Airport screening and bipolar child

[casaazul]

My 12 yo ds is bipolar (a hidden disability to most people) and he can not STAND to have people touch him, sometimes even his mom can't!

Anyway we have not traveled by air since way before 9/11 and have a trip to WDW in 15 days. Should I get a letter from psychiatrist, or just have note to hand to the airport security screeners? If he is touched and he reacts, he can start screaming and yelling things like I'll sue you, or I'll get you... Needless to say that would not go over well in an airport.

Any help would be appreciated. The stress of travelling may really get to him.

thanks

 

[SueM in MN]

OK, first, the reassurance:
the chance of him actually getting touched by the screeners is pretty low.

Most people just go thru the walk thru scanner and are done with screening. The TSA people do choose some passengers for random extra screenings, but in most cases, you won't have extra screening unless the scanner goes off.
You can't do much to prevent a random screening, but you can do some things to lessen the chance of the scanner going off. Some other posters might have different ideas, but here's what I thought of.

If he has on a jacket, have him take it off an put it on the conveyor belt to the xray machine, along with anything made of metal or anything in his pockets that might set off the scanner. Taking off shoes is optional (I guess you could say, theoretically). I'd recommend planning on taking off the shoes. Some screeners tell you to take them off, some expect it. Even if they don't, having them off and sent thru the xray will mean that they won't cause the scanner to go off while he walks thru.

My youngest DD always gets a special screening because she can't walk thru the scanner. We tell them that she can understand and will attempt to do what they ask, but because she has cerebral palsy, she may not be able to. They wand her with a handheld scanner that is passed all over the body about 2 inches away from the body. If she could stand, they would just scan her. Because she can't, they ask her to lean forward so they can pat down her back. They always ask before touching anything. They do swab her shoes with a chemical detecting cloth. If we could remove her shoes and send them thru the xray machine, they probably would not do that.
We've traveled on about 8 trips with DD since 2001 and have found the increased security has not changed that much about how she is handled.

I'd suggest you prepare your child for what you might encounter, but let him know that chances are good, all he will need to do is walk thru the scanner.
I probably would bring a letter from the Psychiatrist in your case, along with his number. If the doctor has any hints for the screeners, that might be helpful too. You probably will not need to use it, but if your son needs extra screening, I'd ask to talk to the screener and explain that your son has some issues that would be helpful for them to know before they screen him. Keeping things positive - 'we want to comply, but my child has some limitations. How can we work together?' seems to work well for us.

 

[casaazul]

I have been worried, as my kid can get really weird at times.

I feel better after your post. He will probably be ok. I will go through his pockets and make sure his clothes are all clear.

Thanks again.

 

[SueM in MN]

You're welcome. Even some kids without extra issues sometimes have issues with the screeners, so I think you are very wise to be thinking about it.

Here's some pixie dust for a great trip.

 

[Mistyhon]

My 12 yo ds is bipolar (a hidden disability to most people) and he can not STAND to have people touch him, sometimes even his mom can't!

Anyway we have not traveled by air since way before 9/11 and have a trip to WDW in 15 days. Should I get a letter from psychiatrist, or just have note to hand to the airport security screeners? If he is touched and he reacts, he can start screaming and yelling things like I'll sue you, or I'll get you... Needless to say that would not go over well in an airport.

Any help would be appreciated. The stress of travelling may really get to him.

thanks

Hi ,
My daughter is 11yrs old and BP as well and we went to WDW a yr ago and just got back from DL . She is the same way and well this time she was good cause she new to expect .but we did preboard so she could get to her seat with out any interaction with ppl. The first time was tough even with preparing her for what to expect . I got medication from her Psychiatrist to give her to calm her if she needed and just preceded she yelled at the securty to her up and got aggittated but as soon as she started I gave her the meds and she was ok . When going through if your son starts to get upset or aggitaed just let the security now about his diability they will undrstand . Do ask for a preboard at the boarding gate this may help . I also kept talking to her the whole time explaining what was going to happen at each stop or person we had to talk to.I hope this helps . If you have anymore questions please msg me .

 

[Tiiiigergirl]

I would practice! In the days before 9/11 we took our son down to the airport and walked through the scanners before the trip. We found our gate etc. It was helpful to do all of that before we were distracted with all the luggage etc.

