anyone who has done air travel with ASD/ADHD

[disneydreamin247]

I am BAFFLED at where to sit on the plane. I don't want my son to cause a complete scene in the middle of trip, and I would prefer being closer to the bathroom so he could have easy access if he needs to go. Where do I go??!!??

 

[Ctsplaysinrain]

Hi- I have traveled by plance many times alone with my 2 kids- 1 has AS/ADHD, the other ADHHHHHHHHHD. I have always found that sitting in the back near a galley is the best choice.. You are close to bathrooms and you are close to the flight attendants if you need anything such as an extra drink or for them to come by and watch your child, talk to them if you need to go the bathroom alone. Also, there is more engine noise back there so 1) it tends to work as white noise, 2) it tends to cover up if the noises if the kids get LOUD. ALso, I find that most of the people who tend to get the most upset at kid noises, weird kid behaviour etc- tend not to sit in the back.. Also, I don't know how old your kid is but if you need to use a carseat- there tends to be more room in these back row and there is a higher possibility that you can get a "free seat" for carseat if kid is lapchild or just more room so you can perhaps have a seat between you to spread out toys etc.

 

[disneydreamin247]

Awesome! Thanks! I was thinking the back of the plane, but when I was looking at the pick your seat chart on Delta it looked like only the galley was in the back, but I also didn't see how there could only be TWO bathrooms on board and in the front of the plane!

 

[ireland_nicole]

As one of my dear blessings is a kicker,(DD and DS both have mult. dxs.) we have used many strategies. The galley is one good option. Also, the bulkhead seats (in the center so there's no emergency exit) mean more leg room, a tray that's much closer, and no one reclining their seat on top of your dear ones. Thirdly, if your husband is travelling as well, we have seated one of us in front of kid and other parent. This has two advantages. (1) no one can get kicked except for one of ya'll. (2) the parent on their own actually gets a little rest. Have a great trip!
Nicole

 

[mazz1]

we always go for the bulkhead too, it's a 9 hour flight to florida from the uk and the bulkhead is a special request seat so i spend some time worrying before the trip hoping we will get them

there has only been one occasion when virgin mixed us up, this happened when my daughter was at her most uncooperative and we had the rudest lady ever in front of us, she reclined her chair as my daughter was trying to get up to go to the toilet and despite us explaining the situation and asking politely she refused to put it back up so she could get back in, the cabin steward had to intervene and insist

i was so upset by her attitude i think it's obvious to most that kids will need the toilet especially in a 9 hour flight here i was sat holding my daughters knees so she wouldn't "jerk and rock backwards and forwards" too much and disturb this woman in front and we got this in return

after the 2nd trip to the bathroom my husband stood up and "accidently" slammed the back of her chair to get it back upright and then she sort of got the message

since then we always request a bulkhead with a list of strong reasons why it's needed

 

[lawlesslovewdw]

we always go for the bulkhead too, it's a 9 hour flight to florida from the uk and the bulkhead is a special request seat so i spend some time worrying before the trip hoping we will get them

there has only been one occasion when virgin mixed us up, this happened when my daughter was at her most uncooperative and we had the rudest lady ever in front of us, she reclined her chair as my daughter was trying to get up to go to the toilet and despite us explaining the situation and asking politely she refused to put it back up so she could get back in, the cabin steward had to intervene and insist

i was so upset by her attitude i think it's obvious to most that kids will need the toilet especially in a 9 hour flight here i was sat holding my daughters knees so she wouldn't "jerk and rock backwards and forwards" too much and disturb this woman in front and we got this in return

after the 2nd trip to the bathroom my husband stood up and "accidently" slammed the back of her chair to get it back upright and then she sort of got the message

since then we always request a bulkhead with a list of strong reasons why it's needed

Our ds4 is asd and we always request a bulkhead and stress that it is important because of kicking(some kids flap their arms he flaps his feet, esp when playing ds etc) and i make them aware of the need for the 4 of us to sit together because if he does have a meltdown it takes 2 to assist him, plus we have a ds2 who needs lots of reassurance after his db meltdowns. We also inform staff that during a meltdown he does have a tendancy to become violent and i would not want anyone to get hurt during this episode.(although it is normally me that he attacks). Only once have we been refused a bulkhead seat, so I asked for the check in lady name incase there were any incidents on the plane, luckly it was on the way home and he slept all of it

I do have 2 tips though...request through your airline special screening, esp if your child cannot wait or hates crowds

We use a disability stroller for our son, more than once it has been treated as a normal pushchair, now i make sure we contact the airline and tell them we a travelling with a disability stroller/ wheelchair and a normal stroller and tell them we need both to be treated as wheelchairs so ds is safe as soon as we get of the plane, because it is a long walk from plane to baggage area.

