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Special Needs Birthday Party Ideas

Talk To Your Own Child About Why Kids With Special Needs Are Welcome

Birthday Party Tips For Kids With Special Needs

Explain to your typical child that some kids are a little different, and thats okay. Let them know what to expect at their party from their peer with special needs. Maybe their autistic peer will shout, flap their hands, or cover their ears during the happy birthday song. Maybe their classmate with a physical disability wont be able to join them on the water slide or run around the park, but that doesnt mean those children cant or wont enjoy the party. Tell your child that including everyone is a value that your family chooses. Teach them that being a good citizen of the world means being willing to roll with some atypical behaviors to ensure that everyone can join in the fun.

How To Make A Birthday Party Special

Categories: Family Support

Do you ever get so caught up in what you think a birthday party is supposed to look like that you feel its impossible for your family? Making your childs birthday a celebration they enjoy can be fun for everyone.

Everyone deserves to be celebrated on their birthday. So what can you do to modify your childs birthday party and keep it fun for everyone?

Spd Special Needs And Birthday Parties

Special needs and birthday parties the combination can strike us with fear as sensory parents.

Sensory kids can either get overwhelmed or completely hyped up from all of the sensory input.

But birthday parties dont have to be a scary thing for us or our kids.

Today on the Voices of Special Needs series, Angela from Half Past Normal shares her fear of birthday parties for her kid as well as her personal insights into making a birthday party smooth and fun for our sensory kiddos. This post contains affiliate links.

Be sure to hear from other special needs parents, too!

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Pick A Familiar Location Instead Of A New Place

When it comes to choosing a location, keep your birthday party sensory-friendly by going with a familiar place. Ultimately, that may involve hosting the birthday party at your home every year. All the more reason to keep the guest list small. If you are going somewhere else, practice first! Avoid hosting a birthday party at a place that your child has never visited before. Try to choose a place that offers a sensory-friendly birthday party or a sensory-friendly experience.

Always Ensure Adequate Access

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Ask yourself whether the entirety of the birthday partys location is easily accessible to all guests. Are there ways for those with crutches or wheelchairs to access the entire party?

I always make sure that I speak to all the guardians. A child may not necessarily be physically disabled but may have had an injury that has compromised their physical functioning and mobility.

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Hosting Parties For Autistic Children: Tips From Parents

Planning is the key to holding a successful party for your autistic child. Other parents have found these ideas helpful:

  • Plan for a short party with a clear structure.
  • Give the party a theme based on your childs interests.
  • Hold the party in a familiar and contained environment like your house or your local play centre.
  • Keep unstructured playtime to a minimum.
  • Leave out things that you know could distress your child. For example, you might serve the cake without singing Happy birthday if your child is sensitive to noise.
  • Always have an adult who can help your child nearby. Make sure all the adults know what they can do to help your child cope.

Choose Your Party Theme Wisely

When it comes to birthday parties, pick a theme that your child likes and is familiar with. There will be many new experiences at the party so try to keep the theme familiar to your child, and something that they already love. You might be tired of dinosaurs, super-heroes, or princesses, but keeping things the same helps to reduce stress and anxiety for your child.

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Dont Present Special Needs Inclusion As A Good Deed Or Charitable Act

It is not generosity to invite a child with special needs to the party. Its cruelty to exclude them.

You should present the idea that everyone is welcome as a simple fact of your childs life. As parents, we shouldnt encourage our typical kids to view including the atypical kids as extra nice. We just want them to recognize that excluding them is totally unacceptable. The focus here should be human decency and lending dignity to people who are different not inflating your childs ego.

Include A Timeline Or Schedule Of Events

Teacher gifts first birthday party to 30-year-old former student with special needs

Transitioning from activity to activity can be difficult for all kids but this is especially the case for children with autism, says Tiffanie Moore, Associate Vice President of Clinical Services at BlueSprig Pediatrics, an ABA Therapy provider throughout the U.S.

Letting the parents know what the party schedule will be ahead of time allows parents to prepare children with expectations which can potentially eliminate meltdowns or anxiety-related issues. Similarly, a visual schedule and announcing the next activity are helpful considerations for children who cant read or have speech delays, says Moore.

I dont expect parents to go out of their way to make accommodations, but I do love it when they ask me in advance how my son can be included.

JACLYN GREENBERG, A MOM OF THREE

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Organizing An Inclusive Birthday Party

Birthday parties can create fear in many parents. All the excitement, noise and sugar at the start, followed by tears and tantrums at the end. Not to mention all the expensive, catering and planning thats involved.

