{"id":25618,"date":"2025-11-13T11:44:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T19:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/encompassnw.org\/?p=25618"},"modified":"2025-11-13T11:44:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T19:44:07","slug":"building-bravery-and-belonging-at-confidence-camp-halloween-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/encompassnw.org\/building-bravery-and-belonging-at-confidence-camp-halloween-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Bravery and Belonging at Confidence Camp: Halloween Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Halloween can be full of excitement, surprises, and sometimes a few spooky nerves, especially for neurodiverse kids navigating the sounds, textures, and social moments of trick-or-treating. This year\u2019s Confidence Camp: Halloween Edition<\/strong> offered a fun and therapeutic way to prepare children ages 3\u201310 for the big night, helping them feel more confident, calm, and connected.<\/p>\n

Over the course of an hour, a multidisciplinary team of mental health, occupational therapy, and speech therapy professionals guided kids through a series of playful, skill-building activities, all wrapped in Halloween magic.<\/p>\n

The session began with a \u201cHalloween Feelings Check-In<\/strong>,\u201d where kids chose from a pumpkin face that matched how they felt.\u00a0 Some kids reported they were silly, excited, or maybe a little nervous. Together, they learned that all feelings are okay and that Halloween can be both fun and<\/em>\u00a0a little scary sometimes.<\/p>\n

Next, the Speech Therapy team helped children practice communication skills for trick-or-treating<\/strong>. Whether through verbal words, AAC (alternative and augmentive communication) buttons, or sign language, every child found their own way to say “Happy Halloween”, \u201cTrick or treat!\u201d and \u201cThank you!\u201d A parent shared afterward, \u201cMy child said that they learned different ways to get trick or treats, and they seemed to feel more excited and less stressed about the events.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In the Candy Dish Challenge<\/strong>,\u00a0occupational therapists turned a favorite Halloween moment into a sensory adventure.\u00a0 Kids reached into a bag filled with unknown things to pick out treats, practicing fine motor skills and self-control along the way.<\/p>\n

\"\"The group then took on the \u201cSpooky Decorations Walk<\/strong>,\u201d\u00a0exploring different levels of Halloween spookiness while learning coping strategies like deep breathing, grounding through the five senses, and checking in with a trusted adult when things felt \u201ctoo spooky.\u201d<\/p>\n

The session ended in a joyful Halloween Parade<\/strong>, where children showed off costumes, practiced their new skills by trick-or-treating around the Encompass office, and reflected on one thing they felt confident doing this Halloween.<\/p>\n

Confidence Camp: Halloween Edition<\/strong> reminded families that every child can shine on Halloween when they have the tools to communicate, self-regulate, and set boundaries. Most importantly, it created space for kids to celebrate exactly who they are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Halloween can be full of excitement, surprises, and sometimes a few spooky nerves, especially for neurodiverse kids navigating the sounds, textures, and social moments of trick-or-treating. This year\u2019s Confidence Camp: Halloween Edition offered a fun and therapeutic way to prepare children ages 3\u201310 for the big night, helping them feel more confident, calm, and connected. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":25620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[311,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-health","category-pediatric-therapy"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t