Friday, November 18, 2011

Living With Autism: Holiday Tips

I recently came across an excellent article for parents of children with autism.  From the Autism Society of America comes these most helpful tips for a joyful, successful holiday season.  For more ideas concerning life with autism visit their web site at www.autism-society.org.


Twelve Tips for Helping Living with Autism
Have a Happy Holiday Season

While many happily anticipate the coming holiday season, families of people on the autism spectrum also understand the special challenges that may occur when schedules are disrupted and routines broken. Our hope is that by following these few helpful tips, families may lessen the stress of the holiday season and make it a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved. The following tips were developed with input from the Autism Society, the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, Easter Seals Crossroads, the Sonya Ansari Center for Autism at Logan and the Indiana Autism Leadership Network..

1. Preparation is crucial for many individuals. At the same time, it is important to determine how much preparation a specific person may need. For example, if your son or daughter has a tendency to become anxious when anticipating an event that is to occur in the future, you may want to adjust how many days in advance you prepare him or her. Preparation can occur in various ways by using a calendar and marking the dates of various holiday events, or by creating a social story that highlights what will happen at a given event.

2. Decorations around the house may be disruptive for some. It may be helpful to revisit pictures from previous holidays that show decorations in the house. If such a photo book does not exist, use this holiday season to create one. For some it may also be helpful to take them shopping with you for holiday decorations so that they are engaged in the process. Or involve them in the process of decorating the house. And once holiday decorations have been put up, you may need to create rules about those that can and cannot be touched. Be direct, specific and consistent.

3. If a person with autism has difficulty with change, you may want to gradually decorate the house. For example, on the first day, put up the Christmas tree, then on the next day, decorate the tree and so on. And again, engage them as much as possible in this process. It may be helpful to develop a visual schedule or calendar that shows what will be done on each day.

4. If a person with autism begins to obsess about a particular gift or item they want, it may be helpful to be specific and direct about the number of times they can mention the gift. One suggestion is to give them five chips. They are allowed to exchange one chip for five minutes of talking about the desired gift. Also, if you have no intention of purchasing a specific item, it serves no purpose to tell them that maybe they will get the gift. This will only lead to problems in the future. Always choose to be direct and specific about your intentions.

5. Teach them how to leave a situation and/or how to access support when an event becomes overwhelming. For example, if you are having visitors, have a space set aside for the child as his/her safe/calm space. The individual should be taught ahead of time that they should go to their space when feeling overwhelmed. This self-management tool will serve the individual into adulthood. For those who are not at that level of self-management, develop a signal or cue for them to show when they are getting anxious, and prompt them to use the space. For individuals with more significant challenges, practice using this space in a calm manner at various times prior to your guests' arrival. Take them into the room and engage them in calming activities (e.g., play soft music, rub his/her back, turn down the lights, etc.). Then when you notice the individual becoming anxious, calmly remove him/her from the anxiety-provoking setting immediately and take him/her into the calming environment.

6. If you are traveling for the holidays, make sure you have their favorite foods, books or toys available. Having familiar items readily available can help to calm stressful situations. Also, prepare them via social stories or other communication systems for any unexpected delays in travel. If you are flying for the first time, it may be helpful to bring the individual to the airport in advance and help him/her to become accustomed to airports and planes. Use social stories and pictures to rehearse what will happen when boarding and flying.

7. Know your loved one with autism and how much noise and activity they can tolerate. If you detect that a situation may be becoming overwhelming, help them find a quiet area in which to regroup. And there may be some situations that you simply avoid (e.g., crowded shopping malls the day after Thanksgiving).

8. Prepare a photo album in advance of the relatives and other guests who will be visiting during the holidays. Allow the person with autism access to these photos at all times and also go through the photo album with him/her while talking briefly about each family member.

9. Practice opening gifts, taking turns and waiting for others, and giving gifts. Role play scenarios with your child in preparation for him/her getting a gift they do not want. Talk through this process to avoid embarrassing moments with family members. You might also choose to practice certain religious rituals. Work with a speech language pathologist to construct pages of vocabulary or topic boards that relate to the holidays and family traditions.

10. Prepare family members for strategies to use to minimize anxiety or behavioral incidents, and to enhance participation. Help them to understand if the person with autism prefers to be hugged or not, needs calm discussions or provide other suggestions that will facilitate a smoother holiday season. If the individual becomes upset, it might also be helpful to coach others to remain calm and neutral in an effort to minimize behavioral outbursts.

11. If the person with autism is on special diet, make sure there is food available that he/she can eat. And even if they are not on a special diet, be cautious of the amount of sugar consumed. And try to maintain a sleep and meal routine.

