Well, summer break is quickly approaching it’s end (OMG!) and we are beginning back-to-school preparations.  One of the things on the to-do list is hair cuts for all three of the kids, especially for the boys.  Let’s just say, if this doesn’t happen soon, we are going to have a bunch of Sasquatch hunters camped out in our front yard with telephoto lenses just waiting for one of them to come out the front door for a photo op.

Hair cuts aren’t a problem for Will.  He absolutely loves to get his hair cut.  There is the (nonstop) chatting with the hair stylist, getting to decide on whether or not to go ultra-short or just trim the haystack to continue the Luke Skywalker look he’s been going for lately, the cool spinny chair, the smells and movement of the salon.  All of it.

Joel, on the other hand….  Yikes.

Our littlest guy has never once been to a salon for his own hair cut.  I don’t expect it to happen any time soon.  So, that means he is resigned to having a crazy scarecrow ‘do courtesy of his own mum and dad.  When I’m cutting his hair, I’m not really going for a specific look.  My only goals when cutting his hair are (1) cut his hair and (2) not cut him (or others) with the scissors.

We’ve tried having one of his hold him down while the other one quickly cuts whatever hair is sticking out, but this is dangerous because he will not sit still.  At all.  So, I’ve had to get creative in my approach.

What I do is get Joel interested in a movie or t.v. show and then stand behind him with a pair of scissors and slowly snip away at the hair on the back of his head while he is distracted.  This is extremely hit or miss because he isn’t stupid.  He can hear the scissors and feel me messing with him.   It looks something like this:

Most of the time, he catches onto what I’m up to and starts to run from me.  And, because I am that kind of person who doesn’t want to give up on something I’ve started, this happens:

Once I’ve eventually cut the hair in the back and as much on the sides as I can, I then have to resort to asking Husband to hold Joel down while I cut the rest of the hair on the sides and in the front.  If Joel is especially wiggly, we have to have Maya help hold his hands.  This doesn’t take anywhere near as long as the first part, but it is definitely stressful.  I “look forward” to going through this either this week or sometime next week, depending on how long I procrasinate.

So, fellow Autism parents out there, how do you handle hair cuts and other grooming needs with your little cuties on the Spectrum?  Or, do you have any stories about this you’d like to share?  Also, if anyone on the spectrum is reading this, what worked or does work for you?  I need all the help I can get and any input is appreciated.