Autism and Thanksgiving Travel

Thanksgiving is almost here, and with it all the angst and anxiety that comes along with holiday travel and family togetherness. Of course, all this is hugely complicated when a member of the family has an autism spectrum disorder.

In recent months, the media was all over a story about a mother and child with autism being booted from a plane because the child simply couldn't and wouldn't sit in his seat. In general, readers of my blog post on this issue felt that safety regulations had to come before tolerance for developmental differences. Some readers noted that they chose not to travel at all, rather than risk a melt-down in front of airport security. Others were surprised to learn that the mother in question hadn't already planned to have favorite toys and snacks available in an under-the-seat carry on bag.

For those of us who really must travel for the holidays with our autistic child - whether by air, car, or train - preparation is key. I've actually prepared a visual schedule for my son, almost like a AAA "triptik," including pictures of the people and places we planned to visit, and a schedule of planned events. This turned out to be as important to my typically developing daughter as it was to my son with autism. Next time, we'll add maps - and turn the long, long car rides into learning experiences!

In addition to providing your child with autism with a visual schedule of events (including the trip through security, if you're traveling by plane), it may be important to actually rehearse some of the scenarios you're likely to encounter. For example, you might want to practice sitting in a chair with a seatbelt on, playing quietly with preferred toys. You might want to rehearse greetings to grandma (yes, you must hug and say hi!). If you're taking a long car ride that will be punctuated with unplanned stops for bathrooms and food, you might want to try out stopping unexpectedly during the course of an ordinary day.

Beyond these strategies, you'll find reader suggestions on an older blog post on this site. There are also incredible collections of travel and autism resources (social stories, images, ideas, links to airline disability representatives and more) available at Autism-PDD.net and at Special Needs Parenting on the About.com site. Of course, your own recommendations and tips are always appreciated!