Autism Friendly Family Vacation

An autism friendly family vacation is something that can be achieved anywhere for any trip with the help of a few tips and tricks.

In the age of a pandemic who knows if you are going to be enjoying your normal family vacation. We are going to be going camping again at the KOA in Bellefonte. It’s a great vacation for socially distancing as we are going to be staying in our own cabin that has a bathroom. We are going to enjoy hiking and going to the pond. So our plans are set.

But what do you do when your child has autism? Do you prepare them, how do you even do that? I have quite a few years of experience. I know tips, tricks, and ways to make your vacation relaxing and enjoyable for both you and your child.

Prepare for an Autism Friendly Family Vacation

Children with autism and children, in general, enjoy routine and predictability. A neurotypical child might just have some fear or excitement surrounding change. Neurodiverse children that have autism can have behaviors caused by this excitement and fear. One of the ways to help with this is through preparation. Telling your child that they will be going on a trip. Try having them involved in packing or picking a special toy to bring with. This can help them realize that they are going somewhere for a period of time. Also, try to emphasize that we are all going together and that we will be coming back home after the trip is over.

I often start preparing my daughter a couple of weeks before the trip. Explaining what we will be doing, how long we will be there, what fun things we will do, and just giving her a general timeline of when this will all happen.

Another thing I have used to try to help with this is a visual schedule of the activities that will take place on the trip. It doesn’t have to be specific times or that your whole vacation is planned out by the minute. It is just a general schedule of what we will be doing each day. Last year we went camping and went to Sesame Place (an awesome autism-friendly theme park). On the visual schedule we put the order of the different parts of the park we would be going to when we would be eating lunch etc. This allowed my daughter to know what was going to be happening and would give her a sense of comfort in a very noisy and highly stimulating place.

Another aspect of preparing is what you do to prepare for the trip. Check out the local spots and attractions. If you are staying at a resort what kind of amenities do they have that are autism friendly? If you are going to a theme park don’t be afraid to call and find out where the quiet spots are for you to be able to take a sensory break. See if they have any accommodations like a quiet room or other special features for children with autism.

Take a Break

It’s sometimes alluring to want to pack your day with fun things to do with your family when you are on vacation. After all they are fun! What I have found is that is not fun for a child with autism. They need time to have quiet and decompress from the expectations they have when they are out and about. Even in the case of going to a theme park we were informed of quiet places in the park to be able to have a sensory and physical break. They also had a quiet room which was dark and full of sensory items that allowed for a great place to take a break.

The beach presents a harder situation, as it’s very hard to find a quiet place. The best situation if you can afford it is to be staying close to the beach. This allows you to walk back and eat lunch and take a break in the afternoon. It’s really hot during those hours anyways which produced some behaviors involving sand last year.

Sensory Items

Some other ways to have an autism friendly family vacation is to use sensory items. Most children with autism have a form of sensory processing disorder, either seeking or avoiding certain stimuli. These stimuli can become too much and lead to behaviors. My daughter is averse to auditory stimuli so she wears noise-canceling headphones. These work great at theme parks, but they are not so great at the beach as they cannot get wet and can add to her being hot and sweaty.

Another thing that she is sensitive to is temperature. When packing her clothes for vacation I need to keep this in mind as she might need a sweatshirt in the hotel room if it’s too cold and needs very light airy clothing outside in the heat.

I learned last year, that she cannot be on the beach when the sand starts to get hot. The feeling of the sand in her shoes is too much for her but the hot sand burns her feet. So my poor mother and I had to take turns carrying her back to the car so that she wouldn’t burn her little feet off. Next time we go back I think we will probably just not go in the afternoon. I also am looking into different water shoes so that she can wear them the whole time she is at the beach, so she doesn’t have to feel the sand.

Another great tool for calming down which we use in our hotel room or in the car is a weighted vest or weighted blanket. We got a weighted vest from the school when COVID shut it down. It’s been a great asset for us to use during schoolwork or any task that requires concentration. It also helps calm her down when she is escalating. She is unwilling to wear it during a meltdown though, so you got to catch it early. For more about what to do during a meltdown check out my emergency calm down kit and 5 ways to deal with a meltdown.

Autism Friendly Family Vacation

1. Prepare
   • Inform your child of the trip have them pick a special toy.
   • Make a visual schedule.
   • Research where you are going.
2. Take a Break
3. Bring sensory Items
   • Noise-canceling Headphones
   • Weighted vest or blanket
   • Sunglasses
   • Temperant clothing

To sum this all up, you don’t have to plan a trip around an autism friendly place or park. You can take your child with autism wherever any other family goes. You just need to remember to accommodate the things that make them special. Allow them to enjoy a place the way they want to and on their own time. If you follow these things adapting to a relaxing vacation can be done easily.

I hope everyone is doing well out there, if you are a family with an autistic child and have other tips and tricks please let me know in the comments below.

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Until next time!