Fewer and fewer kids seem to go trick-or-treating in my neighborhood these days, but Halloween can still be a great holiday for autistic kids and equally stressful for the parents.  Dealing with strangers, unusual sights, sounds, tastes, and textures all make for a great learning experience.  Preparation for the holiday actually begins a month earlier when you start to receive all the party invites and begin looking for a costume.

Choosing a Costume:  Best thing to do is ask your child first and try to respect their decision.  My oldest son picked Spiderman right off and made things easy.  If your child is sensitive to strange textures, the cheap costumes will be a problem.  Wear sweats or shorts under the costume because your child may try to remove the costume if it starts to feel itchy.  Masks are especially difficult.  Better to go with a little makeup or just a hat.

Preparation: Review the rules ahead of time.  How many times do you ring the bell?  What do you say when the door opens.  Do you go inside? How many candies do you take?  Then what do you say after taking the candy? 

Practice:  Use your house as a test house.  Have your child ring the bell and practice an established procedure.  We had our son go down a step to prevent him from sticking his head in the door as soon as it opened.  Remind your child what will happen if they don’t follow the rules.  In my case, whomever broke the rules got “time out” in the wagon and sat out the next house.

Participate:  The more the merrier.  Best to have as least one adult per child, especially if you will be near busy roads.  A group of kids will allow someone to set a good example if anyone forgets.  Also, it’s a great chance for you to meet all the new neighbors.

Relax and Enjoy:  It’s not a contest to get the most candy.  If your kids look tired, ask them if they want to return home.  Bring something to drink along with you in case someone gets thirsty and a couple of lite sticks if it gets dark.  Best of all, remind them to share their candy with you.