The holidays can be stressful for anyone, but families of special-needs children deal with added stresses when it comes to shopping and traveling.

  • Some retailers hosting special hours for families of special-needs kids
  • Toys R Us, Target, JCPenney offering quiet hours
  • Lights are dimmed, music turned off, no flashing lights

That's why some companies this year are adding features just for those customers.

Retailers such as JCPenney, Target and Toys R Us are hosting special shopping hours just for customers with autism and other disabilities that cause them to be susceptible to sensory overload.

During this hour, Toys R US said "the florescent lights will be dimmed, the loudspeaker will not be used, music will be turned off, flashing lights will fade, and all staff members will work to ensure that your experience at Toys R Us will be completely inclusive."

Central Florida mom Lataasha Byrd said something as simple as shopping for a pair of shoes with her 6-year-old daughter with Down syndrome can be extremely difficult.

"The shelves were stocked so much and there's so many people there, and it was just sensory overload for her. It's really light, it's really bright, and kind of loud. There was more music than usual, and it was just a hard time to even try on a pair of shoes," Byrd said.

Toys R Us is hosting a quiet hour in Miami on Sunday morning. You have to sign up to go.

JCPenney and Target are hosting their quiet shopping hours in different parts of the country.

Byrd said she hopes this becomes something that we see more of in all retail stores.

When it comes to traveling, Autism Speaks has an easy-to-read PDF guide to help parents prepare their children for the flying experience. And several airlines have special resources to help families traveling with children with autism and other disabilities. You need to notify the companies ahead of time.