Planning a Summer Vacation That Supports Children with Special Needs

 

Baseball, barbeques, and bathing suits. Summer has arrived bringing all of these and, for many, family vacation time. While vacation is meant to be a time to change things up and recharge, some family members of children with special needs may find shaking off the everyday a challenge. Because Sequoia’s special needs planning team believes in creating a strong community of support to address the numerous complexities of life with a child who has special needs, we’re pleased to offer wisdom from our exclusive conversation with Dawn M. Barclay, author of Traveling Different, on planning a summer vacation to best support children with special needs. Just as financial planning helps you work toward your life goals, preparation for a vacation with your family can make a difference in everyone’s enjoyment and relaxation level. While many elements impacting a vacation are out of your control, planning ahead can smooth over the bumps and help keep all the fireworks limited to the 4th of July.

It’s all about banishing the meltdowns.

Traveling to a totally new environment is very exciting, but disrupted schedules and complex logistics can make any person anxious and irritable. For families of children with special needs and invisible needs, the stress of travel can be a barrier to even thinking about a vacation. Barclay’s book Traveling Different is specifically oriented to families of neurodiverse/neurodivergent children to offer strategies and tools to help ward off sensory meltdowns during travel. That said, while many of the resources cited specialize in travel planning as well as venues for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and bipolar/mood disorders, the preparatory tips and strategies offered can be helpful to every family.

In speaking with Dawn, she shared a few tips from Traveling Different with us. We hope you find them helpful in using your wealth to accomplish what’s important to you.

Planning tip: Try mini-experiences.

The goal of a mini-experience is to take an unfamiliar experience and make it feel familiar and predictable in the child’s eyes. A mini-experience will also allow you to identify possible triggers and create alternative plans to address them.

Preparing for a hotel, vacation rental, or other stay

Schedule a sleepover at a friend’s or relative’s home. Many people find sleeping in a new environment requires some adjustment. Having a one-night trial run close to home is a low-risk way to identify sensitivities and strategize about ways to make your child more comfortable. This may mean bringing along items to help ease the adjustment: bedding or towels from home, special lighting, or a fan/white noise machine.

Preparing for air travel

Many major airports host Wings for Autism programs. For example, Massport hosts this event at Boston’s Logan airport twice per year. The program benefits not only the families who participate, but also provides airline, airport, TSA, and other personnel with valuable experience in supporting people with special needs.

A tip to prepare for light turbulence: Take your child for a ride on a bumpy road and ask them to close their eyes. This helps communicate the idea that the bumps will end, and your journey will come to a safe conclusion.

Camping

Similar to the sleepover concept above, pitching a tent in your backyard is a low-risk way to test children’s capacity for living in the great outdoors.

Tours

Take a local experience and frame it as a tour or an adventure. This could include a visit to a museum, aquarium, zoo, or even a garage sale or flea market. Observe your child’s reactions to crowds and sensory exposures and consider how to minimize the impact while vacationing.

Planning tip: Seek professional help and vet destinations.

The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) created an online training and certification program to help travel professionals assist families and individuals with special needs prepare for their perfect vacation. A Certified Autism Travel Professional™ (CATP) is defined as a professional who has demonstrated that they are both knowledgeable and capable of providing support and travel-related services to an individual on the autism spectrum as well as their family. You may choose to have a specialized travel agent or agency make your arrangements. They can act on your behalf to help with any issues and, if needed, rebook your activities and accommodations. You can search for a Certified Autism Travel Professional (CATPs) at https://ibcces.org/certified-autism-travel-professional/.

If you plan to handle all of the travel arrangements on your own, be sure to call ahead to be sure the programs and services you will be counting on, for example, a kids club, will be offered on your vacation dates.

Planning tip: Pace both your travel and your vacation.

In general, it may be best to schedule just one activity each day. Allowing ample time to relax and recharge between activities can make for a more peaceful travel experience for all family members. One idea: spend time at the hotel pool between daytime activities and dinner with the family. Relatedly, if possible, avoid tight connections and long layovers and bring a carry-on bag with noise-cancelling headphones, snacks, and activities to fill wait times.

Planning tip: Plan an individual sports vacation.

Take a sports vacation that focuses on individual participation such as skiing, horseback riding, or golfing. Everyone can have a great time without the social pressure of being part of—or keeping up with—a group.

For more information

For more helpful information like this, read Traveling Different: Vacation Strategies for the Anxious, the Inflexible, and the Neurodiverse, available via Amazon or Barnes and Noble, which contains additional tips and information and a meticulously researched resource guide to travel agents, organizations, and other professionals credentialed to work with families of people with special needs. With guides like this and helpful financial planning strategies from the Sequoia special needs planning team, we hope you can feel empowered to pursue the summer vacation of your dreams.