Picking what to be for Halloween can be really hard. There are so many options! And once you finally choose, and the costume has been bought or made, you’re pretty committed.
But how do you choose a costume when you have complex communication needs?
For the past few years, Miss E has picked hers out of a field of two. This is how she chooses what to wear for school each day, as well. I present two clothing options. If Miss E chooses one of them - by looking or touching - that is her selection. If she seems unimpressed, I bring out two more choices.
Last year, from options found in our dress-up bins, she selected Cinderella…
Using this approach for everyday outfits works, for the most part, because I know that Miss E is choosing something that she at least reasonably likes (and her wardrobe isn’t extensive). But when it comes to Halloween, there are hundreds of things Miss E might want to be. The more I got to thinking about that this fall, a few hand-me-down choices from the basement bin wasn’t really fair.
So we tried something new…
On Columbus Day, when the girls were off of school, Miss E chose her costume using AAC, or Augmentative and Alternative Communication, a term used to describe various methods of communication that can help people who are unable to use verbal speech to communicate. October is International AAC Awareness Month.
We spent the morning on Pinterest, looking for that JUST RIGHT costume. I spoke as I searched. “What about Frozen? The Descendants? Miraculous?” If Miss E perked up at the mention of a movie, show or character - by waving her arms or leaning in - I pulled up an image of the costume on my laptop, making the picture as big and vibrant as possible.
Whenever Miss E said she liked a costume idea, my middle daughter, Miss C, wrote it down on our small white board…
When we reached a total of SIX good possibilities, Miss E’s costume selection went NCAA tourney-style! We showed Miss E the first grouping of three. After pointing to and naming each idea, we asked her to choose a favorite from that group…
Then we showed her the next field of three…
You’ll notice one of Target’s new amazing adaptive Halloween costumes in the grouping above. Miss E really did like the chair-turned-carriage idea! But ultimately, it was down to Pinkalicious and Anna… What did she choose?
Drumroll please…
PINKALICIOUS!
Happy Halloween, everyone! (Even in the face of snow, here in Chicagoland!)