Written from her own experiences of supporting her hydro-hero Jethro. Here are Jenny’s top tips to help navigate trick or treating and/or Halloween with a child who has additional needs.

 Take the pressure off! Instagram is not reality! So if your child doesn’t want to do Halloween try not to let social media convince you they’re not getting a good life if they don’t take part.

 Costumes aren’t necessary. You can find lots of Halloween themed clothes that aren’t costume based. Jethro doesn’t do costumes, so I try to find him a Halloween t-shirt instead.

 It doesn’t have to be a scary theme, let your child dress in whatever costume they pick. They’ll feel much more comfortable.

 If your child responds well to visual clues, then you can prepare a map of your trick and treat route, so they know where you’ll go. You may also find it useful to add the date to a visual calendar so they can see how long it is until Halloween.

If your child isn’t using verbal language yet or struggles to do so in overwhelming environments, then you may want to make cards that say trick or treat on them. These can be handed out to relieve the pressure of having to speak.

If your child doesn’t like sweets then you can consider an exchange, so that when you return home they can exchange their haul for a new toy, or other item they enjoy.

If you’re staying in and handing out the sweets, why not consider handing out small cheap sensory toys instead? This way lots of people can feel included.

 Consider painting a Jack-O-Lantern instead of carving if your child prefers/ isn’t quite able to assist during this process. It also saves having to handle pumpkin innards which can be a very sensory process.

 There are some great tips on https://autism.org.uk/what-we-do/news/halloween-tips