How to choose a pumpkin color to warn about medical conditions, show support this Halloween

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Halloween is not just about costumes and candy anymore. Today, it’s also a time to show empathy and understanding.

Kids may carry a certain-colored pumpkin to explain a medical condition. Adults may display the same colors to show their support. This is a time of year when kids with food allergies struggle, not just because of what they can’t eat.

Some kids can’t even sit close to another child who’s eating nuts because they are so sensitive and could have a reaction.

So, the Teal Pumpkin Project was started to let trick-or-treaters know there were non-food treats available like pens, stickers and other little toys.

Also, since the CDC now says one in 54 children is on the Autism Spectrum Disorder, a blue pumpkin is a signal to parents that an area is autism friendly. Madeline Fricke is a Registered Behavior Technician at the Texas Tech Burkhart Center for Autism Research and Education.

She says, “Whenever you pile up bright lights, loud noises, people touching; things like that can become very overwhelming so having a space at an event that’s a sensory-friendly space would be really helpful for kids on the spectrum.”

Every year, the Burkhart Center holds a fall festival for students and their families to provide a safe haven during Halloween festivities.

It’s sensory-friendly to avoid too much stimulation in young people who may have more than one behavior issue, even seizures.

That brings us to one more special color, the purple pumpkin. That was launched by the Epilepsy Foundation to bring awareness to that condition since it says one in 100 people will have a seizure in their lifetime.

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, some children will carry a pink pumpkin now to show support for someone in the family who is a breast cancer survivor.

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