But one aspect of the planning that parents shouldnt worry over is the invite list. Should you invite the child in the class with special needs? The simple answer is, yes. Having children with special needs at the party may require a bit of extra preparation, but it shouldnt mean they miss out on an invite.

Not invited

For parents of children with special needs, knowing theres a party on the horizon can cause dread for them too. But for very different reasons. Social media has been buzzing with examples of disabled and special needs children not being invited to birthday parties. And in some cases, they are the only child in the class without an invite.

In response, blog posts have popped up across the internet from special needs parents urging people to include their children. One mother wrote an open letter on Facebook to the parents of her sons classmate. They didnt invite him to their party, because, she believes, he has Down Syndrome.

Social exclusion the new bullying?

According to the Institute of Social Exclusion, bullying has changed from playground teasing to being excluded from activities. Both types of bullying can have the same emotional impact on the individual.

Sensory Friendly Birthday Party Locations:

Now, maybe you dont quite like the idea of having this birthday party at your home. Or maybe your kiddo has decided that they want to go somewhere else. Great! But where to start? Ill be honest, sometimes going to a location for a birthday party drains me even more than having the birthday party at home. And Im not on the spectrum but I am an introvert.

So where can you have this birthday party?

Determine that by your childs interest and go from there.

For example, you could do a swimming party at the local YMCA or your local movie theatre might have a sensory friendly movie showing that you could attend. You could try bowling or going to the local park. Indoor waterparks are fun though they can get incredibly noisy.

Also do some research of your local area and see if there are sensory friendly gyms. You could also try a trampoline park or local amusement park.

Some entertainment areas may have a sensory friendly day. Chuck E Cheeses, for example, has a sensory friendly Sunday the first Sunday of the month. Or you could try this during the week if you free time in the evening. You can read more about our experience at Chuck E. Cheeses and how it ended up being a wonderful place to have my autistic daughters birthday.

The location does not have to be limited by sensory needs but it is something that you want to keep in mind. And I know, youre probably thinking, well duh Kori, we know our child best. and yes, you do. I just think it bears repeating.

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Top Tips For Planning A Birthday Party For Your Autistic Child

Before we get into specifics of planning a sensory friendly birthday, lets talk about a few of those things that we may overlook.

Location: if you are already disrupting your childs normal routine, you may just be upsetting them more by having their birthday party in a new location. Consider a social story or visual schedule to help with this.

Activity: Whether you go the sensory route or not, think about things that they can do with others.

Food: Ill leave this one up to you

Other things like party favors, invitations, and guests are also important to keep in mind. To help take some of the guesswork out? Ive made a free set of birthday party planning sheets

Reach Out To Kids Parents And Caregivers

Priscy

The first step to easing the stress of hosting a party that accommodates all guests is communication. Simply ask the caregivers of the children what their needs are, suggests Vissing. Its likely the easiest way to manage expectations and make sure the party is enjoyable for all and you need not be worried about making a big deal about the childs disability. Many parents and children prefer it.

I dont expect parents to go out of their way to make accommodations, but I do love it when they ask me in advance how my son can be included, notes Jaclyn Greenberg, a mother of three, one of which has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy . If we know ahead of time what activities are planned, we can think about accommodations instead of being surprised in the moment and scrambling to figure it out.

To inquire, you might make your contact information available on the invitation and include a note about your willingness to make suitable arrangements for the child.

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What Age Is Appropriate For A Birthday Party

The appropriate age for a birthday party can vary depending on the child. For example, a one year old might have a more low-key birthday party than a five year old.

A good reason to celebrate a birthday is if it occurs at the very start of the year. The purpose of birthday parties is to provide entertainment and excitement, as well as the opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime. You will be cultivating positive feelings for your child if he or she is invited to a party when he or she is one year old. It is critical to remember that every single day of your childs life is significant. When it comes to those special moments, though, a celebration with a party can go a long way. If your child had a first birthday, he or she would be unaware that the party you had planned was for them. You can celebrate your childs amazing growth over the first 12, 24, and 36-month periods by giving him or her a birthday gift.

Having your childs most favorite things in the decorations is a great way to make the party he or she will enjoy as well. There are some good party theme ideas for kids of all ages, as well as some gender-specific ones. If youre worried about it, you dont have to worry about it until your child is four or five years old if youre worried about it, you probably wont have to worry about it until theyre grown up. If your child is attending preschool or daycare, he or she may repeat certain words on a regular basis.

