How can I stop my 10 year old with Aspergers from ripping open Christmas presents too quickly and seemingly being ungrateful for them?

Your 10-year-old son and every other child in the world are excited about what Santa left them for Christmas...

The excitement can be very overwhelming for a child with Aspergers.  He may need a little help with controlling his emotions on Christmas day.  You need to have some routine and structure in place to prevent situations like this.  Follow these tips to restore order and help your son to appreciate all of his gifts.  Here are a few solutions....

•    Allow him to make a wish list - A wish list can serve as a way to lessen some of the disappointment that your son feels.  Have your son write down a few gifts the he wants for Christmas, and allow him to rank them in order according to the gift he wants the most and the one he wants the least.  Discuss with him that he may not get every gift but he will get at least one from the list.

•    Discuss patience - Talk to your son about being patient.  Let him know that he cannot always get what he wants when he wants it. You may want to use specific examples that may apply to having patience during Christmas time, or find a social story that covers the topic of patience.

•    Model patience - You can try wrapping boxes with wrapping paper and practicing how to open the boxes in a patient manner the same way he will open his gifts at Christmas.  Try it a few times before Christmas day to prepare your son for the big day.

•    Discuss gift giving - Talk to your son about gift giving at Christmas time.  Let him know that he should appreciate every gift that he gets at Christmas time and thank the gift giver as well.  This is also a great opportunity for a social story on manners.  Let him know that he may offend someone if he shows disappointment on his face, and it may hurt the feelings of the person who gave him the gift.

It may take some practicing with your son to accomplish your goal.  Make sure you provide detailed instructions for the goals you wish to achieve. Any changes that happen during Christmas may lead to your son's rush to open gifts.  Make sure that he is not covering his feeling of overwhelm with the lack of patience.  Support yours son's progress no matter how small.  Enjoy your holiday season!
 
I hope today's article was useful. And watch out for tomorrow's article which reveals the sensory problems that can ruin Christmas for many children with Aspergers, and how to stop this happening.

And don't forget that there's still time for you to get your own copy of "How To Help Your Child with Aspergers during the Christmas Holiday Season" by Clicking This Link


Thanks for reading,

Dave Angel