With this being the beginning of October, I thought it would be a good time to remind Utahns about some of our special trick-or-treaters this Halloween season.
The Centers for Disease Control said that autism was diagnosed in around 1 in 36 children in the United States in 2023. With these statistics, it is likely that some of the trick-or-treaters coming to our doors will have autism. Children with autism do not always communicate like we do, and some of them will be older and still want to trick or treat.
I wanted to write this letter to remind everyone to be kind to any and all kids (even the older kids) that come to your door because they may not tell you thank you or they may try to snatch out of your candy bucket. But they may not say thank you because they are nonverbal and they may snatch out of the candy bucket because they can’t help it. Remembering that all children are different will help everyone have a happy Halloween.
Amanda Sortor
South Jordan