Autism, Halloween and Half-Term

Sometimes you can come across an assumption that the school holidays are something that everyone's looking forward to, but that really depends.

You can be looking forward to having your children at home and still feel anxious about how you're going to manage it.

Yeah, definitely.

I think I find myself sort of in denial with the holidays coming up.

I used to like plan so much and I think it was necessary at the time.

But these days I'm more like head in the sand and then, oh gosh, it's here.

Yeah, and children have mixed feelings about it too, don't they? Some are definitely relieved that it's the end of the school term, whilst others really struggle with that change

in routine, lack of routine.

Yeah, that's definitely something we see.

All right.

So when you hear half term, what's your first reaction?

I know it shouldn't be.

Partly looking forward to, you know, obviously spending time with my children.

That's nice.

But also we're out of routine and we don't have a timetable.

And I think I struggle with that myself, actually.

I like to know what I'm doing every day and I don't like to be the one that has to make it all up.

And I feel the pressure to do that during the holidays.

It's me that has to sort of drive everything.

But yes, my eldest child likes the routine of school and it always upsets them when it's holiday time.

Particularly the way it comes out is eating is different.

So I can struggle with what to feed them.

More skin picking is a big one.

Over the summer holidays, that was really bad.

They just picked their skin on their leg so bad they didn't respond to, you know, I was trying to encourage them not to do that.

Sometimes you can come across an assumption that the school holidays are something that everyone's looking forward to, but that really depends.

You can be looking forward to having your children at home and still feel anxious about how you're going to manage it.

Yeah, definitely.

I think I find myself sort of in denial with the holidays coming up.

I used to like plan so much and I think it was necessary at the time.

But these days I'm more like head in the sand and then, oh gosh, it's here.

Yeah, and children have mixed feelings about it too, don't they? Some are definitely relieved that it's the end of the school term, whilst others really struggle with that change

in routine, lack of routine.

Yeah, that's definitely something we see.

All right.

So when you hear half term, what's your first reaction?

I know it shouldn't be.

Partly looking forward to, you know, obviously spending time with my children.

That's nice.

But also we're out of routine and we don't have a timetable.

And I think I struggle with that myself, actually.

I like to know what I'm doing every day and I don't like to be the one that has to make it all up.

And I feel the pressure to do that during the holidays.

It's me that has to sort of drive everything.

But yes, my eldest child likes the routine of school and it always upsets them when it's holiday time.

Particularly the way it comes out is eating is different.

So I can struggle with what to feed them.

More skin picking is a big one.

Over the summer holidays, that was really bad.

They just picked their skin on their leg so bad they didn't respond to, you know, I was trying to encourage them not to do that.