5 Travel Tips for Children With Autism
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Loading... - Katrien Vliet
- 29 Mar 2023
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As a mother with wanderlust to a child with autism, I’ve had to learn how to balance the desire to show my children the world with the needs of my neurodiverse daughter. Most autistic children thrive on the familiar and rely on having a routine. Breaking this mold to travel with a child with autism can seem overwhelming for parents and children. I put off traveling with my child for longer than I should have. Even if the goal was to have fun, I was worried she would not react well to being away from home and having her routine disrupted. So, we stayed put.
Finally, I decided there had to be a way to make travel work for the entire family. We started with short trips close to home and built up to going farther away for a week or more. There was a lot of trial and error involved in finding what worked for my family. With some thoughtful planning, I am now able to confidently plan trips everyone enjoys.
We now travel with less stress and more joy, having found a formula that works for us and other families with autistic children. While it does take some additional effort, the rewards of seeing somewhere new, embarking on adventures, and spending time with family away from the demands of daily life make the effort worthwhile.
Here are five tips to make traveling with an autistic child, not just possible but enjoyable for everyone.
Tie in your child’s special interest
Many children with autism have a special interest. It could be trains, space, geology, or Greek mythology. Consider what your child enjoys the most and make sure they have something to look forward to on your trip. This could be as simple as committing to an hour of stargazing, promising to look for rocks indigenous to the area you are visiting or taking your child to a museum to see a statue of a Greek god. Some families can go big and plan their entire trip around taking a ride on Thomas the Train or spending the night in an observatory, but this usually isn’t necessary to make at least part of the trip something your child can get excited about.
Build in some downtime
It’s common for children with autism to become easily overwhelmed. It can take a lot of effort for neurodiverse children to get used to new sites, sounds, foods, and routines. When at all possible, include some downtime throughout the day, every day, to allow your child to decompress. One way to make this easier is to stay in a centrally located hotel. Even better, staying at a resort or on-site hotel where possible means that it’s very easy to head back to the room when your child needs a break. Read More…
