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If the thought of
traveling with your autistic child leaves your palms sweaty and heart
racing, then these tips are sure to come in handy.
First and foremost
you’ve got to pack your survival bag. It will be extremely helpful if
you can fit it in a small “fanny pack” that the child can wear. If not
a small backpack will work great too. It should contain the following
items:
Sunglasses – Most
autistic children I work with have major sensitivities to fluorescent
lighting, for others it is just brightness in general.
Earplugs – I also find
many of them are intolerant to the reverberating of sound on tile. This
is one of the reasons public restrooms are such a challenge – They are
almost all tile.
Larger Band-aids or
Stickers – These will go over the automatic flusher’s “eyes”. Just go
in the stall ahead of your child use one of these to cover the eye.
Once they are done, have them leave the stall and remove, the toilet
will then flush. To have the toilet flush automatically on most
autistic children is extreme torture to them.
Don’t forget the Snacks
– As their diet allows. If they can tolerate some kind of nuts (many do
well with walnuts and/or almonds) they should be raw preferably
organic. These make some of the best snacks since they help balance
blood sugars and keeps them occupied longer.
A couple of things to
keep them occupied during any waiting – A small bottle of bubbles is one
of the best! The really small ones that they use for weddings are great
because they make lots of small bubbles so they are tolerated better by
those around you. A matchbox car works great as a small stim toy if it
is needed.
The first place you
will want to go when you get into a Disney park is Guest Relations. Let
them know you have an autistic individual in your party. They will
issue a special pass that will enable you to bypass the lines at any
attraction with fast pass access. This cuts down waiting in lines
tremendously. I can’t even imagine how difficult it would have been
without this pass in those early more autistic years. Lastly, if you
are following a special diet ask Guest Relations which dining areas or
restaurants can accommodate them.
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