Navigating Holiday Breaks: Keeping ABA Progress Going During School Breaks

The holiday season is a time for family, celebration, and relaxation, but for families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who are engaged in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, it can also pose challenges. While it's important to give everyone—including your child with ASD—a break from the usual routine, it's equally important to keep some continuity with ABA strategies and avoid regression in the skills your child has worked so hard to develop. How do you navigate this balance? With a bit of planning and some flexibility, you can ensure that your child enjoys the holidays without losing the gains made through ABA therapy. Here are some strategies for maintaining ABA progress during school breaks, while also making room for rest, fun, and family time.

Maintaining Routine Amidst Holiday Disruptions

For children with ASD, routine and structure are crucial. One of the best ways to support your child during the holiday break is to maintain some level of predictability in their daily routine, even though school may be out. When routines shift too dramatically, it can be overwhelming for children, leading to frustration or challenging behaviors. However, this doesn’t mean you need to have a full schedule of therapy sessions during the break. Instead, it’s about finding ways to balance fun and relaxation with familiar, calming activities that continue the work started in therapy.

A good starting point is creating a visual schedule for the holiday break. If your child is accustomed to using visual schedules during the school year to structure their day, continue this practice at home. With a bit of creativity, you can make this schedule festive. For instance, instead of typical school activities, your child’s visual schedule might include things like "decorate the tree," "watch a holiday movie," or "family game time." The key is to incorporate some structure, while still allowing for flexibility.

Additionally, maintaining regular waking and sleeping times, mealtimes, and other essential routines like tooth brushing and getting dressed can help create a sense of normalcy. Children with ASD often feel more comfortable when they know what to expect, so even if the holidays bring a different pace, sticking to a familiar framework can help ease anxiety and make the transition easier (Hume, 2009).

Incorporating ABA Strategies into Holiday Activities

Although the break is a time for fun and relaxation, it’s also an opportunity to reinforce the skills your child has learned through ABA therapy. The holidays offer a unique chance to incorporate ABA principles into everyday activities in a way that feels natural and enjoyable for the whole family. For example, if one of your child’s goals in therapy has been to improve social interactions, the family gatherings, holiday parties, and even smaller social events you attend can provide the perfect setting to practice.

For children with ASD, social situations can be difficult. Holiday gatherings may bring unfamiliar people, loud noises, and a lot of new sensory experiences. You can use ABA techniques to help your child manage these challenges. For example, if your child has been working on greeting others with appropriate eye contact or asking for help when they feel overwhelmed, you can prompt and reinforce these behaviors during holiday interactions. Use positive reinforcement to reward your child for any attempts at appropriate social behavior, even if those attempts aren’t perfect. Offering praise, small rewards, or favorite activities will motivate your child to continue practicing these skills (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2020).

At home, you can also incorporate fun learning activities that are aligned with your child’s therapy goals. If your child has been learning how to take turns during play, you could use a holiday-themed board game or card game to practice this skill. ABA strategies can even be integrated into holiday crafts or cooking projects. For example, if your child has been working on following multi-step instructions, you can guide them through a cooking or baking activity. Break down the steps and provide reinforcement for following through on each one, whether it’s stirring, adding ingredients, or putting items on a baking sheet (Lovaas, 2003).

Another effective way to use ABA at home during the holidays is by continuing to work on self-regulation skills. Holiday festivities can be overstimulating, so it’s important to support your child in managing sensory overload. You can use ABA techniques to teach your child strategies for coping with stress, like using a calm-down corner or practicing deep breathing. Encourage them to use these strategies when they feel overwhelmed, and reinforce their efforts to calm themselves (Zane, 2012).

Keeping Skills Sharp Without Overloading

It’s important to keep your child engaged with ABA strategies during the break, but you also want to avoid overwhelming them. A key element of the holiday season is relaxation, and it’s essential to give your child the time and space to unwind. Striking the right balance between practice and downtime is crucial for ensuring that your child doesn’t experience burnout.

