Preparing your child for a happy easter egg hunting experience

What do all children like to do at Easter? They like to go egg hunting. For typically developing children and their parents, this is an event they can simply look forward to as usual. They would go to the place, take part in it and come away loaded with chocolate eggs. A happy day indeed! But for parents and families of children with autism, this is yet again another occasion, which their children might have to either miss altogether or be prepared for mentally even days before the actual event to be able to participate even if just for part of the occasion. The chaos of small children running amok, sights of people dressed up as bunnies, infinite variety of smell of being in a crowded place, sounds of many people talking at once and other noises related to the event such as announcements on loud speakers, weather-related sensations, not knowing what the event is and what to expect next could set off these children into a major melt-down. Some parents might shrug this off and go with their child anyway but for those who might want to be prepared to enable the best experience possible for their ASD child, check out this link for a social story for easter egg hunting. http://www.positivelyautism.com/downloads/Story_EasterEggHunt.pdf I strongly believe in the power of a social story to prepare a child with autism for an event. This particular story is filled with very pleasant visuals and easy to read text. So, help yourselves, print it out and read to your child frequently in the days leading up to the event, help her/him have the best experience of this fun event.