Off We Go: Traveling Tips For A Child Who Has Special Needs

Traveling with your child who has special needs might not be easy, but it’s essential. Take control of your trip and keep your head held high. The Child Mind Institute offers tips and tricks to make traveling with a child who has special needs a rewarding experience for the whole family.

Traveling with children who are anxious, wary of change, or otherwise challenging can be daunting, precisely because it does what we expect vacations to do—take us away from the routine of home and expose us to new sights and sounds. The temptation is to stay close to home to avoid adverse and unpredictable reactions and the possibility of meltdowns in public places. But the truth is: A kid with anxiety, autism, or any other hurdle is nevertheless 100-percent kid.

Shannon des Roches Rosa, autism mom, writer, and activist, sums it up well when she explains why she is adamant about taking her son on as many and various outings as possible: “Leo may have intense autism, but he is an able-bodied and energetic boy who craves adventure,” she writes in a guest piece for SFGate.com. “We want Leo to be a boy-about-town so he gets used to being part of our community, and our community gets used to him.” Shannon, whose own blog is called Squidalicious, is writing about visits to museums and other local attractions, but the same argument applies to travel—it can be invaluable to your child’s growth, as well as your own mental health. Here are some suggestions, assembled from various sources, to help you take control of your trip.

Plan for success.

Plan your vacation with an eye to those times when destinations are most easily accessible and tranquil. Crowds and long waits can make children especially anxious and provoke meltdowns, so go during off-peak hours and in the off-season, if possible.

In public places, it’s good to keep a mental note of the exits, and have a backup plan for a discrete getaway if one is needed. Where, in a crowded plaza, is the closest quiet spot if you need to step aside and let your youngster calm down? If you’re traveling by car, try to park close to the restaurant or attraction you’re visiting to avoid the prospect of a long trek past an audience of rubber-necked onlookers.

Lay the groundwork.

As a parent, you try to anticipate which situations may pose the greatest challenges fora child. On plane rides, you’ll want to have plenty of activities and supplies to engage her—coloring books, juice boxes, movies, computers, or all of the above. If you have a child prone to running off, an ID bracelet gives you a little more peace of mind; dressing her in bright colors also makes it easier for you to keep her in sight. But it’s also crucial to let your child know what to expect of the upcoming trip—what new experiences she should anticipate, what might make it different from home, what might be challenging for her. She should know where she can turn for help. Going through photos of places or people a child will be meeting, or telling stories about good vacation experiences, can help a child focus her expectations in a positive way.

Or try actually writing a story about the upcoming trip, with your child as the main character. Autism consultant Carol Gray has developed a method called “Social Stories,” which is designed to be an engaging, interactive way of preparing children for social situations. The stories, written from the child’s point of view, use narration, as well as photos and drawings, to guide the child through an experience, preparing him for social interactions that might be required and prompting desired responses. A story for a child on the autism spectrum about a trip to Florida might include travel details, things he might be nervous about, people he might meet, reassurance that his parents will be with him all the time, and activities he likes and can anticipate enjoying.