Assessing Holiday Readiness

Creating a scale to assess family readiness for the holiday season, especially when you have a child with autism, can be a helpful tool to evaluate preparedness and potential areas of improvement. Here's a simple 1-5 scale with corresponding descriptions to assess family readiness:

Family Readiness for the Holiday Season Assessment Scale

Score:

1 (Not Prepared) -

2 (Somewhat Prepared) -

3 (Moderately Prepared) -

4 (Well Prepared) -

5 (Fully Prepared)

1. Visual Schedule Preparation:

1: No visual schedule or preparations made.

2: Some visual schedule elements in place but incomplete or rarely used.

3: A visual schedule created with important activities and events.

4: A well-structured visual schedule in place, consistently used.

5: A fully comprehensive visual schedule in use, providing predictability.

2. Social Story Development:

1: No social stories created for holiday gatherings.

2: A few basic social stories, but not tailored to specific events.

3: Several social stories prepared for essential social situations.

4: Well-crafted social stories covering most holiday events.

5: Comprehensive collection of social stories for all holiday scenarios.

3. Social Scenario Practice:

1: No practice of social scenarios conducted.

2: Limited practice, mostly unstructured or inconsistent.

3: Occasional practice sessions for key social situations.

4: Regularly practiced social scenarios with improvements noted.

5: Consistent and structured practice sessions effectively boosting readiness.

4. Sensory Overload Preparations:

1: No preparation or accommodations made for sensory sensitivities.

2: Minimal efforts to address sensory sensitivities.

3: Some preparations for sensory accommodations.

4: Adequate sensory accommodations and strategies in place.

5: Comprehensive sensory accommodations ensuring comfort during the holidays.

5. Sensory-Friendly Celebrations:

1: No efforts made to create sensory-friendly holiday environments.

2: Minimal adjustments for sensory comfort.

3: Some sensory-friendly modifications implemented.

4: Well-planned sensory-friendly holiday celebrations.

5: Fully sensory-friendly holiday celebrations in place, promoting a comfortable experience.

6. Involvement in Holiday Decorations:

1: No participation of the child in holiday preparations.

2: Limited or unstructured involvement in decorating.

3: Some involvement, but not related to the child's interests.

4: Structured involvement, incorporating the child's interests.

5: Full engagement in decorating with sensory-friendly activities aligned with the child's interests.

7. Selection of Sensory-Friendly Gifts:

1: No consideration of sensory preferences when choosing gifts.

2: Limited thought given to sensory-friendly gifts.

3: Some consideration of sensory needs in gift selection.

4: Gifts selected with the child's sensory preferences in mind.

5: All gifts chosen to cater to the child's sensory needs and interests.

8. Planning for Breaks and Downtime:

1: No plans made for breaks or downtime during the holidays.

2: Limited consideration for breaks or downtime.

3: Some scheduled breaks or downtime.

4: Adequate planning for regular breaks and downtime.

5: Well-structured breaks and downtime ensuring emotional regulation.

9. Preparing for Food Sensitivities:

1: No consideration of food sensitivities, leading to potential issues.

2: Minimal efforts to accommodate food sensitivities.

3: Some planning for food sensitivities, but incomplete.

4: Adequate preparations for known food sensitivities.

5: Comprehensive accommodations in place to address food sensitivities.

10. Seeking Professional Support:

1: No consideration or contact with professional support.

2: Minimal efforts to seek professional guidance.

3: Consideration of professional support but not pursued.

4: Professional support sought but with limited engagement.

5: Comprehensive engagement with professional support to ensure a successful holiday season.

After completing the assessment, you can calculate the total score to gauge your family's readiness for the holiday season. A higher total score indicates better preparedness, while a lower score suggests areas that may need attention or improvement. This scale can help families with children on the autism spectrum better plan and prepare for the holidays to create a more enjoyable and stress-free experience for everyone involved.

If you need more information about this topic, please don’t hesitate to contact Silveira Behavior Consultants. We are here to offer support and guidance. Let’s create a happy holiday season!