Hi _J__
Have to say good on you for managing the upcoming formal strategically. My son, who's also in year 12 and facing the challenges of ASD, has his year 12 formal this week. He's got a number of strategies lined up for the occasion. Just some
- His trusty earplugs (cheap foam ones you can pick up from the local pharmacy). Btw, you can still hear people speaking, the earplugs just tend to help block out a bit of background noise
- Key people he'll be sitting with, who he can trust to have fun and lead him to laugh and not stress. When it comes to some seriously triggering people he knows at school, his focus will remain on his friends and not on them
- He's decided not to take anything too seriously. While he doesn't have any issues with cutlery etiquette, I'll give you an example of what I mean by not taking anything too seriously by using cutlery as an example. Just say he picks up the dessert fork to use with the main meal and someone gives him grief about using the 'wrong' fork. His attitude is 'Dude, seriously? It's just a bit of metal, calm down'. The challenge is not to feel what they say
Something I've mentioned to him in the past involves taking a break from the noise and lights. If the foyer is a quieter place than the main function room, a 5 minute break once in a while out there is like taking a breather from all that stimuli. Usually such function rooms are not highly lit, so as to create a mood. If they are well lit, often the lights dim some way through the night.
At first, my son considered not going to his year 12 formal and then decided he'd see it as a challenge, see if he could manage it and master it. You've seriously gotta be proud and impressed with yourself when it comes to finding ways to manage and master your own formal _J__.
