Flying with an autisic child

[ladydancer]

A group of 11 family members will be going to WDW the last week this month. 5 of the group members are my grandkids one of which is my dgs6 whom is autisic. Since the trip is getting closer we are getting a little concerned about the flying aspect. He has never flown before and don't know what to expect. His mother seems to think when the plane gears up the engine he will go beserk. I have to admit that is a possibility.
I have read on another board that some people with small children were told by there peditrician to give there children benadryl for there ears and to calm them. Has anyone tried this?

I would like some feedback with people who have flown with autisic children. Advice, tips ect. would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mellie0119]

Benedryl has the opposite affect on my DS! He also hates taking meds, this would just wind him up more. KWIM? I really think the key to traveling with ASD kids is preparation. Is there an airport he might visit, giving him a chance to see/hear the planes might help, also, maybe find a book or movie about planes. My son does far better when he is prepped on what to expect. He's taken a couple plane rides and did well on them, usually falls asleep. That said, noises don't generally set him off that often, mostly when he is unprepared for them. Would he leave headphones on? You could get the type that deaden the outside noises (like landscapers wear).

 

[IncredibleMom]

I have 2 children with autism, DD6 and DS4. The best advice I can give is to make a visual ittenerary for him with maps, maybe pictures of the inside of an airplane, and times of take-off and landing. Talk about the noises of the engine before to let him prepare for it. Compare the sitting with other people to a movie theater. Be sure to mention layovers and plane changes ( I have a friend who forgot to mention this detail and her DD had a total meltdown in Dallas Airport because she thought they's reached their destinantion) you may even find out what resturants are at a layover airport to give him something short term to look forward to. Have his parents ask his pediatrician and therapists about medicating him (but don't try a new med on him in this situation - our kids can have adverse reactions sometimes!) Hope this helps!
-Tamara

 

[Nik's Mom]

We've tried Benydril and had good luck, but now ds hates meds. Does anyone use the PECS schedule system (picture cards)? Do you use these for the flight, airline security, etc.
I plan on asking for permission to board early, this way ds won't get nervous with all of the people pushing and shoving to get on the plane.

 

[Figment1964]

I have 2 children with autism, DD6 and DS4. The best advice I can give is to make a visual ittenerary for him with maps, maybe pictures of the inside of an airplane, and times of take-off and landing. Talk about the noises of the engine before to let him prepare for it. Compare the sitting with other people to a movie theater. Be sure to mention layovers and plane changes ( I have a friend who forgot to mention this detail and her DD had a total meltdown in Dallas Airport because she thought they's reached their destinantion) you may even find out what resturants are at a layover airport to give him something short term to look forward to. Have his parents ask his pediatrician and therapists about medicating him (but don't try a new med on him in this situation - our kids can have adverse reactions sometimes!) Hope this helps!
-Tamara

My son with ASD is 11½ and he's flown a lot in his short lifetime. I always make sure I do just as you've mentioned, Tamara, and make visual itineraries, etc. His younger, typically developing, brother loves the itineraries too, so I just make them for each kid now.

When we were there last summer I made a calendar that I put on the fridge of the condo we were staying in and I saw him referring to it often. It also helped my dh not have to continually ask, "What day are we doing XYZ?" Since we were there during Hurricane Frances and our schedule got messed up I just crossed off what we had to change and wrote the new schedule in or "we don't know yet" if it was an unknown. That seemed to work for him, I know if he sees it he's much more comfortable with it and can roll with the unknown more.

Here are some sites that I've used to make a visual itinerary for my sons:

Orlando International Airport Arrivals:
http://www.orlandoairports.net:/goaa/arrive/arrive.htm

Departure:
http://www.orlandoairports.net:/goaa/depart/depart.htm

I hope it helps some!

 

[ladydancer]

Thanks for all the responses. We are planning a trip to the airport today. I'm taking all the kids except the infant to the airport and surrounding area to see the planes take off and land. I'm trying to prepare all the kids since only my dgs9 has flown before and when I flew with him in Oct to WDW he had a terrible time with ear pressure. He was almost in tears after taking off to our destination. Coming home he didn't have a problem. As I said I'm also concerned about the ear pressure too. If he cries not knowing if it is because his ears hurt or he is upset.

There is no other way than taking him to the airport and showing him the planes to prepare him. I am going to try and talk with him but he only understands a very limited amount. I really don't think it will help.

About the Benadryl...he has taking it when he has been sick so we know how he reacts. It makes him sleepy. As I said others said it also helps with the ear pressure and that is a big concern with me. I bought earplane plugs but I don't think he will let me put them in his ears. I also bought him suckers, puzzles (he love puzzles), play dough, buzz lightyear color pencil set ect.

We are still up in the air (sorry about the pun) about pre-boarding. We don't want him to spend anymore time on the plane than needed. Same thing for dgd6, dgs5 and the 14 month old.

I do like the suggestions about the earphones. He will watch movies with earphones. I will ask his brother to loan me his portable cd player to see if he will listen to music. If that will work we will have him listen to music during take off and landing. I have a portable dvd player but for some reason the battery pack will not work. I only used the battery once. The replacement cost is almost as much as the dvd player.

Thanks

 

[welovedis]

ladydancer-have fun on your trip to the airport with yout grandchildren, it sounds like it will be a fun adventure for all!

My DS was not dx with ASD until last year, and we had already flown with him more than 1 dozen times. I agree with all the info you have been given about making things up for him in advance, but obviously you know his likes/dislikes better than we do. While my DS does not have autism, he has Asperger's Syndrome and appears fairly "normal" to most people, his issues come out in different social situations and when he is nervous/upset. If your dgs is non-verbal then you may have to deal with things in a different way that we would.

