Halloween Guide for Parents of Children with Disabilities

Halloween is a fun and exciting holiday for children and their families. With costumes, candy, and spooky delights, it is no wonder October 31 is so popular with kids, and kids at heart. Parenting a child with a disability or medical challenge can make full participation in Halloween and other bits of fall fun more complicated, as the idea of going apple picking or trick-or-treating might be more scary, rather than fun. In this guide you will find resources to make planning for Halloween a little bit easier.

Managing Diabetes in the midst of a sugar-focused holiday can be difficult. These resources can help families assuage blood-sugar-related concerns, or help come up with alternatives to treat-focused activities.

• Halloween Tips for Kids with Diabetes from the Diabetes Council.

• 9 Tips For Celebrating Halloween with Diabetes from Medtronic.

• 7 Tips for Trick-or-Treating with Diabetes by Morissa Ladinsky, MD, a pediatrician at GroupHealth.

Children with autism spectrum disorder may have challenges including trouble with communication and social cues, fear of the dark, or trouble stepping out of a routine. These articles offer parent-tested tips for working through common sensory challenges that may threaten to hinder Halloween fun.

• Halloween for Children on the Autism Spectrum, from The Place for Children with Autism.

• Tips for Preparing Your Child for Halloween by National Autism Resources.

• Tips for Making Halloween Fun for Your Child with Autism, from Innovative Behavior Options.

Individuals with Visual Impairments or who have Hearing Impairment/Deafness may encounter unique safety concerns while out and about on a busy holiday. These articles are a great place to start when planning for Halloween fun.

• Trick-or-Treating Tips, by Tracy Kinoshita, parent and board member of Society for the Blind.

• Halloween Safety Tips for Visually Impaired Children, by Outlook Nebraska.

• A Meaningful and Accessible Halloween for Children with Visual Impairments from the Connect Center.

• Beltone Hearing’s blog offers parents Halloween safety tips for hearing impaired children, several of which are DIY visual aids to help kids navigate their way in the dark.

• 4 Halloween Hearing Aid Safety Tips from REM Audiology offers ideas for hearing accessible costumes, even including suggestions to make hearing aids a fun part of the costume itself.

Navigating Halloween happenings with a Mobility Impairment may require a little extra preparation. Here are some resources for making Halloween more accessible for children who use mobility aides.

• These 5 Tips to Help Your Child in a Wheelchair Have a Fun Halloween help parents and kids alike navigate Halloween fun unrestricted by a wheelchair.

• Five Tips for Enjoying an Accessible Halloween, from Enabling Devices, gives parents and kids both planned and last-minute costume accommodation ideas.

• The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association shares Tips for a Safe, Fun and Mobile Accessible Halloween.

• 3 Tips for a Fun, Mobile Accessible Halloween from Next Day Access equipment services include specific costume ideas that incorporate the wheelchair.

Food Allergies are a common challenge for many children and their parents.

These two articles offer expert advice from practicing allergy physicians who understand the extra challenges that food allergies can pose on holidays like Halloween.

• From the American Academy of Pediatrics, this article offers advice on avoiding a food allergy scare.

• From Dr. Saltzman, an attending allergy physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Making Halloween Safe and Fun for Kids with Food Allergies offers advice on how to make Halloween equal parts fun and safe.

• The Teal Pumpkin Project advocates for non-food treats to be given out on Halloween as an option for children with food allergies and other dietary restrictions. Check out their website for a whole host of Halloween related resources, including a list of low-cost, non-food items that you can hand out to trick-or-treaters.

• Having a fun, safe Halloween for kids with food allergies is possible with these tips from Priscilla Benavides, a registered dietician at Texas A&M. This article includes guidance on reading food labels for common allergies, and tips on spotting signs of an allergic reaction.

• The Spokin app was designed to help individuals with food allergies manage their meal and snack choices with ease. Their site includes allergy-friendly guides and recipes for all of the upcoming holidays, including Halloween, and their candy guide can help you find safe treats for individuals with all of the most common food allergies.