Wings for Autism in Boston area (APO disABILITIES!)

[clanmcculloch]

A new service run by the Charles River Center called Wings for Autism is being offered at BOS (Boston's Logan airport) and MHT (Manchester NH airport). http://www.charlesrivercenter.org/index.cfm?pid=14828

From the site:

The Charles River Center, in collaboration with Massachusetts Port Authority, JetBlue and Transportation Security Administration (TSA), created a new program called Wings for Autism. This is an airport rehearsal for children with autism spectrum disorders and their families. To alleviate some of the stress involved in taking a family vacation with a child with autism, families can practice entering the airport, getting boarding passes, going through security and boarding a plane.

The Charles River Center also trains personnel at Logan Airport to help them accommodate families when traveling with a child with special needs.​

Also posted on the disABILITIES! board

 

[kirstenb1]

What a great idea!!! I love that they're being proactive!!

 

[msr709]

This is such a great idea, I hope it goes nationwide. We live in PA so we would have to fly to get there, which pretty much defeats the purpose, right But it would be great if they started one of these in all the states. We have a 2yo autistic boy and we're flying with him next year and have no idea how he is going to react. We thought of taking him to the airport but its not the same as having this kind of thing where they can actually practice through the whole experience. Driving to Boston would be out of the question since he melts down if he's in the car any longer than an hour at a time but it is a Great idea!