12. Above all, know your loved one with autism. Know how much noise and other sensory input they can take. Know their level of anxiety and the amount of preparation it may take. Know their fears and those things that will make the season more enjoyable for them.


Don’t stress. Plan in advance. And most of all have a wonderful holiday season!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Resolution 181 Revisted

The current debate over the establishment of a Palestinian State has taken on an ironic twist.  Recently the Palestinians have sought to gain recognition from the United Nations and thus are playing an end-around the Middle East Peace negotiations.  Then again, those negotiations have been stalled for decades.  That is precisely the point raised by the Palestinians.

The Israelis and the United States object to this maneuver.  And here is where I find the irony.  This small section of Planet Earth has had a long, tumultuous history that pre-dates the Bible itself.  This history is so long and complicated that I am going to over-simplify things here and attempt to present the situation as it existed following World War I.

The now-defunct League of Nations created the "Mandate for Palestine" effective September 26, 1923.  Essentially it established two States:  one known as "Palestine" was placed under direct British rule; the other called "Transjordan" was given autonomous rule.  Almost immediately a movement developed with the intent of creating an autonomous homeland for the Jewish people, a movement known as Zionism.

Following World War II, and fueled by the horrors of the Holocaust, Zionism gained international support.  The newly formed United Nations took up the issue and, in 1947, passed Resolution 181 that established the sovereign Nation of Israel and a separate, sovereign nation of Palestine, both carved out of a section of the former Mandate for Palestine.  The Resolution passed by a very narrow margin.  The boundaries that were established were odd and intertwined, which did not help the situation.  The region of Jerusalem and Bethlehem would remain under international control and not be granted to either Israel or Palestine.  The details were complicated and controversial. 

Almost as soon as the Resolution passed it was tested by a declaration of war between Israel and an alliance of Arab neighbors.  When it ended Israel looked very much like it does today, minus the West Bank (which went to Transjordan) and the Gaza Strip (which went to Egypt).  Palestine was left with nothing.  Next came the famous 6-Day War of 1967.  In a flurry Israel walked away with control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  Again, Palestinians had nothing they could call their own.

Ever since the 6-Day War there have been so-called "Peace Talks" or attempts at "Peace Talks" aimed at creating an independent, sovereign State of Palestine.  Occasionally some headway is gained, but in the larger scheme of things the goals have always remained unfulfilled.  How long should a people wait on a process that has proven to be impotent for over 44 years?  Rightly or wrongly the Palestinians have sought to pursue an alternate route by returning to the United Nations.

It makes sense, I suppose.  The United Nations is the authority that created the State of Israel and, originally, a Palestinian State.  Interestingly, the United States cast the deciding vote that made this possible.  Now, some sixty-four years later, the Palestinians have returned to the UN in hopes of gaining what was promised to them.  But whom should they find standing in the way?  None other than the United States of America.  The same country that cast the deciding vote sixty-four years earlier now goes on record to declare their opposition to such a plan through the United Nations!  It is significant to point out that the United States is not opposed to a sovereign Palestinian State.  They just feel that it should be established through Peace Talks and negotiations.

In a perfect world the U.S. is correct in their thinking.  If the Peace Talks successfully reach an accord in which the Palestinians are granted their own land and the opportunity to govern themselves accordingly, there is a greater chance for success.  Such an accomplishment would be born out of mutual support by the two major players - Israel and Palestine.  It would be built from the bottom up, which is always preferable to any edict issued from the top down (i.e. coming from the United Nations and forced upon the players.)

This, however, is not a perfect world.  While Israel claims they are not opposed to a free and sovereign Palestine their actions indicate otherwise.  Rather than taking steps toward that goal Israel continues to build settlements in the disputed territories and maintain a constant military presence in the West Bank.  One would think that 44 years would be enough time to reach a diplomatic goal if all parties were serious about a solution.  Instead there is an ominous cloud of doubt hanging over the real intentions of Israel.  One could say that they hold all the cards - or all the land, as it were - and thus have no motivation to change the status quo.

Perhaps the only real solution is return to the United Nations - but not in the manner that is currently being pursued by the Palestinians.  The more logical option is to ask the United Nations to reaffirm Resolution 181 and hold all its members accountable for respecting it.  Resolution 181 established two sovereign States, not one.  It is time to face the facts and return to the terms and conditions that graciously permitted Israel and Palestine to co-exist in the modern world.  If Israel cannot agree to her birthright, then perhaps she needs to surrender it.

And the United States had better refresh its memory and realize that this was the solution it endorsed in 1947 when she cast the deciding vote to usher in this era.  To deny it now would be to call into question American integrity in the International Community.


G. D. Gehr
November 3, 2011