Taking a family vacation when one, or more, of your children has autism can be very difficult. Many families restrict themselves to whatever they can reach within driving distance of home. If only they could fly.
Flying gives you infinite range. But how can you make the flying experience work ?
The book Flying to see Janet – written by Laura Vickers and illustrated by Peggy Wargelin is a great way to help. Laura wrote this book for her niece, Janet who has Asperger’s syndrome and severe anxiety. Peggy is Janet’s mother.
The main section of the book is a social story that will help many children on the spectrum before they fly. It also has some really useful suggestions for parents and those suggestions are reproduced here by kind permission of the publishers, Jessica Kingsley Publishing.
They provided me with a link to their site so that readers of this blog can order the book directly from them and receive a 20% discount. In order to receive the discount, use the Promo Code: TRAVEL. This offer is valid until the end of June 2013. The link is at the end of this post.
What could be better than 20% off ? Free would be good, wouldn’t it ? Any family that books a vacation with flights and a 3-night or longer hotel stay with ASD Vacations, will receive a copy of Flying to see Janet, absolutely FREE.
Here are the remaining 3 sections of “Suggestions for parents” from Flying to see Janet. The first 2 sections were posted earlier..
PLANNING FOR SENSORY ISSUES.
If possible, have the child help make the plan for dealing with sensory issues and choose what they’d like to bring in the “Go Bag”. If Janet feels she has something she can do in a situation, it gives her a sense of control that reduces her anxiety.
Noise.
Especially in places with high ceilings and lots of people, for example check-in and security, there can be a lot of echoing background noise. Noise reduction headphones or listening to music from headphones can help. Ear plugs come in many different styles; you may be able to find one that your child likes. Bathrooms can be noisy, especially with the loud, unexpected flushes. Carts used by the airline to transport people emit a loud, piercing beeping as a warning.
Crowds.
If your child is feeling overwhelmed and needs more space in a crowd, we have found it useful to use our adult arms and bodies combined with luggage to create at least a small breathing space around Janet. She doesn’t like to be touched when stressed, so we can’t just pick her up to raise above the crowd.
Smells.
Strong smells can happen anywhere, especially in crowded places. As discussed in the book, brining something with a strong flavor to chew or favorite perfume or smell to put on a tissue to hold up to your child’s nose can help. Places to be especially aware of are drop off/pickup areas (where exhaust builds up) and bathrooms. Also, if it is a warm day, be aware that an aircraft has limited electricity from the time it pushes back from the gate until just before takeoff; there may be several minutes without air conditioning.
Temperature/Touch.
You can bring a first aid chemical cold pack and use it to cool down your child if they become too hot. A battery powered mini-fan can also be useful in the heat. If it is cold, don’t count on a blanket or pillow to be provided on the plane. Bring lots of layers, and perhaps chemical warming packs. If your child likes to touch everything, or has allergies, like Janet, bring some antibacterial wipes and wipe everything that the child might touch.
ON THE PLANE
When booking, make sure that you get the seat type that your child needs (window, aisle, center). Many people will trade seats on the plane if you need them to, but don’t count on it. Seats near the back can have very loud, constant engine noise. Seats near the bathroom can feel crowded as people stand in line. If the window is over the wing or engine, you may not be able to see any scenery.
Sometimes the airline will change the plane type after you buy the ticket. What was a great seat in the middle of the plane may now be in the back, or what was a window seat may now be a center seat. We usually aim for near the front (but not at the front) on the left side; seat “A” remains a window seat, no matter what.
Ask for (and watch for the start of) early boarding. Many people board early even if they don’t need to so, make sure you really are “early”, stand at the front of the line as soon as it looks like they are getting ready to announce. Don’t wait until they actually do.
In addition to smell, another potential bathroom issue may be the loud (scary) noise of the toilet and sink water being sucked out when you flush it. You may want to flush the toilet for your child after they leave the bathroom. Be aware the sink also drains noisily, by suction.
Bring gum or something to chew to help with ear pain as the pressure changes. Motion sickness medicine might be a good precaution.
If your child reads the emergency card or is distressed by the safety briefing, try to explain the “just in case” aspect of it and then distract them.
IN GENERAL
Bring food your child likes. Don’t plan on food being available. On one of our trips there had been a trucking strike and the restaurants had no supplies. You might be delayed on the plane before takeoff or diverted to a different airport. Better safe than sorry.
Bring lots and lots of things your child might like to do—some new, and some familiar and comforting; some to do with you and many to do alone. We found that a laptop with lots of games loaded and a WiFi connection to get online worked well. The laptop can be used to show DVDs. We also brought a Nintendo DS with many spare games. It was a special treat for Janet to have basically unlimited electronic game time. It was nice for us, since brining extra games didn’t require extra weight or space. Don’t forget the charging cords and/or extra batteries. Sensory toys are also good, as are drawing supplies, stickers, puzzle books, a portable CD player, etc.
Good luck. The first time is always a challenge, but good preparation makes it a lot easier. Janet now loves to fly. We hope your child will, too !
Here is the link. Don’t forget that the Promo Code is : TRAVEL
Reprinted by permission of Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2012, Laura Vickers, Illustrated by Peggy Wargelin, Flying to See Janet: A Fun Guide to the Airport Experience, ISBN: 978-1-84905-913-8,