Written by Hope Human Services
Washington’s disability support team sharing how one small porch light is helping trick-or-treaters of all ages with sensory needs and disabilities enjoy Halloween too.

The Teal Pumpkin Project is a Halloween initiative that encourages households to place a teal pumpkin or sign outside to show that non-food treats, such as small toys or glow sticks, are available for trick-or-treaters. The project began as a way to make Halloween more inclusive for children with food allergies, but offering more ways to participate can also help families, caregivers, and support staff planning a sensory-friendly Halloween for children and adults who trick-or-treat with disabilities.

For a child or adult who cannot or does not want to take the usual piece of candy, having another choice can make a doorstep feel more welcoming. And for a parent, family member, or paid caregiver who already spends a lot of time planning around sensory needs, communication differences, dietary restrictions, or safety concerns, that small choice can matter.

Key Takeaways

• A teal pumpkin means non-food Halloween treats are available.
• The Teal Pumpkin Project began with the food allergy community.
• Non-food options can also give children and adults with disabilities more ways to participate.
• A sensory-friendly Halloween may include shorter routes, breaks, comfortable costumes, and less pressure.
• No one has to say “trick or treat” to participate.
• Neighbors can make Halloween more inclusive by offering choices and respecting different ways of participating.

Table of Contents

• What Is the Teal Pumpkin Project, and Where Did It Start?
• What Do the Teal Pumpkin and Other Halloween Symbols Mean?
• How Can Families and Caregivers Make Trick-or-Treating More Sensory-Friendly?
• What Non-Candy Treats Work Best for Trick-or-Treaters With Sensory or Dietary Needs?
• How Can Neighbors and Communities Support Inclusive Trick-or-Treating?
• What Are Signs Someone Is Overwhelmed, and How Can You Help in the Moment?
• Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Teal Pumpkin Project, and Where Did It Start?

The Teal Pumpkin Project began with a simple idea: make trick-or-treating more inclusive by letting families know that non-food treats are available. The idea started with a family in East Tennessee who offered non-food options so a child with a severe food allergy could participate in Halloween more safely.

They placed a teal-painted pumpkin outside to let other families know they had alternatives to candy. The idea quickly caught on in the local food allergy community, and the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE)  brought the Teal Pumpkin Project to families nationwide in 2014.

Participating does not mean a household has to stop giving out candy. A neighbor can offer candy and non-food treats, ideally keeping the choices separate, so trick-or-treaters can choose an option that works for them.

That simple choice can have benefits beyond food allergies. A child or adult with sensory differences, developmental disabilities, communication differences, or other needs may also prefer a small toy, sticker, or other non-food option.

What Do the Teal Pumpkin and Other Halloween Symbols Mean?

A teal pumpkin specifically means that non-food treats are available for trick-or-treaters. It should not be used to make assumptions about the person standing at the door or to identify a particular disability.

Families may encounter other colored pumpkins, buckets, signs, or social-media traditions associated with different conditions or disabilities. Those symbols are not always standardized, however, so a trick-or-treater’s bucket color should never be the only way a neighbor decides whether that person “qualifies” for a treat.

The easiest approach is also the most inclusive: welcome the person in front of you. Trick-or-treaters may communicate with words, a gesture, an AAC device, a picture card, a wave, or simply by holding out a treat bag.

Halloween does not need a communication test at every porch. A little flexibility lets more people participate without having to explain themselves to strangers.

How Can Families and Caregivers Make Trick-or-Treating More Sensory-Friendly?

Families and caregivers can make trick-or-treating more sensory-friendly by adjusting the experience around the person’s comfort instead of trying to make them tolerate every part of a traditional Halloween. A shorter route, an earlier start, familiar streets, planned breaks, or a quieter alternative can still count as a successful Halloween.

Costumes are another place where flexibility can help. If a mask, wig, face paint, tag, fabric, or tight costume becomes uncomfortable, consider modifying the costume or letting the person wear something familiar underneath it.

It may also help to practice before Halloween night. You can walk part of the route, talk about what will happen at the door, practice holding out a bag, or decide together what they can do if speaking to a neighbor feels difficult.

Most importantly, give yourself permission to change the plan if the person you support needs something different. Hope Human Services shares more ideas for creating sensory-friendly holiday traditions for people with disabilities, including simple ways to adapt celebrations to individual needs.

A successful Halloween does not have to mean making it to every house on the block. Ten happy minutes in a costume may be a much better memory than an hour spent trying to push through overwhelm.

What Non-Candy Treats Work Best for Trick-or-Treaters With Sensory or Dietary Needs?

Non-candy treats work best when trick-or-treaters have several simple choices rather than one item that everyone is expected to enjoy. FARE’s non-food treat suggestions include glow sticks, pencils, crayons, bubbles, erasers, small toys, finger puppets, playing cards, bookmarks, stickers, and stencils.

Think about variety when choosing what to offer. Someone who does not like a noisy toy may love a sticker, while someone else may be excited about a glow bracelet or small fidget-style item.

If you are offering candy too, keep the non-food items separate. FARE specifically recommends using a separate bowl when households provide both candy and non-food treats.

Neighbors also do not need to decide who “needs” the alternative. Simply asking, “Would you like candy or a toy?” gives every trick-or-treater the same choice without putting anyone on the spot.

How Can Neighbors and Communities Support Inclusive Trick-or-Treating?

Neighbors can support inclusive trick-or-treating by offering choices, reducing unnecessary pressure, and welcoming trick-or-treaters of all ages who participate differently. No one needs to make eye contact, speak clearly, wear a costume, or respond in the expected way to be part of Halloween.

If you participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project, display a teal pumpkin or the project’s printable sign where families can easily see it. FARE also allows participating homes and events to appear on its annual Teal Pumpkin Project map, helping families look for non-food options while planning their Halloween route.

Community events can use the same principles. Trunk-or-treats, school celebrations, neighborhood gatherings, day programs, and other accessible Halloween activities can offer non-food choices, quieter spaces, flexible participation, and clear information about what families and caregivers can expect.

Inclusion does not require making every Halloween activity perfectly suited to everyone. It starts with recognizing that children and adults may participate differently and making room for those differences without turning them into a problem.

What Are Signs Someone Is Overwhelmed, and How Can You Help in the Moment?

Someone who is becoming overwhelmed may communicate through changes in behavior, body language, communication, or their willingness to continue. The most useful response is to pay attention to that individual’s familiar signals rather than waiting for the situation to become unmanageable.

Some people might become quieter, cover their ears, pull away, repeat a phrase or movement, ask to go home, refuse the next house, or have a harder time responding. Others may become more active or seek movement when the evening starts to feel like too much.

When you notice these signs, reducing demands may be more helpful than insisting on finishing the planned route. Step away from the crowd, take a break in a familiar place, remove an uncomfortable part of the costume, offer a preferred sensory item, or head home if that is what they need.

Ending trick-or-treating early does not mean Halloween failed. The person you support may remember the houses that felt welcoming, the costume they loved, or the glow stick they carried home—not how many doors they reached.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Hope Human Services

Hope Human Services provides supported living, disability support, and DDA-connected services for adults and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Pierce, Spokane, and Vancouver/Clark counties in Washington State. The team builds sensory-aware, person-centered support into everyday life, including the small moments, like Halloween, that make a big difference for inclusion.

Families and caregivers should not have to approach every celebration feeling as though they have to figure everything out alone. Reach out to Hope Human Services to learn more about the disability support services available for you, your family, or the person you support in Washington State.