Why the Holidays Can Be Extra Stressful for Teens with Autism
The holiday season brings celebrations, traditions, and togetherness, but for teens with autism, it can also bring sensory overload, social demands, and a break from routine. Bright lights, crowded rooms, new faces, and unpredictable schedules are all common stressors during the holiday season. Large, noisy gatherings and sudden changes can overwhelm children with autism, making it harder for them to stay regulated and engaged.
Because many teens with autism rely on structure and familiar patterns, disruptions in routine can create anxiety. If your family travels, hosts guests, or adds more social obligations than usual, your teen might feel pressure to “mask” their discomfort, which can lead to burnout later. The good news is that, with planning, communication, and support, the holidays can still be a joyous time. Let’s walk through some practical strategies to help your teen (and your family) enjoy this season.
Plan Ahead and Use Visual Supports
One of the most powerful defenses against holiday stress is preparation. Before the chaos begins, take time to map out how the season will look. Using visual supports, like picture schedules or social stories, helps teens anticipate what’s coming and know what to expect.
Here are a few ways to make that planning work:
Create a visual calendar or timeline marking holiday events, gatherings, travel days, and downtime.
Develop social stories or scripts about common holiday situations (greetings, gift exchanges, family dinners).
Role-play or walk through parts of a gathering ahead of time, so your teen feels more confident.
When your teen can “see” ahead, surprises feel less overwhelming, transitions become smoother, and stress has less room to build.
Set Boundaries and Communicate Needs
Holidays often mean more noise, more guests, and more demands, so setting clear boundaries is essential. Communicate your teen’s needs in advance, like requesting a quiet space at someone’s home or limiting unscheduled visits.
Here’s how to make boundaries work:
Let family and friends know what can help your teen feel comfortable (such as dimming lights, less loud music, and breaks from festivities).
Include your teen in the conversation so they feel empowered to voice preferences or say when they need a break.
Be ready to decline certain invitations or shorten visits if your teen is reaching their limit.
Boundaries don’t mean canceling joy; they mean shaping the holiday in a way that reduces stress and lets your teen participate in a healthy, sustainable way.
Manage Sensory Overload with Practical Tools
Sensory challenges are often at the heart of holiday stress. Teens with autism may struggle with sudden changes in temperature, flashing decorations, unfamiliar scents, or loud music. You may need to let your teen skip or limit exposure to events that are too overwhelming and lean into sensory-friendly alternatives.
Some helpful sensory strategies:
Pack a sensory toolkit: noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses, fidget toys, weighted items, or a soft scarf.
Choose simpler or quieter holiday decorations. Avoid blinking lights, sudden sounds, or strong scents.
Create a quiet retreat space at gatherings, such as a corner with soft lighting or a designated room for relaxation and decompression.
Let your teen help with decorating, so they feel familiar with changes before they happen.
Even just a few sensory tools and a designated escape spot can protect your teen’s ability to enjoy celebrations without becoming overwhelmed.
Keep Key Routines and Self-Care in Place
When everything else changes, some stability is still important. Preserve core routines, like mealtimes, bedtimes, or calming rituals, to ground your teen during a season full of change.
Here’s how to maintain calm:
Stick to essential routines as much as possible, especially sleep, meals, and quiet downtime.
Plan for recovery time, meaning don’t pack every minute with events.
Build in small breaks or quiet moments throughout the day.
Let comfort activities (such as reading, music, or gaming) remain part of each day, even if everything else feels different.
These consistent anchors help reduce the pressure that builds from too much novelty or stimulation.
Use Flexibility, Be Ready To Pivot
Even with the best planning, things may not go as planned. Travel delays, surprise guests, or unexpected changes happen. Teens with autism can find abrupt change disorienting, so having backup plans is crucial. Pace yourself, set boundaries, and prepare alternate plans in advance.
Tips for being flexible:
Design a “Plan B” or simpler version for major events.
Use transitional phrases like: “If it gets too much, we’ll leave early.”
Allow your teen to pause or reset if they need to step away.
Reassure them that not everything needs to go perfectly, just comfortably.
Flexibility doesn’t mean chaos. It means respecting your teen’s limits and adapting to preserve their well-being.
How PS Academy Arizona Can Support Your Family Through the Holidays
Here in the East Valley and beyond, PS Academy Arizona understands the challenges that holidays bring for neurodivergent teens and their families. We believe that every season should be accessible, comfortable, and joyful.
At PS Academy, we:
Build routines and supports into each student’s program
Teach self-regulation strategies, emotional tools, and coping methods
Offer sensory-aware, low-stress events and environments
Encourage family partnerships so you don’t have to face holiday stress alone
If your teen feels overlooked or overwhelmed at holidays rather than included, it might be a sign that the environment isn’t matching their needs. Our community is designed for students with autism and other neurodiversities to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically, even during the busiest time of year.
Let This Holiday Be Different
You don’t have to surrender to holiday chaos. With advance planning, clear communication, sensory supports, and boundaries, you can design a season where your teen feels safe, heard, and even excited.
If your family has struggled through holidays in past years, or if you want help building strategies tailored to your teen, reach out to us at PS Academy Arizona. Let’s create holiday memories where joy, rather than stress, takes the lead.