I wonder if you someone meant to suggest a decongestant for the plane ride, not an antihistamine (which Benadryl is). The decongestant (like Sudafed for example) would help with ear congestion, if he is congested. Benadrl though, may have the desired (it seems) effect that you are thinking of to perhaps make him a bit sleepy for the trip. In our case, that doesn't work as DS gets tired & cranky but not sleepy.

I do recommend the ear planes and perhaps try to put them on at home and pretend that you are going to be on a plane. Friends of our invited us over for a pre-vacation night where we all set up their dining room chairs in rows and pretended to take a trip. This helped their autistic DS when the real vacation arrived. He ended up letting his mom use the ear planes and they did a good job with the pressure building up. My DS won't use them so I buy him a huge Tootsie Roll and he chews on that when we are taking off/landing. Regular gum doesn't work for him, go figure!

Good luck with your planning!

 

[IncredibleMom]

I will ask his brother to loan me his portable cd player to see if he will listen to music. If that will work we will have him listen to music during take off and landing.

Unfortunatly this won't work. Remember, no electrical devices on during take-off and landing!

 

[ladydancer]

incrediblemom, Your right, I forgot about the electronic devices during take off and landings. Well that idea won't work!

welovedis, I bought a whole bag of tootsie roll pops for all the kids. I bought each one a fanny pack and have filled them with pops, gum (for the older ones) pez depenser w/extra pez. All the kids seem to love those pez and I got them in disney chacters.

I went to the pet supply store and got tags for the kids shoes in case they got lost. I put there parents cell numbers on the tags. I told my son to put T.J's id on his shoe and keep it on there. If he were ever to get lost he wouldn't be able to let anyone know who he is. This also accured to me one day when I went to pick his brother up from school to take him to the library. I was waiting by the office when I saw T.J. unacompanied, wonder out the front door of the school. I grabbed him and brought him back inside and an aid came in a panic because they had lost him. I thought, if I hadn't been there, what would have happened. It upset's me to think about it.

Your so right about knowing the likes/dislikes of the child. All children are so different. Even if there autisic or not.

They did mention the benadryl by name when they were talking on the board. Antiistamine's is what they were refering to as they said that also.

I'm going to see how T.J. acts today when I take him to see the planes. I'm going to get up as close as possible so he can hear there engines and such. So I can see how he reacts. After the trip to the airport we are taking them out to dinner. The cousins always have a good time when there together. One of the cousin's is the same age and one is a year younger than T.J. I really think because T.J. has been around them all of his life they have helped him with is social skills. As much as that is possible. They always try to include him in games and such. Of course T.J. sometimes wonders off in his own little world. He speaks very little. 2 words he differently knows are the names of his cousins.lol.

Thanks for sharing your experences!

 

[TiggerCate]

My DS10 wouldn't take meds in the past. Now that he has learned to swallow pills (in the last year and a half), we are ok, but before that it was a NIGHTMARE. The last time we went on a plane trip, we had our doctor call a prescription in to a pharmacy that does special mixing. They used the primary ingredient of Bendaryl and put it in a cream that gets absorbed in the skin. We tested it once before the trip to make sure it would make him sleepy and not wind him up. When we got to the airport, we put it on the back of his neck about 30 minutes before boarding. He was pretty mellow and the plane trip was fine.

Even if you aren't going on a plane trip- it's good to know that they can do this with certain medications when your ASD child will not take them!

 

[Tissa]

I hope everything works out for you and please let us know how he did. My ds 7 is autistic and gets very upset over new things. Simple sounds like a car horn really hurts his ears so I'm really afraid of how he would do on a plane. For this reason we drive everywhere. I really want to try and fly on our next trip and hearing others do well may just convince me to give it a try.

 

[madhug]

I a 4 year old ASD and one of the best things we have found is to find an object of great interest, a toy of some sort, then keep it put away until the airport. The reward can help to distract them but will not likely do the job on its own. Most importantly you must let the airline know you are traveling with an autistic child. You will want to preboard and make sure that you get him occupied immediately. The staff will be much more helpful and tolerant if they know to expect a potential situation. Also, travel with simple and clear stated documentation of his ASD including a color photo. If a situation arrises in the airport he might bolt or create a situation with security. You will want to be prepared not only to identify him, but also to properly explain the need to rectify any potential situation very calmly and quickly to officials within the airport. Because he will be required to walk through the checkpoints on his own and potentially be searched you really need to be prepared for the worst and the best case scenarios.

 

[Earstou]

I worried the first time my DS flew (at age 4), at that time I didn't know he had ASD, but was convinced he was ADHD at the very least! I envisioned him running all over the plane and creating disturbances. He also didn't like loud noises, and would shut down around loud noises.
So, we were pleasantly surprised when he was totally mesmerized by all aspects of flying! Even during our layover, he spent the entire time standing at the window, watching planes take off and land, and also watching the planes being serviced.
The only problem we had was at the flight change. He refused to leave the plane. I had not clearly explained to him that we would be boarding another plane to get to our destination. So, after he learned he would get another plane ride, he happily left the plane!
Now, my DS had always liked vehicles, but it was always cars, tractors and trucks, but I guess airplanes fit into his special interests, too.
We have flown many times since. He isn't as mesmerized as that first time, but he still enjoys it!
Hope others can have positive experiences too!!!!