Dining out can be so much fun. It can be a great family treat or essential if on vacation or out of the house for the day. Dining out can also cause some anxiety for special needs families, but with a little preparation and practice, these experiences can be wonderful. In addition, there are so many great lessons we can teach our kids, like ordering, waiting in line, table manners, social skills, taking turns, and speaking to new people.
Practice at home with role-playing!
I love this toy for Learning Resources that I saw at my friend’s house. I had to get it for the boys. It has learning for all levels, including money! They can be the server once they are comfortable, but while your child is learning the concept of going to a restaurant, this is a great way for fun and imaginative play!
Going to a restaurant is a great life skill and ALL life skills have an academic component. Going to a restaurant has reading, writing, math, and executive functions too, like planning. We learn best when we are having fun.
Tips to help!
- Look at the menu online beforehand. If your child is learning to wait, you can know what you want the minute you sit down and you can place the order immediately.
- You can start by introducing the food by ordering “to go” and eating at home. This will help to establish which food(s) the person likes and/or dislikes.
- See if you can order food before you sit down and have it ready while learning to wait. When my boys started learning to eat out, I would take them to pizza restaurants and have the pizza ready at the table for us when we arrived. Appetizers are great for this too! I recommend the endless breadsticks at Olive Garden or chips and salsa at Chili’s for this.
- A person with autism might get fidgety. Bring fun activities to help make waiting fun, like books, things to draw with, favorite toys or comfort items, etc.
- Natural opportunities for practicing waiting -practice waiting in line to order food or at the table. You may want to have another adult join you at the restaurant to help wait at the table.
- When you place the order, model how to place an order. Model using the child’s method of communication, like AAC device or picture exchange. You can also write out a script to help ease on-the-spot anxiety.
- Involve the person in the activity as much as possible. Once comfortable, have them place their order, carry the tray, or give the money to the cashier or server.
- Start at a slower time of day for the restaurant and move to a busier time once your child is used to restaurants.
- If it helps, you can start with one specific restaurant several times before moving to another one.
I also made a social story to help with going to restaurants!
Free download here:
We hope you give a community outing to a restaurant a try!. Remember to ask your Love & Co. Therapists about coming along for the trip to help you out!
Love & Co. Therapeutic Interventions
referrals@loveandcompanytherapies.com
☎ 1 (941) 557-3881
☎ 1 (941) 264-8641
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