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WEEK OF OCTOBER 24, 2024
VOLUME 97 | ISSUE 47
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Colored Halloween trick-or-treat buckets send mixed messages
Feeling election stress? Here’s how to stay calm amid political tensions As anxiety spikes ahead of Nov. 5, a local expert shares tips on how to maintain your well-being BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The different-colored Halloween candy buckets have taken on new meanings over the years in hopes to bring awareness to various medical conSHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE ditions and diagnoses.
National movement aims to create inclusion for all children, but some criticize it BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNTIYMEDIA.COM
A jack-o’-lantern candy bucket is an essential when it comes to trick-or-treating. And through the years, the different colored candy buckets have taken on specific meanings with a goal to bring awareness to various medical conditions. However, some of the movements have gained criticism. The idea of inclusion was the premise of the Blue Bucket for Autism , which stems from 2018 after a parent posted on Facebook that her
autistic son would be trick-ortreating with a blue bucket. It ignited a national movement. Movements aimed at bringing awareness are wonderful, said Keri Sawyer, a child therapist and owner of Bloom Child Therapists in Parker. But, parents shouldn’t feel like they have to take part, she added. “I don’t think that at any point a child or their parents should feel like they need to have a specific color bucket or disclose any specific information about their child in order to receive empathy and acceptance,” said Sawyer. While the movement was created to promote awareness for trick-or-treaters with autism and those who are nonspeaking, some say that children shouldn’t have to “advertise” their medical diagnosis just to be included fairly. “If our children could thrive on good intentions,
VOICES: 8 | LIFE: 10 | CALENDAR: 13
then the blue ‘autism’ Halloween buckets would be a wild success,” said Brittany Yarbrough, a Littleton mom. “Unfortunately, that’s just not how it works.” Yarbrough understands the challenges as her son has motor planning difficulties and hypotonia, a condition that causes decreased muscle tone. Autism is a bio-neurological developmental disability and impacts one’s social interaction, communication skills and cognitive function. It affects one in 36 children, according to the National Autism Association. While autism varies person to person, about 40% of children with autism do not speak. Elizabeth Bennet, a psychologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said Halloween can be difficult for a lot of people for various reasons, including it being a change of routine or it creating social anxiety.
While she believes the idea of the colored buckets movement can be helpful to raise awareness for certain medical conditions or disabilities, she doesn’t think that trickor-treaters should have to carry some sort of marker that identifies their diagnosis in order to have the same access that every other child does on Halloween. “In my imaginary ideal world, everybody has awareness that we don’t know each other’s whole story, and that people can behave differently for a lot of different reasons, and that we don’t get to set expectations for other people,” said Bennet. “We don’t live in that ideal world yet.” Jessica Vestal, whose son is nonverbal and has trouble performing tasks, has watched as adults have told her son, “no candy until you say trick-or-treat!” SEE BUCKETS, P4
If you’re feeling stressed about the upcoming election, you’re not alone. Mental health professionals are seeing a spike in election-related stress, with concerns ranging from political divisions to uncertainty about the future. “I’m hearing and seeing people who are anxious and stressed about what’s going to happen,” said Randi Smith a psychology professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “There is a general sense of uncertainty and fear among some that things are going to fall apart to such a degree that they are questioning if they can even make plans in November.” All that election-related distress is negatively impacting the country’s mental health. Results of three national surveys found that close to half of U.S. adults say politics is a significant source of stress, citing problems such as lost sleep, shortened tempers and obsessive thoughts. While political anxiety may be unavoidable, especially if you’re surrounded by family, friends or neighbors with opposing views, the good news is that there are practical steps you can take to keep your sanity leading up to and after Nov. 5. Take screen breaks
Smith said it’s essential to recognize that our social media feeds and the news we tune into tend to reinforce our belief systems. “These belief systems have become increasingly polarized over the last eight or 10 years to the point where we don’t all necessarily live in the same reality, and there tends to be a lot of demonizing people who don’t share the belief system,” she said. SEE TENSIONS, P6
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