Birthday Party Planning For Children With Special Needs

This topic came as a special request from one of our fans who has seen some of our videos. The topic is, How do I handle birthday parties?

This is an excellent request because its a very important subject. For our typically developing children, birthday parties are very exciting! But for a lot of our special friends, they are very traumatic.

A lot of our kiddos really want to go to a birthday party! They get excited when theyre invited, but they might get very stressed about it. Or theyre not getting invited, and theyre very sad about that. And then there are a number of issues that go on around the party itself. I just have a couple of quick tips for you, but if you need more information, talk to your therapist! They will customize a plan thats specifically for birthday party planning for children with special needs.

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How Do You Make A Special Birthday Party Ideas For Adults: 6 Best Ideas

Birthdays come and go, but memories last forever. If you are looking for special birthday party ideas for adults to make your or your loved ones birthday party stand out, look no further! Here are some fun and great ideas that are sure to please everyone.

One ideas for a special birthday party ideas for adults is a theme party. This can be anything from a 70s disco party to a murder mystery party. You can also decorate the party around that persons favorite movie, book, or country. Hosting a fun potluck party is a great way to get everyone involved and add something special to the party. You can also host an outdoor garden party. This is perfect for hot weather or if you want to save money.

Sensory Friendly Birthday Party Activities:

Sis’s 15th birthday party! Circus theme. -special needs VLOG-

Now, if you decide to go the birthday party at home route, you can theme it up a bit or just have a general sensory friendly experience. Again, involve your child as much as possible in the planning process. Sometimes, it really does make it easier for everyone involved. You can keep it low key or you can theme it right down to the cake and decor.

If you have a child thats interested in farms and farm animals, you could take a visit to a local farm as a part of the party. Or, you can have a farm themed sensory bin.

For that matter, you could do an entire birthday party with just sensory bins. For example, a birthday sensory bin or a confetti sensory bin. Sensory bins are a fun way to get hands on without too much mess and are relatively easy to store and set up.

For your hands-on sensory seekers, you can also try sensory slime or sensory snow.

Sweet Bs PICA is always an issue when it comes to hands on activities and arts and crafts. For that reason, we avoid things like playdough. But, if you have a child that is okay with it try this birthday party playdough.

You arent limited, of course, to these types of sensory activities. Fine motor activities are great for some tactile input and just getting out the edible finger paint could be satisfying enough.

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Whatever your child wants to do most and makes him/her happiest is your best betand if thats not a party, thats okay.

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Indulge your childs special interests. Sure, you may want your child to have a themed birthday like other kids have . But think about what your child likes best. It is his or her day to celebrate. If he only wants books about subways as a birthday gift, indulge him. Do what you can to make your child happy on his or her special day.

Keep your own expectations low. Try to remember that it may be a tough day for you. Maybe plan a special treat for yourself. Ask friends for support if you need to. Dont fret if the birthday planswhether a party, a special meal, or gift openingdoesnt go according to plan. This is one day you should definitely go with the flow and not fight what happens. Let your child take the lead.

Write your child a birthday letter. This is a very special tradition in many families. Every year, write your child a letter about what he or she was like during the past year. Its a time to jot down the funny things they said or did, the outings you enjoyed together the most, or even just their favorite foods or games. Keep it positive it will be a good reminder for you about all the fun moments you had this yearand itll be a treasured keepsake for your child years later.

Birthday Party Ideas For Kids With Special Needs

Birthdays are something most children look forward to for months in advance. Along with presents, at some point in a childs life they usually enjoy the anticipation and excitement of a birthday party. As a parent of a son with special needs Ive always wanted my son to experience as many of the usual childhood pleasures as possible. Despite this I do feel anxious at times about how to deliver something that will work for BJ and his friends.

BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

We have celebrated his birthday with a mixture of parties, special outings and as he has grown older, weekends away filled with activities he loves. I thought Id share a few of these ideas.. I am including some of my daughters parties which can be adapted and may help with ideas for girls with special needs. I love planning parties and enjoy seeing the kids having a great time so I hope some of our previous parties may give you some ideas for your next one.

Getting started

When choosing a party the most important element is a theme that is right for your child and then finding a way to adapt it to suit his or her special needs. Children often have a firm idea of what they would like but if your child does not express a particular desire take a look at their interests and see if you can work with those.

Invitations

BOWLING PARTY

My tips

Choose a centre that is spacious, particularly if the majority of children will be using wheelchairs.

Ensure there is a disabled bathroom onsite.

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