Vacationing with Autism: What Do You Recommend?
The beach is also a natural equalizer. All kids love digging in sand. No one swims quickly or dives elegantly in the ocean. There are no rules to memorize and follow except "look out - here comes a wave!" And Tommy is at least as competent in sand and surf as the next eleven year old (he's actually a strong swimmer). Not to mention the fact that he's less squeamish than most about picking up crabs, swimming with schools of fish, and holding sea sponges in his hands.
So... after much deliberation, we have moved to a town that's right ON the water. It's wonderful, and we're thrilled at our choice. But... NOW what will we do to "get out of town?!"
Our one other family vacation destination has been Disneyworld. We ALL love Disney, and of course Disney knocks itself out to provide special meals, head-of-the-line passes for disabled visitors, and other services that make it a terrific choice. But, gee, it's, um, just a bit pricey...
So I'm curious. What are other families' vacation choices when traveling with a person on the autism spectrum? Do you go for the simplest, most flexible choices? Do you visit family? Or... do you vacation at home? What works best to accomodate not only your loved one with autism but also the rest of the family?
Comments
Your assertion that “all kids like digging in the sand” is flawed. The beach is a nightmare with my autistic son. He doesn’t get the point, he can’t be coaxed into the water, and all he wants to do is get into the concession stand so he can look at all the machines humming in there! Disneyland was fabulous and worth every penny, except that going through security and standing in line was a NIGHTMARE.
I don’t vacation. I stay at home. I am still struggling with pooping in the pants at 12 years of age, so going anywhere would be an issue for me and sibling (embarrassment). There is a pool in our complex, and even there, I go seldom for that reason.
Anyway, I can’t afford going anywhere because I am single and can’t work more than I do, and I am scared about the future. I guess I am being depressed.
My son LOVES camping, and this year, we’ve been camping every weekend for 5 months, while helping my SIL build her house.
We were initially worried as well about over-camping. Out tent trailer truly is our second home lately. However, with every change of scenery of every different campsite, our son loves camping more. For many years even, he would only use the toilet if it was an outhouse! I told him that under NO circumstances were we building one on the back deck of our townhouse LOL.
Even though you do live on the water, every different beach is different. The sand is different, may have more rocks than others do, water may be colder or warmer, more or less people at it, wind stronger, etc. The wonderful thing I believe about autism is the black/white approach of so many of our kids. The best I canit was when we were teaching that a stove is hot. Concept was grasped very quickly both home and school, and we were perplexed when he went to touch the gas range at my SIL old house. It was a stove after all! Well, we never clued in until then that everyone’s stoves up until that point that we had taught the danger aspect of were white and electric. SIL’s stove was black and natural gas, therefore not a stove because it didn’t look like any he had seen. Same concept with campgrounds and beaches I think, at least with some of our kids. They are all different, therefore all are a novelty.
Oddly enough though, this theory doesn’t apply to fears, at least with my son. When he hears any bug buzzing around, he starts screaming even though it was a bee that stung him. Drangonflies, black flies and even R/C planes if they get too close send him just over the edge. Any buzzing, according to him, is bad, regardless of the source.
Anyways, my 2 cents worth.
Cheers
Caroline
Make sure you still have scheduled (yes, schedule, even while on vacation!) daily events (as much as possible) and make sure your child is involved in some of the schedule making (as much as he or she is able). I find as long as things are made as not being a “surprise” to them, they are more likely to enjoy the vacation (less anxiety). Also make sure to schedule “down time” from time to time during the day for your child to make sure they don’t have any social overload.
Autistic children vary so much in their likes, dislikes, and behaviors that vacation planning is so individual. I am a single mother of a 14 year-old autistic child. My son loves hotels and pools/swimming. He still needs help with toileting, but that doesn’t bother me. I have learned to take him to places where that is easy - like Starbucks, gas stations, etc. To the single mother who commented, there are lots of us out there doing the best that we can. You need strength, but also, time off, and respite. Don’t be embarassed by anything your son does. Regardless of my son’s behavior we are always in the car going somewhere. It is best for us both.