Merry Christmas!

Ear Muffs Protect Sensitive Ears

Children with noise sensitivity can even find regular daily situations most distressing, which in turn can make planning around their sensitivity quite difficult for parents and carers.

Obviously the easiest way to cut down their noise exposure is to be able to provide some form of noise block, but ear plugs are not safe to use, especially with babies, and until recently it could be hard to find a set of ear muffs that were really suitable for smaller children.

Now Edz Kidz have developed a wonderful range of ear muffs that have been specially designed for children and are suitable for babies from six months and can fit children up to the age of 10 years.

These ear muffs have a soft padded headband for extra comfort and come in a selection of bold colours including blue, yellow, pink and red.

They fold down to nearly half their size for easy carrying and storage and are light and durable, weighing only 190 grams.

Perfect for protecting any child’s hearing in particularly loud environments such as car racing, concerts or fireworks, these ear muffs conform to Hearing Protector Standard EN352-1 and are CE marked to comply with European Health Regulations for your peace of mind.

Edz Kidz ear muffs will help any child with noise sensitivity issues to feel more comfortable and calm in any noisy situation, allowing them to open to other positive experiences that are presented to them.

Free Colouring Book by Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin is an amazingly talented person. She has a real gift with animals and seems to be able to get in touch with how they think and feel.

Temple Grandin thinks in pictures and was diagnosed with Autism well before there was much understanding about what that really meant.

Through her own courage and the understanding of those around her she has become a leading animal specialist and an international spokeswoman for Autism.

To help celebrate a new movie starring Claire Daines that tells the story of the life of Temple Grandin so far, Barnes and Noble, HBO and Project Onward are offering a free downloadable colouring book that tells her story – in pictures.

This is a charming book that has been written by Mary Carpenter and illustrated by autistic artists from the Project Onward initiative.

The story serves to educate children about what it can be like to live with autism, and helps children with autism to know that they are not alone and there are others who understand what it’s like to be autistic.

The illustrations are individually signed by the artists and are clear line drawings, perfect for colouring.

Great for use as an educational tool, at home and in schools, this book offers a lovely insight into autism.

Download a free copy from Barnes and Noble for someone you know who loves to colour in.

Meeting Santa

Many families take their annual visit to Santa at their local shopping centre for granted, but for children with sensitivities such as those associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) it can be a situation best avoided.

Sometimes preparing your child before the event, explaining what they can expect to experience and reassuring them about any concerns that they may have will help them to enjoy the experience more. After all, he is an odd looking man in odd looking clothes who makes odd sounding ho ho noises. He's not someone that you see every day, is he?

Sometimes, though, their sensitivities make the whole event really distressing.

Occasionally someone has a good idea. A shopping mall in Montgomery County, Miami, USA, has its third annual “Sensitive Santa” event planned for this December.

It is a special event designed for children with high sensitivity, with lower lighting and quieter surroundings. Everything is designed to keep things calm and peaceful and non-threatening to sensitive people.

When children with ASD meet Santa in a comfortable setting where they feel safe to interact with him, it becomes a wonderful and magical experience that leaves a very positive impression.

Your local Autism Association should be able to tell you of any similar events being hosted in your area. If there aren’t any, then it would be well worth approaching the management of your local shopping mall to see if they would consider hosting a similar event. It only has to be one time frame on a set day and with adequate promotion it would be a profitable undertaking for them.

Often children with ASD miss out on magical experiences like meeting with Santa for the first time but with greater public awareness and the right settings, they can share in these simple joys too.