Autistic children and travelling
Many parents feel that daily life with an autistic child is challenging and are loath to consider traveling with an autistic child, and this acts as a natural constraint on holidays and visiting places which could provide valuable stimulus to the child. This doesn’t have to be the case and there are a number of steps you can take to limit the disruptive effect of travel and allow your child to benefit from the experience which can be gained at the destination. Below we listed a number of tips on travelling with an autistic child.
1. Planning in advance is essential. Try to schedule trips a number of weeks ahead, this will allow you to familiarise your child with the concept of travelling rather than surprising them. If you can discuss where you will be going to, some of the enjoyable things which can be done on the journey and relate the trip to some of the things your child likes.
2. Ensure that you take all your child medications. You can be certain that at you will need a specific medication if you leave it at home and you can also be certain that it will be very difficult to find a local doctor or chemist who could supply you with a replacement. Make a standard list of your child medications so that you can use this on each and every trip.
3. Make sure that you take some light comes from home which your child enjoys and will feel familiar with, playing with their favourite toys in the car is a good distraction from the hardship of the journey. If they have a favourite blanket or pillow that they sleep with make sure that you bring this for use in the car and at the destination if appropriate. Having familiar items will enable your child to a better relax in a new place or in the car if they are normally not comfortable in this environment.
4. If the journey is the result of an emergency try to control your emotions and give the external impression of being calm. If you are visibly displayed that you are stressed to this emotion will be picked up by your autistic child and lead to them being uncomfortable.
5. When you get to your destination do not make your child participate in any activity, not particularly when you have just arrived. Also consider the general environment, you may be puzzled why your child does not like petting the animals at the farm but have not noticed that he loud engine noises from the tractor in the background. You may find that your child responds positively to some activities later when they have become a little more familiar with the destination.
6. Travel is stressful so do not plan a hectic schedule for the end of the trip. Plan in rest periods and consider regular return to your hotel room in your autistic child finds this a familiar and safe place.
7. Trying to incorporate your daily schedule into your activities when on holiday. In this way, and although the actual place will be different, the routine may still be familiar and this can help a child with autism to be more relaxed on vacation. Following a familiar schedule is comforting to an autistic child and this could involve simple steps such as keeping to the same time of going to bed and time of waking up.
8. Pin a small notice with your name and telephone number on it to your child so that these are visible if your child is lost. If you take child with autism is comfortable speaking make sure that they practise advising people that they are lost and that you can be contacted on the details they are carrying, this may not be easy and you need to make sure that discussing the subject does not distressed your child.
9. Tell the hotel early in advance that you will be arriving with an autistic child. If they are not familiar with the the challenges in accommodating an autistic child refer them to other sources of information so that they can plan in advance also. When you get to the hotel give them an A4 sheet of instructions on what they should do if your child wonders through the hotel on their own and encounters members of staff.
10. Concentrate on enjoying yourself. Take lots of activities for your autistic child to play, then keeping them active whilst not tiring and will help the journey to pass quickly and uneventfully. Having activities and familiar items to hand can help to focus your child should they start to become restless.