Strategies for a Successful Summer Break
Tips for managing your kids’ downtime to help make it relaxing for everyone
While your average child may be thrilled by the end of the school year, anticipating lazy days and sleeping in, the prospect of summer break isn’t quite that unalloyed pleasure for parents. And if you have a child with emotional or developmental issues who is challenging in the best of times, nothing calls on whatever extra powers you might possess more than the long break that lies ahead.
While all kids do better with structure and routine, those with mental health issues including anxiety, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders are especially dependent on the predictable “safe zone” that school provides. Without it, they’re more prone to anxiety, oppositional behavior, and tantrums. For the parents who care for them, “vacation” can be anything but.
