Many schools celebrate Red Ribbon Week October 23-October 31. How can we make Red Ribbon Week meaningful for kids with special needs?
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What is Red Ribbon Week?
A week-long awareness and anti-drug campaign for school aged kids.
How did Red Ribbon Week get started?
In 1985 in Mexico City, a DEA agent, Kikki Camarena, was murdered by individuals involved in drug trafficking. As a result, the wearing of red ribbons and the observance of Red Ribbon Week became anti-drug symbols.
What is typically done in schools?
- Awareness assemblies
- Special dress days (wear red, no sweat / say no to drugs – wear sweats, band against drugs – wear bandanas, team up against drugs – wear team shirts, sock it to drugs – wear crazy socks)
- Banners, bulletin boards, other displays
- Distribution of red ribbons for kids and staff
- Practice of anti-drug songs
- Practice of anti-drug pledges
- Discussions of drug-free role models
How can we make Red Ribbon Week meaningful for kids with special needs?
For little kids or kids with very concrete language skills:
- This is a great week to work on the color red.
- Look for red things in the home and at school.
- Make a “red” book of pictures of things that you find.
- Encourage everyone who has regular interaction with the child to wear red this week. (Family members, caregiver, and school personnel) Although very young kids and kids with very concrete language skills will not fully understand the concept of the week, they will be learning to follow positive role models.
- Introduce basic concepts about drugs.
- Cut out a NO symbol that can be put over pictures of cigarettes or alcohol.
- Show pictures of medicines that might be found in the home. Discuss who can give those meds to the child. Role play:
- Who can give you medicine?
- Can Mom give you medicine? YES
- Can Dad give you medicine? YES
- Continue with the list of people with whom the child will have contact: family members, caregivers, school personnel, medical professionals, the child himself.
- Can you give yourself medicine? NO
- Can Sara (sister assuming that she is not old enough to be a caregiver) give you medicine? NO
- Discussions of when and where they may be approached about drugs (Role play.)
- Discussion of good (medicines) and bad drugs
- Displays (from police departments)
- Display of pictures of drugs with a NO sign
- Discussion that drugs can make you sick
- Discussion of who can give you medicines (see above). This is especially important because of the rise of prescription drugs for illegal use.
How do you talk to your special needs child about drugs? Email me!
The copyright of the article Red Ribbon Week and Disabled Kids in Special Needs Parenting is owned by Lynn Moore. Permission to republish Red Ribbon Week and Disabled Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
