Preparing for the holidays for special needs children

Christmas was fast approaching with less than two weeks to go. You could see all the cars flowing in and out of the shopping markets and the grocery stores as families prepared for the upcoming feast. Schools, too, were getting ready for their annual Christmas parties. Pullam Elementary, like all the other schools, was decorated with lots of red and green ornaments throughout the school. There was a huge tree in the front with lot of beautiful decorations on it. The children in room 623 were like all the rest of the students. Their class had lots of decorations too. The students had cut and hung long patterns of red and green rings throughout the room. Each ring was stamped with lots of cut outs to create additional patterns. The students had made these rings during vocational time in the class. Plus, the children had wrapped dozens of presents to give to their friends in the general education classes. It helped the children learn to give not just to receive gifts during the holiday time.

The last few days of December were also time for the annual family Christmas dinner in room 623. On the day before Christmas vacation, the students have their grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, parents and siblings come to class for the yearly Christmas dinner. Traditional foods of tamales, rice, pico de gallo, beans a la charra were simmering on the stove, creating wonderful smells in the classroom. Even the nontraditional food of pizza appeared that day in the class. It was the children’s special day, after all, and they all voiced a desire for pizza. Some of the students had asked for pizza verbally while others held up a picture of pizza when questioned what food they wanted for the party.

The actual day of the party is always an exciting one for the children. The older students knew that their families and friends would be coming to class to have dinner with them. The younger ones were not quite sure what was happening but they could feel the excitement. For several weeks before the party, the children had been working on calendars. Most of them understood well what December meant. One little boy, several years ago, remembered that December was not only the day for Christmas. It also was one of snow, the first time in 100 years in Brownsville, Texas. He kept asking for the December calendar to be put up well before the month actually arrived. Finally, in late November, the teacher gave in and put the last few days of November on the empty part of the December calendar. Then, the boy blurted out, "December, snow come on down." The teacher laughed and said, "I don’t know, Johnny. Maybe but we don’t usually have snow." The boy was undeterred and with conviction said again, "December snow." The teacher suggested that the parents consider taking their son on a short trip to the mountains for snow during Christmas break. The local forecast showed the temperatures in the 80’s for quite awhile.

The day of the Christmas dinner was a wonderful event. It also brought about the unexpected, too, as the children learned how to behave in family gatherings. They had practiced for several weeks by role playing and with stories. Even with practice though, the unexpected would usually happen. For example, when Mario spotted his mother coming in, he decided he was going to go home right then and there. Mario was surprised when the teacher told his parents to sit down for dinner. He started to scream and discovered that sad faces could be given even when his parents were in school. Mario sat in a quiet area until his behavior improved. Another child refused to eat anything except his pizza. When he saw a sad faces coming towards him, Ronnie agreed to taste a bit of the tamales and beans. The sad face disappeared.

All of the children became very excited when a large heavy set man with a red suit and white beard popped into the room. Their eyes were in awe. Several of the children ran to him shouting, "Santa!" One boy went up to him, "Santa, you finally found us," which brought a good laugh from the man. True to form, Santa had gifts for every child. Most of the children were very happy with what was in their presents except Lorenzo. He did not like his Curious George DVD. Lorenzo liked that movie last week. The boy had moved on to Star Wars and Blue Rays. His face grew sad and then he began yelling at Santa that this was not his present. The parents grew uncomfortable. The boy was quickly escorted to a quiet area and had difficulty calming down. Yet, the teacher knew that it can take several years until a child with ASD (autism spectrum disorders) is able to handle disappointment. However, immediate response to inappropriate behavior was critical in helping shape the boy’s behavior for when he grew older. This was a perfect time to help the family learn how to encourage good responses to disappointments from their child. In the end, it was beautiful family gathering and Christmas dinner in room 623.

Pamela Gross Downing, a special education teacher can be reached at downpamg@aol.com.