Hi. I'm mum to a 5 year old son with autism. He's in mainstream school and I was looking for any tips or advice on dealing with Christmas. The other children in his class are excited about Santa and I'm wondering how to explain things. Also any advice on dealing with all the changes to his routine? Thanks.
Hi Harrysmum
We resist the pressure to have an ‘over-the-top’ christmas like most other people’s. It can still be a special day, a special time, by doing the things your son really enjoys, whatever they are. My brother has no interest in presents at all, opening them is a chore (even sometimes a source of stress) and he gets no excitement from seeing what’s inside. He is happier if I just give him a new unwrapped book and don’t say anything. He can get stressed by lots of other people around him opening their presents too, so we try and avoid that too.When I was little my parents used to give me my presents on christmas eve after my brother had gone to bed – this made it special and magical for me but avoided any stress for him. Long ago our family ‘let go’ of the conventional expectations of christmas and it makes life easier for us all. My brother has no concept of the ‘make-believe’ of Father Christmas. He enjoys recognising pictures of him as a character, and we leave it at that. He likes looking at pictures of robins and reindeers. but having xmas cards on show all over the place can overwhelm him – he prefers having them in a pile and looking through them if and when he chooses to. Coping with a xmas tree and decorations and stuff isn’t always easy (it’s introducing change as well as loads of visual overload) - if it’s not a good idea we don’t bother and we don’t worry if we’re the only house in the street without christmas lights in the window. My brother likes carolsinging and going to the pantomime, and his christmas dinner, so there are special things at christmas that he can enjoy.
Happy Midwinter Festival everyone, whatever and however you choose to celebrate 
Hi Harrysmum
We resist the pressure to have an ‘over-the-top’ christmas like most other people’s. It can still be a special day, a special time, by doing the things your son really enjoys, whatever they are. My brother has no interest in presents at all, opening them is a chore (even sometimes a source of stress) and he gets no excitement from seeing what’s inside. He is happier if I just give him a new unwrapped book and don’t say anything. He can get stressed by lots of other people around him opening their presents too, so we try and avoid that too.When I was little my parents used to give me my presents on christmas eve after my brother had gone to bed – this made it special and magical for me but avoided any stress for him. Long ago our family ‘let go’ of the conventional expectations of christmas and it makes life easier for us all. My brother has no concept of the ‘make-believe’ of Father Christmas. He enjoys recognising pictures of him as a character, and we leave it at that. He likes looking at pictures of robins and reindeers. but having xmas cards on show all over the place can overwhelm him – he prefers having them in a pile and looking through them if and when he chooses to. Coping with a xmas tree and decorations and stuff isn’t always easy (it’s introducing change as well as loads of visual overload) - if it’s not a good idea we don’t bother and we don’t worry if we’re the only house in the street without christmas lights in the window. My brother likes carolsinging and going to the pantomime, and his christmas dinner, so there are special things at christmas that he can enjoy.
Happy Midwinter Festival everyone, whatever and however you choose to celebrate
