> What is an alternative to having lights on your tree if your child has an aver- sion?


> Is your child allergic to pine?


> If your child likes to pull pine needles off the tree and eat them, consider an alternative, like an artificial Christmas tree or place a small real one on a high table, out of reach.


> Do you have glass ornaments and is your child safe with these? If not, con- sider only plastic ornaments.


• If your child doesn’t have fine motor skills, practice opening gifts. For exam- ple, have your child wrap little fun ob- jects and open them.


• Put pictures on the gifts instead of names because your child might not recognize everyone’s names.


• Make a calendar so your child knows when the tree is coming and going to the recycle bin or getting discarded.


• Count down when the gifts will be opened, “Ten days until we open gifts!”


• Consider hiding gifts until it’s time to open.


• Practice any expected behaviors in advance, like shaking hands with a guest, placing a napkin in a lap, etc.


Day-of Holiday Events


• Prepare your child’s favorite foods and snacks in case the child doesn’t like the holiday meal. If you are going to another home, take your child’s favorite foods, music and snacks with you.


• Schedule an early dinner or eat in ad- vance to a family get-together.


• Reward your child throughout the event and reinforce positive behaviors.


• Use ABA/floor time techniques: “First, we will do this,” “Second, we will do this,” etc.


• Assign tasks that you feel your child can manage, so they can participate on some level.


• Keep your eye on your child for signs of anxiety or distress. If your child is very active take them to the park or a place where they can freely move to help them calm down.


• Take great care to be sensitive to your children’s sensory issues.


Tips for Holiday Travel!


A Little Planning Goes a Long Way Holidays are the busiest time of year


to travel by plane. Preparing a child, teen- ager or adult with autism spectrum disorder for plane travel - and new security tech- niques used at airport security checkpoints


- can make a huge difference in making holiday travel a more enjoyable experience for all involved. Start by providing the airline with


advanced information. Offer to email or fax information to let them know you will be traveling with an individual with autism and the challenges the individual may face on travel day. A good place to start is to prepare a one page document with infor- mation stating the diagnosis, any allergies or medications, and other special informa- tion (i.e. communication ability). Persons with autism should always


carry identification. Make sure an ID tag is attached somewhere on the individual. You can order medical bracelets, necklaces and tags to attach to shoe laces. If the individ- ual carries a cell phone, activate the GPS device as a safety precaution. Adult pas- sengers (18 and over) are required to show a U.S. federal or state-issued photo ID that contains the following: name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resis- tant feature in order to be allowed to go through the checkpoint and onto their flight. Acceptable identification includes: Drivers Licenses or other state photo iden- tification cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles. To help prepare the individual for the trip, bring a special item to make him or her feel more comfortable. A favorite elec- tronic device or book can help focus the individual during travel days, which are often filled with lots of waiting. Having special foods readily available, rather than standing in long lines for food, will also help things go smoothly.


Robinhood Integrative Health Bruce Lantelme, MD


Weston “Wiggy” Saunders, MD Bose Ravenel, MD


Elizabeth Bozeman, MD Haley Neal, MD


Maureen Lamont, ANP-C • Kelly Carpenter, NP-C • Jenny Addison FNP-C n 336.768.3335


• Bioidenti cal Hormone Replacement Therapy • Adrenal & Thyroid problems • Breast Health • Perimenopause / Menopause


32


• Low Testosterone • Nutriti onal Medicine • Epigeneti cs • Consultati ve Pediatrics


www.RobinhoodIntegrativeHealth.com NaturalTriad.com


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