Traveling by airplane with children can be a difficult and frustrating endeavor. Children often do not comprehend why the need to sit still for so long, and may not understand how much longer it will be until the flight ends. The whole process involved with traveling by airplane can be especially difficult for children who are on the autism spectrum. There is a program called “Autism Explores” that is designed to help children who are autistic to cope with being on an airplane.
There are some things that every parent can bring with on a flight to make things go a bit more smoothly for their child. This is true whether or not your child happens to be autistic. It’s just smart to bring along some books to read, or color. You might want to bring along a small portable DVD player, and your child’s favorite movie. It’s a good idea to bring along some snacks and drinks that you know your child will like. These small items can provide a modicum of comfort and distraction for children as they travel by plane.
While many children may become bored or frustrated with a long flight, (not unlike many adults), children who are autistic may have extreme difficulty coping with even a short flight. Autism affects the way a person perceives the world around him or her. It is not unusual for children to sometimes lose control of their emotions, in loud outbursts. Children with autism can have extreme difficultly regulating their emotions, especially when the child is in a new, unfamiliar, or overwhelming environment, such as the inside of an airplane.
The Autism Explores program was first launched at the Philadelphia International Airport, was recently added to the airport in Newark, New Jersey, and will hopefully become a nationwide program. This program takes parents and their child who has autism through everything that they would normally go through in order to travel by plane. The only difference is that the plane doesn’t actually leave the ground. This is an excellent opportunity for kids who have autism to “practice” what it is like to fly, in an environment that is sympathetic to the needs and emotional reactions of children who are autistic.
Most adults who travel by plane are unable to recognize the signs that would indicate that a child is on the autism spectrum. Instead, they interpret the child’s outbursts as proof that the child’s parents are not doing a good job. It is these kinds of reactions that make things even more stressful for the parents of an autistic child who is having difficulty. The Autism Explores program is a safe place for autistic children to have outbursts, and for their parents to manage those outbursts without judgements from people who do not fully understand what is going on.
The same program is an opportunity for flight attendants, TSA security agents, and other airport personnel to become familiar with the behaviors that many children with autism tend to exhibit, especially when upset. Flight attendants can gain a better understanding about how to serve autistic people who are on the plane. TSA agents can learn more about how to identify a passenger who has autism, (as opposed to a passenger that is acting “weird” or “suspicious”).
Image by Christopher Doyle on Flickr