Page 75 - Travel Leisure - USA (February 2020)

Making Travel

Autism-Friendly

Uncertain environments and changes
to routines mean vacations can pose
unique challenges for ASD families.
SAMANTHA MCNESBY shares her
proven strategies.
Families of kids on the spectrum can practice airport trips through Autism Speaks.

AS A TRAVEL WRITER, I get paid to jet
around the world with my husband and
START THE have sights, sounds, a nonprofit for
two kids. Since both of our girls have CONVERSATION textures, and even individuals with
EARLY.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Jeff scents that are developmental and
and I have had to devise tricks to keep Travel-related TV unfamiliar and intellectual challenges.
programs can help potentially alarming. Held several times a
our travels seamless and worry-free.
your child anticipate Pack (or ship ahead) year at Boston’s Logan
Our oldest, 16-year-old Sarah, is known some of the social some favorite items International, as well
to lose her possessions and become situations that may from home to make as other airports
easily disoriented in unfamiliar places. arise at the airport or the room more across the nation,
in other foreign comfortable. For the dry runs usually
Meanwhile Olivia, seven, is prone to
environments. If your Sarah, I’ll bring stuffed include a visit to a
making sudden dashes from the group child has a favorite animals and plenty of terminal, a tour of a
when she feels overwhelmed. Air travel show, find a travel- books, while for Olivia, plane, and practice
is especially rife with challenges: centric episode that a picky eater, I’ll carry with screening and
managing sensory overload in a depicts these her favorite foods. boarding. Advocacy
scenarios in a positive organization Autism
crowded airport, getting through
light. Two of our Speaks arranges
security checkpoints, dealing with family’s favorite FORMULATE similar events.
anxiety attacks in the confined space of programs are Little A BACKUP
an airplane. The following survival Einsteins, in which the PLAN.
characters travel to Since kids with autism GET THE
strategies, which I’ve implemented
destinations like India are more likely to RIGHT
over the years, can help ASD families and Australia, and Wild wander, contact and GEAR.
anticipate some of these hiccups and Kratts, a show about identification details Headphones, sensory
focus on the fun that lies ahead. animal habitats are essential. Add toys, and other
around the globe. I’ll them to your child’s assistive devices can
also use learning tools backpack or the help combat mental
like “social stories”— insides of their collars and emotional
COURTESY OF AUTISM SPEAKS. ILLUSTRATION BY MAY PARSEY
written or pictorial and waistbands, overload. These
cues that help ASD listing your name, devices either help
individuals plan for phone number, and burn off energy that
potentially anxiety- other important could otherwise be
inducing moments— notes, like allergies expressed physically—
to help break down or strong aversions.
say by jumping or
travel processes into
Requests for easy-to-follow steps. stomping—or help
wheelchairs at block out stimuli
airports grew SCHEDULE before they become
30 percent from BRING A TEST RUN. overwhelming.
2016 to 2017, COMFORTS One tool to help For Olivia, I’ll pack a
according to FROM HOME. familiarize ASD kids Kindle, a coloring book
research from Whether you’re staying with airports is the and crayons, and, if
the International in a hotel, an Airbnb, or Wings for Autism we’re traveling by car,
Air Transport a rented villa, the new program run by the a weighted blanket to
Association. environment will Arc (thearc.org), calm her nerves.

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