We asked parents of the MyAutismTeam community for tips they have for other parents navigating this year’s Halloween with their child on the spectrum. Here were the seven most popular tips:

1. Practice. Do a practice run of the homes where you plan to trick or treat with your child. Some parents map out the homes they will visit and provide a visual schedule to their kids to get more familiar with the Halloween activities planned for the night.
2. Avoid large groups. Keep them away from large or loud groups of other trick or treaters.
3. Roleplay. For young children, have your little one help hand out candy to trick or treaters. This sort of role play enables your child to ease into the expectations of trick or treating.
4. Comfortable costumes. If your child experiences sensory overload, avoid masks. Explore with your child costume options that do not inhibit movement or irritate. Have them try on whatever costume a couple of times before the big night.
5. Decoration help. If you think your child may be scared of spooky decorations, flashy lights and scary noises, have them help decorate your own home and feel more comfortable. Also, it may be good to avoid those homes that truly go over the top.
6. Keep it simple. Halloween can be as jam-packed as you want it to be. Sometimes, simply visiting one home that has a pumpkin on the porch is enough. Short sessions out can do the, ahem, trick.
7. Candy plan. Make sure you have a game plan for how to deal with the candy. One parent has a “candy buy back” with their dentist, “So he just picks a few things out, and we sell the rest to our dentist who sends it to the troops overseas.”

For more about Halloween with children with ASD, check out these conversations:

• Do you let your children go trick or treating?
• What costumes are the kids going as, and do you have them pick?
• Can't believe its almost Halloween. Daughter is excited to go out this year as we will attend our local mall, lights on, not too scary and treats handed out by the local stores.

Would you add anything else to this list? Feel free to comment below.

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