Travel Advice for Children with Autism/ Special Needs

My friend Lori O'Leary from Music Works passed this along to me. This information was recently posted on the ASA Philly Yahoo Group. I found this to be very informative and thought I should share this with all of you.

TRAVEL ADVICE FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM/ SPECIAL NEEDS

I've been travelling with my autistic son since he was 3. Air travel, bus travel, train travel, etc. He/I have motion sickness and this is especially difficult on planes. (These trips were to see family and that was the driving force to let me work up strength/guts to fly with him.)

Here are some things that have made our trips more bearable. (I'll focus on air trips since these are most difficult cuz once you're in the sky..you're stuck there!) I have travelled on 24 hour flights with him (including layovers and flying time) on 4 occasions now. ..


1) Have a dvd player. Whether on a laptop or one just bought special for the occasion, ( I personally bought a netbook which is a mini laptop...killed two birds with one stone) the prices have decreased a lot in recent years and they are extremely, extremely useful. Because they are portable you can take it with you anywhere. (I took mine to an IEP meeting when I didn't have anyone to watch him.) I make sure I have some old favorite movies and some new ones to keep him interested. This is much easier to do nowadays as there are electrical outlets all over airports. I charged mine up b4 boarding.

2) If child is likely to have a meltdown/tantrum (each of us can pretty accurately guess what will cause one...then again, there are those moments when you say "What on earth are you upset about?") inform flight attendants beforehand. Explain situation as briefly as you can and that you can handle it. Maybe have them explain to surrounding passengers if it does happen that your child has a disability.

3) I book my flights at night. I time them to be within an hour of his bedtime. I get to airport about 2.5 hours before flight and we walk around airport/ duty free zone. This gives him the chance to get some energy out before boarding and to tire him out a bit as well so he will sleep easier.

4) I buy him a quiet toy that will keep him interested for awhile. Again this is useful as battery will eventually run out (at least on my 7 hour flying- 5hour layover- 5 hour flying trips they do) and while in line waiting..and waiting...and waiting. An old fave toy is helpful too (something comforting from home...not too cumbersome. I recall attaching his fave little people doll "Eddie" to his backpack with yarn) Gift wrap new toy. Presents are cool even at 20,000 feet.

5) I bring a stock of books. Books to read and books that have activities. There is such a wide variety out there, from sticker books to mazes, to coloring etc. Gift wrap these too. No such thing as too many presents.

6) Notify personnel at ticketing ahead of time that you will be coming and would like to be put at front of line due to child's condition. I have only used this once when he had a fever in U.K. and guard automatically put me in front of a 50 person line.

7) If your child requires a wheelchair (again child does not necessarily have to be unable to walk...sometimes sitting in a chair being wheeled around is more comforting than being expected to walk..or run!.. to keep up at airports. Sometimes you just need them to stop flailing and sitting in a chair so you can get to where you need to) call ahead and inform arrival airport. They can have one waiting for you right at door as soon as you get off plane.

8) When everyone has settled in their seats and u have reached ur flying altitude, ask flight attendant if it is possible to change seats. Some planes have 3 seats in middle which give more space to move around. My son puts his head on my lap and stretches his legs across other two seats. Not the most comfortable in the world..but better than sitting upright trying to sleep. (he's done that too, my little trooper). On smaller planes, try to choose an area with less people in case child makes too much noise.

9) Some airlines let you pick your meal ahead of time. Choose something your child will like and if they are old enough, show them menu and have them choose. This involves them in the process and gives them something to look forward to. (British Airways actually gave us gluten free-casein free meals). In addition I packed him some of his fave snacks to eat as well.

10) SOCIAL STORY!! They do wonders. A simple bunch of papers stapled together with layout of trip illustrated and written out will help them to know what is coming. This is useful for verbal and nonverbal kids. If you want to get really into it, you can cut magazine pix of airports, place you are visiting , glue pix of people u will be seeing, etc. Go over it a few times before trip and give to child during trip. Every time you've done one thing in book have them check it off. GIves them some reference as to what is coming next.

11) I put his snacks, dvds, books, into a backpack for him to carry. I have him pack it and choose one toy to take along (within reason...the 2 foot wood pirate boat as cool as it is, is NOT going across the world). It gives him a feeling that he is involved in process.

12) OH YEAH, inform security guards that check you that your child is autistic. One time they wanted us to walk separately in metal detector and I was on my own with him. Worried to death that if I walked first he'd run back to watch suitcases twirl around and around on belt all day and that if HE went first, he'd make a beeline for airplanes, I panicked. After they tried to get me to go first, I said "Make sure you grab him if he runs off cuz he's autistic" surprisingly they let us pass holding hands. :)

13) Develop a thick skin. Chances are if you have a child with behaviors, you will get glances, rolled eyes, comments, remarks and advice from other people around you. (half of which aren't even parents...I had a teenager say once "Isn't he too old to be in a stroller? You should make him walk!") Just remember, 90% of these people would never be able to handle in a month what we endure in a day. Remember in 2 minutes or 2 hours, you will never see this person again and focus on your child. No one knows him/her better than you and I have had to come up with creative stuff to keep him entertained on these trips.

14) If flight is particularly long one, consider staying overnight half way across journey. I stay overnight sometimes on my way back and although it costs us more as well worth it. We were able to spend the day doing fun things, took time to rest, breathe, regroup before continuing next leg.

The trip may go smoother with some of these suggestions. It may not. Either way it'll be an experience. No one trip has ever been like another for us. I have had people come up out of nowhere to help and I have been fortunate that the airline crew I explained our situation to were understanding. There is no reason our children shouldn't be able to see the state, the country or the world. If we educate more community helpers in general (think policeman trying to pry away a superman doll from a teen-ager obsessed with superman) , it will make this easier for all involved.

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