Instead of trying to continue with full therapy sessions at home, which can lead to frustration or fatigue for both you and your child, try to integrate short, manageable ABA activities into daily life. These activities don’t need to be lengthy or intense. A five-minute session of focused ABA practice in the morning or before bed can be enough to reinforce key skills and keep your child’s progress on track. Keep these sessions fun and low-pressure. Positive reinforcement for even small efforts will motivate your child to continue engaging with the therapy process (Schreibman, 2000).

Incorporating functional skills that are useful in everyday life, like brushing teeth, getting dressed, or setting the table, is another way to practice ABA strategies without making it feel like formal therapy. These activities help maintain skill development and can be easily woven into the fabric of daily routines. Plus, your child gets the added benefit of practicing these essential skills in a relaxed, family-friendly context (Wong et al., 2015).

Another tip for keeping things fun and lighthearted during the break is to take advantage of holiday-themed activities that align with your child’s current therapy goals. For example, if your child is working on communication skills, you could practice them through holiday cards, gift lists, or even thank-you notes. These activities offer a natural and festive way to work on communication without it feeling like a “therapy session” (Belfiore et al., 2019).

Avoiding Regression with ABA During Holiday Breaks

Regression, or the loss of previously acquired skills, is a common concern during school breaks. However, it’s important to recognize that regression doesn’t necessarily happen just because your child takes a break from ABA therapy. By maintaining consistency with some ABA strategies, even in the context of holiday fun, you can minimize the risk of regression and keep your child’s skills sharp.

One of the key ways to avoid regression is to maintain positive reinforcement consistently. Even if you’re not doing formal therapy, reinforcing positive behaviors with praise or small rewards can help keep those behaviors strong. For example, if your child is demonstrating patience during a holiday meal or participating in a family activity without becoming overly anxious, provide immediate reinforcement. Acknowledge their efforts to maintain calm, take turns, or communicate appropriately (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2020).

Another strategy is to continue using the behavior tracking tools your child’s therapist has been using, such as data sheets or a simple chart to monitor progress on specific skills. While it’s not necessary to track data as rigorously as you might during regular therapy sessions, keeping an eye on progress during the break can help you identify any areas that may need more attention when therapy resumes. You can share this information with your child’s therapist when they return, ensuring continuity in the treatment plan (Wong et al., 2015).

Giving Yourself Permission to Take a Break

As a parent of a child with ASD who is involved in ABA therapy, you are likely juggling a lot of responsibilities—both with therapy and with family life. During the holidays, it’s especially important to remember that you are also entitled to rest. It’s easy to feel pressure to keep everything on track during the break, but giving yourself and your child some space to relax is equally important. Taking a step back doesn’t mean neglecting your child’s progress; it simply means embracing the holiday season as an opportunity to recharge.

Be gentle with yourself and your child during the break. Celebrate the progress made over the past year and allow for some downtime. The holidays are about enjoying the time together as a family, and by combining the benefits of ABA with moments of relaxation, you can ensure your child continues to grow while also creating lasting memories.

Conclusion

Navigating the holiday break as a family with a child involved in ABA therapy doesn’t have to be stressful. With some creative planning and balance, you can maintain the skills your child has worked hard to develop while still allowing for relaxation and fun. The key is to maintain a sense of routine, integrate ABA principles into holiday activities in a fun and natural way, and allow space for rest and reflection. By keeping these strategies in mind, you’ll be able to enjoy the holidays together, knowing that your child’s progress is in good hands—both during the break and when therapy resumes.

References

Belfiore, P., Venuti, P., & Esposito, G. (2019). Enhancing communication in children with autism: A comprehensive approach. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(3), 520-532. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00322-w

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.

Hume, K. (2009). Teaching children with autism: Strategies for effective practice. Behavior Modification, 33(3), 349-371. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445509332196

Lovaas, O. I. (2003). Teaching individuals with developmental delays: Basic intervention techniques (2nd ed.). Pro-Ed.

Schreibman, L. (2000). Intensive behavioral/ABA interventions for children with autism: A review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30(5), 425-436. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005638224134

Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K., Cox, A. W., & Vismara, L. A. (2015). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(7), 1951-1966. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2407-9

Zane, R. (2012). Building self-regulation in children with autism. The Behavior Analyst Today, 13(1), 100-109. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0100438