OT.Just thought of another one for uk travellers, if you have a blue parking badge you need to apply for a local one, if you are renting a car

 

[SueM in MN]

I do have 2 tips though...request through your airline special screening, esp if your child cannot wait or hates crowds.

For US travelers, the airlines have nothing to do with screening, so you can't request special screening thru them.
There is information on the Transportation Safety Administration Website about services/information for people with special needs that would be helpful.

We use a disability stroller for our son, more than once it has been treated as a normal pushchair, now i make sure we contact the airline and tell them we a travelling with a disability stroller/ wheelchair and a normal stroller and tell them we need both to be treated as wheelchairs so ds is safe as soon as we get of the plane, because it is a long walk from plane to baggage area.

I'm not sure what it means to be 'treated as a normal pushchair' - I'm assuming that meant that you had to check it with your baggage and did not get it back until you got to the baggage claim area.
For travelers in the US, that is one option for treating strollers.
Another option is to gate check, which means that you can keep the stroller until boarding the plane and have it brought to the gate when you arrive at your destination. That is called "gate checking" and in the US, that is available for anyone with a stroller, not just people with wheelchairs or disabilities. All you need to do in the US is tell the check in person that you are going to gate check the stroller. They may give you a special tag for it at that point, or tell you to ask the gate agent. If you ask at the gate, ask before they start boarding.
When you are entering the plane, it's up to you to fold the stroller and make sure that it is securely folded and won't open up (which could cause it to be damaged).

Each US airline also has a special needs department that can help you secure the seats you need. It may be eaasy to find on the website; if it's not, you can usually find it by doing a search of the airline's website for "wheelchair".

 

[lawlesslovewdw]

I'm not sure what it means to be 'treated as a normal pushchair' - I'm assuming that meant that you had to check it with your baggage and did not get it back until you got to the baggage claim area.
For travelers in the US, that is one option for treating strollers.
Another option is to gate check, which means that you can keep the stroller until boarding the plane and have it brought to the gate when you arrive at your destination. That is called "gate checking" and in the US, that is available for anyone with a stroller, not just people with wheelchairs or disabilities. All you need to do in the US is tell the check in person that you are going to gate check the stroller. They may give you a special tag for it at that point, or tell you to ask the gate agent. If you ask at the gate, ask before they start boarding.
When you are entering the plane, it's up to you to fold the stroller and make sure that it is securely folded and won't open up (which could cause it to be damaged).

In the UK you can gate check, however you do not get your stroller back until you reclaim your luggage, even if the destination is the US.

 

[SueM in MN]

In the UK you can gate check, however you do not get your stroller back until you reclaim your luggage, even if the destination is the US.

Ahh!
Traveling from a US destination to a US destination, you can get the stroller back, even if not disabled. So, I guess that's the difference.

 

[Disneylvr]

Hi- I have traveled by plance many times alone with my 2 kids- 1 has AS/ADHD, the other ADHHHHHHHHHD. I have always found that sitting in the back near a galley is the best choice.. You are close to bathrooms and you are close to the flight attendants if you need anything such as an extra drink or for them to come by and watch your child, talk to them if you need to go the bathroom alone. Also, there is more engine noise back there so 1) it tends to work as white noise, 2) it tends to cover up if the noises if the kids get LOUD. ALso, I find that most of the people who tend to get the most upset at kid noises, weird kid behaviour etc- tend not to sit in the back.. Also, I don't know how old your kid is but if you need to use a carseat- there tends to be more room in these back row and there is a higher possibility that you can get a "free seat" for carseat if kid is lapchild or just more room so you can perhaps have a seat between you to spread out toys etc.

Oh good! Your reply made me feel so much better about our seat choices. We are in row 29, near the back next to the galley and close to the bathrooms. I choose those seats for the very same reasons you stated. We are flying with Madelyn for the first time (well, actually 2nd but she was an infant the first time). The bulk head seats were already reserved.

