Holiday Travel by Air With Children on the Autism Spectrum

Do your travel plans for the upcoming holiday season include air travel? Thanks to new technological advances such as computers and Skype, staying in touch with loved ones is so much easier than it use to be. Despite the magic of these screens to bring families together from distant parts of the globe, there is nothing better than being there in person and getting a real hug from those you love.

The holiday season is that time of year when everyone makes an extra effort to be with family and close friends. In order to do so, you can’t seem to avoid traveling during the holidays if you have a large extended family that is scattered here and there around the world.  Therefore, holiday time often means traveling by air to get to grandma’s house, dinner at Aunt Jane’s or the traditional family reunion party.

With all the intensive security checks in airports, the long waits and possibility of flight cancellations, I do not have to tell you that traveling is stressful. In this day and age, getting to the family Hanukkah festivities, the Christmas Day celebrations or other holiday functions can test anyone’s stamina. Now add children with special needs to the mix and you add a whole new layer of challenges to the voyage that need to be addressed.

There are many ways you can minimize the stress involved when traveling with your special crew and planning ahead is one way to do that. Knowing some good traveling tips is helpful as well so here are some to help you prepare for your holiday excursion by air.

• Make a phone call. As soon as you have determined your destination and the airline carrier you will use, it is important to call them! Sharing that your child has an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will open doors to services that can make air travel less stressful for all. Airports and airlines have become much more accommodating to individuals with Autism recently. Some are offering mock flights to help familiarize Autistic children and their families with air travel before the real event. If nothing else, go to an airport and watch planes take off and land and go into the terminal if possible to walk around.
• Education yourself about the security rules and make sure your entire family is prepared for them. Time can be wasted if you have not alerted your children ahead of time for what you can and cannot do or take onboard the flight. It’s important to check the rules and share them with your children before you leave the house and pack accordingly.
• Stage a pretend security check more than once before leaving for the airport. Security checks can be very invasive to sensory sensitive children on the Autism spectrum and can easily trigger an emotional meltdown if not prepared for what will happen. Making the security check as predictable as possible for your child will prevent what could be a very difficult and embarrassing situation. The time taken to go through an airport security check dress rehearsal and other airport related events with your child before you leave for your trip will pay big dividends. Playing, “Airport” not only prepares your child for what is to come but can be a fun activity for the entire family.
• Wait to arrive at your destination before wrapping gifts or ship them ahead of time. Do not spend the time or money wrapping your gifts in brightly colored wrap because you may have to unwrap them in front of the security guards. Any young child, regardless of ability, may not understand why the security guard is making mommy or daddy unwrap the gift they so carefully wrapped for their grandma. This alone may be enough to make them become unglued.
• Make a list and check it twice. Not a list of gifts but a list of your child’s sensory issues. Write down every possible trigger that you can anticipate and what you can do ahead of time to avoid possible resistance or an explosive reaction. If your child does not like walking in stocking feet then you need to prepare her for what is to come or find another solution. Stating it as a fact may not be enough. Complete understanding may have to involve pictures (PECS) to clearly communicate or writing a social story about it may be all that is needed.
• If your child with autism has dietary restrictions you obviously need to pack snack items that they can eat. It is difficult to find gluten free, casein-free food in airport eateries. Bring see through plastic containers or baggies filled with your child’s favorite treats and meals such as fruits, veggie sticks, toddler finger foods, cheerios and such that will appeal to their young taste buds and keep them happily munching. Remember to bring along wipes to clean sticky fingers.
• Pack a flight entertainment bag. Unlike a car ride, where you can pull off at rest stops, a flight is a long endless ride for any youngster. To help pass the time, bring your child’s favorite activities and simple toys in their carryon baggage to amuse them, such as crayons and coloring books, stuffed animals, dolls and action figures. You can also bring along music CDs with headphones, which is a great way to reduce or control the noise level for a child who is sensitive to noise.
• Avoid the possibility of missing your flight by giving yourself plenty of extra time so that you arrive at the gate long before you need to. Checking in always takes longer than you expect, especially when you have children. A good rule of thumb is to be at the airport an hour before domestic flight times and two hours before international flight departure time. You may want to consider doubling that if you have a child that thrives on routine and predictability, something that most airports do not provide. Having to rush with a child on the autism spectrum in a busy airport can easily send them into overload.
• Do your research before you leave the house.  Go to the airport website to identify where the nearest places are to eat and rest and how close they are to your departure gate. Sometimes if you have a lengthy delay you might even find that your airport has a quiet place for families with children to have some quiet down time.
• If all else fails, you may want to consider creating a card or some sort of written communication that will alert airport staff to the special needs of your children. This will keep you from having to verbally explain your situation to a security guard in front of way too many people.

All of the tips above can be aided and enhanced if you heed the first suggestion of calling the airline and airport in advance to identify yourself as a family of a child with Autism to find out what type of accommodations they have to offer your child.

Also, as a parent of a child with a disability, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) exists to protect your child’s rights. To make sure that the US Dept of Transportation (DOT) complies with ADA and that appropriate accommodations are made for your child while flying explore the Americans with Disabilities Act website at http://www.ada.gov/ and click on Public Transportation – DOT. Once there click on ADA Technical Assistance to review the resources available or contact them to ask about the ADA Complementary Paratransit Service called Origin-to-Destination Service. If your child is eligible for this service, an ADA representative will be assigned to help you with your trip to make sure the airports comply.

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If you have any travel stories or planning tips to share please put them in the comment box below. We can all learn a lot from one another’s experiences.