Category

Haircuts

Haircut Help is Here!

By | Activities, Haircuts | No Comments

Some children with Autism find common activities like haircuts to be extremely stressful and aversive. In order to support our clients who struggle with these tasks your BCI clinician will gather important baseline information. This information will help guide your clinicians program development. Hair cuts may be aversive to our clients for a variety of reasons: the salon environment may be too overwhelming, lack of motivation to participate in a haircut, the tools used for a haircut may be scary. Depending on what is difficult for your child your BCI clinician will recommend different treatment options. If you are needing support for haircuts, please remember that your BCI care team is ready to help!

Preparing for the Trip
Look for a salon that is kid friendly or has experience working with kids with special needs.

    1. Some kid salons have fun chairs and let the child watch a movie, this little change can be helpful with motivating a child to sit.
    2. Your local Autism Society may have information on stylists in your area that work well with kids with special needs.
    3. Autism Speaks has an informational flier that you can share with your stylist if you are unable to locate someone with prior experience.

Practice at Home
If your child is not tolerant of combing or brushing their hair, this is a great place to start! If needed your BCI clinician can develop a formal program to support this goal. 

    1. Wearing a cape may be uncomfortable for child but this another skill you can easily practice at home with a towel.
    2. If your child is uncomfortable with the sound or feeling of the clippers, you can begin slowly introducing them to these items at home.

Reinforcement
You can easily pair haircuts with something fun!

    1. After a haircut, you take a trip to the park.
    2. You get a yummy snack.
    3. You get to watch a favorite movie.
    4. You can spend special one on one time with Mom or Dad.

Tips You Can Use Today!

  • Instead of using spray bottle to wet the hair, ask they spray the comb and use that to wet the hair.
  • Ask for warm water instead of room temperature water so it’s not cold and unpleasant.
  • Ask for an appointment at the least busiest time of the day.
  • Talk with your Stylist beforehand and discuss what may or may not difficult for your child.