I have previously mentioned that we really do not celebrate Halloween by wearing costumes, decorating the house or buying candy. We did pass out candy for several years but they are trick or treating later each year so we keep the outside light off. Plus the fact that we have at least seven cats in our yard, one is all black while five are tuxedo feral cats. Where I grew up in New Jersey they were coming to the door at dinner time, but here in Los Angeles they go to the gate at the sidewalk.

My kids are now 14 and 15 in Middle School and first year of High School. While in Elementary School they really did not like to participate in the parade that their respective schools held to celebrate Halloween. I would pick up Matthew early so he would not have to deal with the people and change in his regular day. Even if Halloween falls on a weekend the school still has their parade. Kids bring their costumes to change into as they are not allowed to wear them to school. Now that Matthew is in Middle School I have yet to receive any notification of parties or costumes. I found out the morning of picture day last week that they did not have to wear uniforms that day. This was relayed to me by his aide, giving me minimum time to run into the house and grab a blue striped shirt before the bus showed up.

Halloween Experiences for Autism Families is a compilation I gathered of costumes, treats, pics, parties, recipes, crafts, e-cards,decorations, coloring pages, social stories, picture cards and safety links and resources.

My kids do however enjoy reading and looking through books that celebrate Halloween and watching movies, as well as listening to festive music for the Holiday. SpongeBob has 5 Spooky Sea Tales. When we were short on funds Nicholas agreed to sell his SpongeBob DVDs. Here is a sampling of what this autism family prefers for Halloween.

Books::

Glad Monster, Sad Monster this is a family favorite for both boys.

Pooh's Pumpkin


Movies:

Winnie the Pooh in Frankenpooh is a favorite movie that gets turned up loud when viewing.

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Winnie The Pooh in Boo To You Too!


Music:

Free Halloween songs to download

Halloween Online Magazine - a listing of movies and music for all ages.

Halloween songs for children and teens - songs for teaching


Here are some other articles on the topic of Halloween found at other sites here at BellaOnline:

Bewitching Twitches - Children's TV site

Allergen-Free Halloween Treats - Allergies and Colds site

The Night Before Halloween - Children's Books site

Halloween Dessert Recipe - Quick Cooking site has a listing of Halloween Recipes

Costumes for Children with Special Needs - Special Needs site

Frightfully Creative Halloween Hair - Hair site

Low Budget Halloween Costumes for Kids - Costuming site

Make your own Pumpkin Patch - Crafts for Kids site

Halloween Quick Ideas - Paper Crafts site




Educational Autism Tips for Families 71 page resourceful ebook for families entering the school system with a recent autism diagnosis. Find out what issues take place over the course of a school day and meet these challenges head on.