How to Travel with a Child with Autism

Travel can be an exciting experience for a child with autism. However, the experience can provoke a large amount of anxiety. This anxiety should not preclude travel but should be managed. Many factors connected to travel, including a change in routine, experiencing an unfamiliar environment and – by its very nature – sensory stimulation are stressors for children on the autism spectrum.

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Don’t Wash Their Comfort Item

Air travel is stressful for everybody and can be totally overwhelming to the senses for a child with autism. Traveling with a favorite item that carries the smell of home, like a special blanket or a beloved plush toy, can soothe the child. When you wash it, you lose a lot of the familiar fragrance, thereby diminishing the item’s efficacy in terms of comfort.

Make a Rule and Reward List for The Duration of the Travel

Ideally, you should try and stick to the rules you enforce at home when traveling. For example, if your child with autism is allowed only one hour of screen time in the evening, stick to that rule. Make your house rules apply no matter where you are staying; don’t allow your child to jump on a bed in a hotel or at your relative’s house if that is prohibited at home.

It is quite common to have a regression in behavior when you are traveling, but your child will adjust better if they notice that your expectations for them have not changed. Dropping your standards for behaviour will only cause more difficulty for both parties. Make a physical list of trip rules, and include a breakdown of rewards they will be given for positive behavior.

Book and Pay Your Airplane Seats Together Early On

Involve your child in the planning of the trip and the booking of your airplane seats. This will give them a sense of control. In the weeks leading up to travel, use a calendar with the departure date of the trip highlighted and start a countdown or get your child to check off every day. The calendar will help by presenting time in a linear, tactile and visual way.

Another fun and helpful tip is to create a graphic or word social story with your child that is a narrative of the whole trip, including all the tasks associated with air travel. Don’t omit the tedious and annoying aspects like check-in, airport security, boarding, waiting for luggage at the baggage claim and more. Use pictures and verbal descriptions of the locations you will go to in the airport and sensory experiences the child might endure, like “ear-popping” at take-off and landing.

Revisit the travel itinerary book often before you leave in order to make the journey more predictable for your child.

You can call the airline (or travel agent) and request allocated medical seats for the whole family. Bulkhead seats will be ideal to minimize annoyance for other passengers.  If you are unable to get these, try for an aisle seat or window seat.

Visit the Airport to Show Your Child

Some airports allow you to take your child and get on a plane for practice exercise. Call the airport or your travel agent to try and set this up. If you can’t manage this, visit the airport as a regular member of the public to prepare your child. Visiting the airport ahead of the day of travel can help your child become accustomed to the sights and sounds as well as the crowds, thus possibly preventing sensory overload.

It’s a good idea to check flight schedules for the time of day that suits your child’s sleep schedule. If they can sleep on the plane, the trip might be much more tolerable for everyone.

Because air travel involves long periods of sitting still, it is advisable to get your child to participate in a high motor activity (like 20 minutes of running or trampolining) before you set off for the airport. This will help to get rid of bottled up energy before getting to the airport.

Planning ahead and making careful provisions for your autistic child can make the difference between an awful travel experience and an amazing trip.

For more support for you and your child with autism, get in touch with the Autism Center for Kids.