Now, I would take him to the ticket counter area and show him the line. Some of those lines are body to body likely to set him up for possible failure just due to the jostling. Then I would go home and pretend to stand in the line and practice different scenarios. Then as Sue suggested make certain that his clothing is metal free, make certain that you have appropriate medications and hope for the best. I would also go extra early and try to find the person that is directing people to the disabled line. You'll notice that airports will have waves of people that they call a run. That is when all the planes seem to land and take off. In between the airport will seem comparatively empty as long as there are no weather delays. Try to hit this by getting there an extra hour or so early.


Our son has HF Autism, Tourette Syndrome and severe ADHD. For exactly this type of reason we no longer feel comfortable taking him out of the country. In fact he had a severe melt down in Grand Cayman several years ago and 29 days from now is our first time flying again and first time being more than one state away. The closer we are to our home base, the closer we are to people who know us, know our child, know that his screams don't mean that we are beating him (even though that is what he is yelling! ) and the easier it is to resolve with authorities.

I wish you the best of luck. Mental illness is often misunderstood and very hard on the mothers and fathers that love them!

Giving you

 

[Schmeck]

About the preboarding - after spending 16 1/2 hrs at the Denver airport one day, I witnessed the fact that most flights to Orlando are packed with kids, and they stated that they didn't have pre-boarding because more than half of the people there qualified for it...

 

[SueM in MN]

He would not qualify for pre-boarding because of age (they often allow pre-boarding only for people with disabilities if there are lots of children on the flight).
If you think it would help your child to preboard, I'd suggest calling the airline directly. Ask to speak with the area that deals with special needs (they may not call it that, but all airlines have someone) and explain your child's problems with boarding. You can also talk with the gate agent.

As an alternate, if they don't do preboarding, you might want to wait until the plane is almost completely boarded. That way, you would not be going on in a rush of people.

 

[casaazul]

I feel much better now. We have a 9:40 am flight on a Sunday from a smallish airport that we have flown out of before, pre 9/11. We are spending the night right across from the airport, so we can get there early.

Thanks for the support, at least there are some of us that get our kids!

 

[AJKMOM]

When I travel with autistic son, 18, I go first and explain that he may not understand what they want him to do. I agree that you lessen the chances of your son being screened specially if you take everything metal off him.

Our airport, and the Orlando one, too I believe, make you take your shoes off, so practice that. If you could have something from your doctor saying he might react badly to strangers touching him, I bet that might help- it sure couldn't hurt.

 

[casaazul]

I will make sure we wear slip on and off shoes to the airport. No metal anything, even his watch. I'll pack most things he needs in my carryon and in our luggage.

He is ok with lines to get on rides at Disneyland and Six Flags, so I expect the line to get on the plane won't be too bad for him. We are flying Southwest and unless they have changed since I last flew, it is seating by what ever number you get. Correct me if I'm wrong. We will arrive early at the airport, having breakfast after we go through security at one of the restaurants.

I am most worried about the Orlando airport on the way home. I have never been there and I hope my own anxiety does not transfer to the kid.

I have started talking to ds about the logistics of the trip. He wants to bring ALL his Disney stuffed animals, and we have had to pare that down to what will fit in his rolling backpack from school. These animals help calm him and give him something to do so I can't say no to all. I know that sounds weird for a 12yo boy, but then again, he is not your "normal" 12yo. He has his favorite animals that have been all over the west, getting their photos taken in a wild variety of places!!!

I'm glad I posted on this board. Those of us with "differently abled" kids sometimes forget there are many others in the same world!

You all are great!

 

[AJKMOM]

You might want to consider talking him into getting a stuffed animal while there, that's what we did, as son wanted to take too many for the suitcase. We compromised on him taking the smallest and buying a new Mickey. If you think age 12 will get looks, try age 18. He is 5'10", size 13 shoes, and gets absolutely giddy at WDW.

Depending on where you are staying, your hotel front desk might be able to print out boarding passes 24 hours in advance. The security screening at the beginning on March took less than 20 minutes, and the line does keep moving. After that, there is a monorail that takes you over to where the planes take off. DS really likes that part, it's like the monorail at the Magic Kingdom. There are restaurants every where.

Don't be afraid to preface every action with "This is my son and he has.....". It's not the time to expect that your son will be perfectly behaved, and the authorities would rather know ahead of time so they can plan how to screen him.

 

[missypie]

I'd have the letter from a medical professional on hand. Also, when you get your boarding passes, look at them carefully to see if his looks different from yours. If so, ask a friendly screener what it means.

