. Her "Out of the POCKET" ideas have helped thousands of people. Visit her site at www.PocketOT.com for more information.