Autism-Friendly Halloween Celebrations at Hopebridge

Therapy Centers Offer Pumpkin Patches, Costume Photo Ops, Trick-or-Treating and More

“Spooky scary skeletons” may send shivers down your spine, but at Hopebridge, it’s smiles all around! Our Hopebridge Heroes are known to go all-out with autism-friendly Halloween parties every year, and this year was no different with a haunting good time at our therapy centers across the country.

The week leading up to Halloween started with a door decorating contest. Our teams decked out their therapy room doors in their own “costumes” that included a haunted house, sugar skull, candy monster, sweet ghost, scarecrow and Monsters, Inc. characters – featuring socks decorated by the kiddos, of course. The center in Aurora, CO even transformed into a yellow brick road and the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz! Hopebridge CEO Dennis May and Hopebridge Founder and Chief Clinical Officer Kim Strunk will choose the winner from each region to win a gift for their center.

Sensory play was another big part of the fall fun! The center in Surprise, AZ created their own pumpkin patch for photo ops and exploration, complete with barrels of hay, autumn florals, colorful leaves, bubbles, a fall-themed backdrop and more. The center in Kokomo, IN “grew” their own pumpkin patch, which the kids had the chance to visit and choose their own pumpkin to decorate. Kiddos also played around in a makeshift leaf pile and participated in a pie-in-the-face challenge—with our Hopebridge Heroes on the receiving end!

Many of our centers, like Lexington and Louisville in Kentucky, set up trick-or-treat tables in themes like Nightmare Before Christmas, Star Wars, Frozen and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Treats certainly outshined any tricks, with candy and cupcakes for everyone.

And the best part of it all? Seeing our adorable kiddos and team members dressed in their Halloween best! From superheroes and Anna and Elsa, to skeletons and Baby Shark, it was a fun sight to see. Other kids wore some of the cutest and coolest Halloween tees around, featuring Ghostbusters, ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, witchy cats and more.

What was your kiddo’s favorite part of the October holiday celebrations? Share photos of your child’s costume and activities on the Hopebridge Facebook page or by tagging @hopebridge360 on Instagram.

If you’re not yet a Hopebridge family but want your child to receive fun and effective therapy like this, don’t wait. We want your child to enjoy all the opportunities life has to offer. Send us a note to schedule a diagnostic assessment, or to learn more about our applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy), occupational therapy or speech therapy programs.

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