I mention this because at the International Terminal at DFW a couple of weeks ago, my 11 year old daughter was singled out for "special screening." They showed me her boarding pass, and it had printed out with two large Xs on the lower right hand corner that the rest of us didn't have. The screeners asked how old she was and kept asking each other, "Do we really have to do this?" She was wanded and then stepped into a machine that puffed air on her (to detect explosives). By the time she'd gone through this, the screener had looked it up and realized that the extensive screening isn't done on kids under 14, even with double Xs.

I don't want to scare you, but just be aware that if you child does get some kind of random screening code, speak up and ask them to make sure he has to be screened due to his age.

 

[SueM in MN]

We are flying Southwest and unless they have changed since I last flew, it is seating by what ever number you get. Correct me if I'm wrong. We will arrive early at the airport, having breakfast after we go through security at one of the restaurants.

I have nver flown Southwest, but I know from watching TV and reading posts on the transportation board that they load strictly by what letter your boarding pass is. No pre-assigned seats. When you get on, you have to look for vacant seats to claim.
Here's a link to Southwest Airline's page about disabilities. Since there are no assigmed seats, you may want to call and ask about what assistance you might be able to get.

I am most worried about the Orlando airport on the way home. I have never been there and I hope my own anxiety does not transfer to the kid.

Here's something that might be helpful since you haven't been to the Orlando ariport. It's a link to the Orlando airport's main page.
On th menu on the left side, under Passenger Terminal there is a link to the Arrival Walkthru', which has an explanation and pictures of what you will see when you arrive.
There is also a 'Departure Walkthru' that shows all the steps to depart. They don't show going thru security, but everything else is pretty much covered. The website also has a page with a map of the terminal.

 

[robin09]

I will make sure we wear slip on and off shoes to the airport. No metal anything, even his watch. I'll pack most things he needs in my carryon and in our luggage.

He is ok with lines to get on rides at Disneyland and Six Flags, so I expect the line to get on the plane won't be too bad for him. We are flying Southwest and unless they have changed since I last flew, it is seating by what ever number you get. Correct me if I'm wrong. We will arrive early at the airport, having breakfast after we go through security at one of the restaurants.

I am most worried about the Orlando airport on the way home. I have never been there and I hope my own anxiety does not transfer to the kid.

I have started talking to ds about the logistics of the trip. He wants to bring ALL his Disney stuffed animals, and we have had to pare that down to what will fit in his rolling backpack from school. These animals help calm him and give him something to do so I can't say no to all. I know that sounds weird for a 12yo boy, but then again, he is not your "normal" 12yo. He has his favorite animals that have been all over the west, getting their photos taken in a wild variety of places!!!

I'm glad I posted on this board. Those of us with "differently abled" kids sometimes forget there are many others in the same world!

You all are great!

Hi Debbie,

As a mom to DD8 aspergers, adhd, and sensory problems.. I know somewhat your fears. I've flown Southwest and love them... They do NOT have assigned seating... but.. If you print out your boarding passes 24 hours before your leave, you should get A boarding. Which means you will get to yoru seats first. Make sure to get to those lines and and save your space. I always need the back row right next to the bathroom.. many problems if I don't get that one. Use easy on and off shoes. I also pack a video game or protable dvd player for her. It helps with the waiting time and avaoiding other people.

Things will be fine and you'll have a great time!

 

[casaazul]

Good information and I will head to the Orlando airport site to see the walkthroughs.

We are staying at POR, is there a business center there that we can print our return boarding passes? If not, where could we go? If I need to, I may be able to get a small printer working. We must have A boarding so we can all sit together. I need dh to help me with ds!

Thanks again!

 

[AJKMOM]

If there isn't a separate desk near the "Magical Express" check in, you can go to the concierge desk. Someone will definitely be able to help you print those out in advance.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

Southwest also has a "preboarding" policy. I would think your son should qualify for this. You don't qualify to sit in exit rows, but do get on even before the A passes. I'm not sure of the procedure to get this, but on my last SW flight (not to/from Orlando) there were a couple of elderly ladies who needed extra time, and a gentleman in a wheelchair who preboarded. They had a special blue card indicating their status.

 

[cmwade77]

I know at LAX if you ask for a wheel chair they take you through one of the security gates that is not being used, I realize that he may not need a wheel chair, but it may make going through security easier in your case, it may take a bit longer, but may make things easier, just a thought.

 

[cmwade77]

As for pre-boarding, it depends on the Airport as well, for example the last time I was at Long Beach they were no longer allowing any of the airlines to pre-board, the policy may have changed since I do not know.