Traveling With Your ASD Child

When you must travel with your child with ASD remember these three words. . . Prepare, Prepare, Prepare. This is THE mantra of parents of ASD children when they travel. Waaaaaaaaaaaay before your travel date make sure you prepare your child so they know what is going to happen and what they should do. Visit an airport, train station, bus station, etc., watch “How To” videos that are online, even practice and act out several scenarios of what it is like to travel using your mode of transportation.

Make sure you prepare your children in advance on proper etiquette when traveling. Unruly and disgruntled children can be one of the most stressful scenarios for parents and passengers.

etiquette.about.com- Public Transportation Etiquette

wikihow.com- Practice Airplane Etiquette

minitime.com- 10 tips For Smoother Train Travel with Kids

whattoexpect.com- Toddler Train Travel: 7 Tips for Easier Trips

voices.yahoo.com- Proper Bus Etiquette



Make sure you use a visual schedule. Having a chart or visual schedule displayed of what they are going to do and activities in advance can provide security and keep inappropriate behavior down to a minimum. This technique can also be used to prepare for any change in the normal routine. Letting children that have ASD know of any schedule changes prior to the activity can prevent anxiety and reduce the likelihood of tantrums, rage, and meltdowns. Picture and/or written schedules can help keep them on task (they can check their schedule to see what they are supposed to do next). It is also a great tool to help with transitioning from one activity to another.

Social Stories may also be beneficial to use with your ASD child when preparing for a vacation. Social Stories help a child with ASD understand cues and actions for specific social situations and are an effective method of providing both guidance and direction to promote self-awareness, self-calming, and self-management in responding to social situations. By creating a short story, the situation is described in terms of relevant social cues, anticipated actions and information on what is occurring and why.