“I thought you said that school was out forever.”
“No, no, the song goes ‘School’s out for summer.’ Nice try though.”
-Alice Cooper
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Now, this is something that may seem strange coming from a guy who declared school was out forever, but what Alice Cooper told his daughter in that classic Staples commercial is true that when it comes time for back to school shopping, it can be a stressful and annoying experience for students.
With the Fourth of July now in the rearview mirror, many retailers and businesses are preparing for the onset rush of Back to School Shopping that is to take place between now and Labor Day weekend. For many parents, sending their children back to school in the fall is a godsend so that they can be free of their kids for six hours a day from Monday to Friday.
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However, when it comes to neurodivergent families, going back to school can be not just overstimulating, but frightening as well. Even going back to school shopping can be sensory overloading and as I have seen before in the past, there are families out there that don’t seem to get that not everyone embraces back to school shopping like everyone else.
From my firsthand experience, back to school shopping is like going to the doctor’s office. Ensuring that you get everything on your list is like you are going to the doctor to ensure you are well. Let’s face it that we all would much rather do something else other than back to school shopping, but life doesn’t work that way. The truth of the matter is that parents who enjoy the thrill of back to school shopping sometimes fail to take notice of what is going through the minds of their neurodivergent children.
For one thing, going into a retail environment is stressful enough as it is. Music, other customers, visuals and a whole variety of noises can make things difficult for neurodivergents in terms of sensory issues. As I have said before in my previous blogs, nothing bothers a neurodivergent more than looking for those first day of school outifts that parents fuss over more than anything else. Trying on an assortment of clothes and then having to model them off for your parents and the store clerks can be a sensory hell all itself.
Then there are the back-to-school haircuts, the mad dash to finish summer reading and other assignments and all other kinds of pressures that can drive a neurodivergent student up the walls.
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However, if you are looking for tips to help prepare your neurodivergent children for back to school shopping. Here are some tips that I can offer to you:
Go when the stores are first open. In my nearly 20 years’ experience of working in retail, I can tell you that when the store first opens is the best time to go shopping. The sensory overload risk at that time is pretty low. The last thing neurodivergent families want is for their children to be anticipating for something that is otherwise not worrisome to others as back to school shopping.
Set a time limit of when you are in the store: One thing that can help neurodivergent back to school shoppers is having a set time limit of when you are in the store. I have seen families that can’t be in a store within 20 minutes before the child has a meltdown. What’s more is that the parent will often view the child as being a poor sport and will force the child to go through with it. Again, this is doing more harm than good.
Keep the fashion show to a minimum: If there is one thing that neurodivergent parents are guilty of more than anything in back to school shopping is fussing over what their children should wear for the first day of school. In my experience, I would have to try on several pieces of clothes for up to 45 minutes and internally, it would drive me crazy. To neurodivergents, they will only wear outfits that they are comfortable with and nothing more.
Bring sensory and stimulation toys as well as wear headphones: When it comes to back to school shopping like any other shopping period, it’s important that the child’s overstimulation levels are kept low and bringing sensory and stimulation toys as well as headphones will certainly help.
Go Hybrid: When I say “Go Hybrid,” I mean that it also helps in this day and age for families to take advantage of online shopping especially if the child is very sensory friendly and couldn’t handle doing in-person shopping all the time. It is also helpful for parents especially if they have their own jobs to focus on. Going Hybrid also gives families the option of focusing on the important tasks for in-person purposes.
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Now, I will admit that there will be some of you reading this that will disagree with me because back to school shopping is important and should not be avoided. While that is true, there are ways to make it easier for neurodivergent families and children while trying to accomplish what needs to be accomplished.
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Catch you all later!!
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