 

[NJBlackBerry]

A somewhat related post - there is an excellent website which shows the seat, toilet and galley layouts of all aircraft. It can be found at http://www.seatguru.com

This may help with actual seat selections.

 

[SueM in MN]

Another suggest -
even though you probably would be able to pre-board, you may not want to. Depending on the plane and the airline, you might be preboarding 10-40 minutes before general boarding. Check with the gate agent for when they plan to begin preboarding and if you think the time would be too long for your child, you can always wait until further in the boarding process.

Location also might make a difference. If you are in the back of the plane, pre-boarding would allow you to get all settled in your seats and no one will be coming past you to get to their own seats. If you are seated in the front or in the bulkhead seats, almost everyone getting on the plane needs to pass by you. My DD has ADD and OCD and sometimes that bothers her to have all the people passing by. Because of her wheelchair, we don't have a choice; we need as much time as possible to preboard. But, if we didn't, I might wait a bit longer.

 

[SueM in MN]

A somewhat related post - there is an excellent website which shows the seat, toilet and galley layouts of all aircraft. It can be found at http://www.seatguru.com

This may help with actual seat selections.

Thanks.
I was looking for that to post, but could not remember the name.

 

[Taratink]

I see that you are from NY. We always fly Jet blue out of Boston. The t.v's help keep my Adhd child happy. The last 20 minutes he gets antsy and I just deal with it. I bring cards coloring books, snacks and lollipops. Try to get a window seat and he can stand up for a little while. There are so many loud kids and crying babies on the planes heading to Orlando.

 

[disneydreamin247]

You guys have been more than helpful. I really appreciate all the tips and info!

 

[Blanche_Neige]

I just came back from disney with my DSs (8 AS) (6 PDD-NOS) & (6 ASD).

I was very nerveous about the plane ride. I had many nightmares, espacially with my youngest one. He has many meltdowns, sometimes makes this ear piercing pitch scream. When he cries it like he is being skinned... you get the picture...

One of my dreams was that plan had to do an mergency landing to kick us off...

The other was that he got soooo scared that he didn't want to go on the plane on the way back home, so we had to drive home...

I planned the trip carefully bringning gameboys, foods, toys, stuffed animals, portable DVD player, big headphone to try o cut the plane noise out, even laptop for favorite computer game or to use as second dvd player...
I prepared them in advance with reading books about it and watching kids show.

I even debated on where to sit. I wanted to sit the first row of seat. Near the bathroom, near the exit and no one in front in case he starts kicking and he could stand up and hop... I didn't want to be in the back, as I fing it too loud even for myself...

Well, I didn't get the seats I wanted... we were seating in the 10th row.

Anyways my son LOVED IT, he was soooo happy at take off we was giggling the whole time.

The plane was 3:30 hrs, he was fine, just sat watch TV and played game boy. His ears didn't even seem to bother him!!!

what a relief

In fact the whole trip was such a great success I want to go back next year

I wish you the best of luck and i hope you have a nice trip

 

[LauraVV]

We have had great luck flying Southwest. Since they don't have assigned seating we just check in when we get there and tell them that we need to preboard. That way, we can chose bulkhead where we have a bit of extra leg room. My daughter has also been able to speak with the pilots and the flight attendants, sometimes even getting her picture taken "flying" the plane. She's got SID, so has some huge sensory issues. She also has hearing issues and mobility issues. If you wait to board the plane you don't have much choice in seating placement. Plus, it always helps my daughter to speak with those who are flying the plane. It's just a great start to her flight.

 

[SueM in MN]

thanks for the report.
glad to hear that things went much better than your nightmares

 

[Blanche_Neige]

I forgot to mentionned that on the way back home, we were all very tired. ME brought us to MCO 4hr before our flight, that was later delayed...
Anyways the security line was very very long and my oldest was showing us the signs of an immenant melt down.

I approached one of the TSA and explained the situation, well bless his heart he made us go trought a separate gate, was fast and more quiet and much less stressful. They even let me go throught holding my youngest one.

The magic carried on to the airport

 

[mechurchlady]

Thanks for the trip report and it is amazing how you think one thing and the opposite happens.