Autism and the Holidays: Surviving Family Gatherings
13 min read
Vizy Countdown
Counting Down to a Holiday through weeks of build-up nobody asked for.
The decorations went up in the shops in October and your child has been asking since. By the time the day actually arrives, everyone is exhausted from anticipating it.
Free 7-day trial · No email or credit card to start · Built by an autism dad and a licensed SLP
Why it works here
Why a visual countdown helps with counting down to a holiday
Major holidays come with weeks of environmental build-up that a child cannot switch off, which means the anticipation is happening whether you manage it or not. A countdown at least gives the build-up a shape and a defined end.
You will recognize this if
- The build-up is visibly harder on your child than the day itself.
- Sleep and regulation drift in the weeks beforehand.
- Your child asks daily despite decorations making the timing obvious.
The setup
How to set it up for counting down to a holiday
Takes about five minutes. Use it as written, or keep only the steps your family needs. A short setup that gets used beats a complete one that gets abandoned in week two.
- 1 Start later than the shops do, and say the countdown is the real one
- 2 Put the day plan on the final square, in order
- 3 Mark which traditions are happening and which are not, explicitly
- 4 Include the days after so the holiday is not the edge of the world
- 5 Keep ordinary anchors, meals and bedtime, marked on every square
- 6 Build in a quiet day immediately after
The mistake most families make
Counting down to the day without describing the day leaves the largest unknown untouched, and for many children the shape of the day is the anxious part.
In the app
Built into the routine, not bolted onto it.
The Vizy Countdown lives inside the same routine your child already follows, so counting down to a holiday is a step with a visible length rather than a separate tool somebody has to remember to open.
- Attach it to any step in any routine
- Works for pre-readers, gestalt language processors, and AAC users
- Same setup at home, at school, and in therapy
Set this up for your child.
Five minutes to build, and your child sees it every time counting down to a holiday comes around.
$6.99/month after the free trial · Cancel anytime · Also at app.vizyplan.com
Common questions
About counting down to a holiday
Does a countdown make holiday anticipation worse?
It usually helps, because the anticipation exists regardless and a countdown gives it a container. What makes it worse is counting down to an undescribed event.
How do we handle the day after?
Put it on the countdown too, as a deliberately quiet day. The drop after a big day is real and worth planning for.
Should we keep every tradition?
Only the ones that work for your family. Naming which traditions are happening this year is more useful than quietly dropping some and hoping nobody notices.
VizyPlan supports routines and communication at home and school. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose or treat any condition. Talk to your child's care team about clinical questions.
