Vacations can be challenging when you have very young children - these challenges are amplified when your littles are on the spectrum. We have always made it a priority to do summer vacations with Becca, especially since her IEP dictates that she is in school all year, and it has been this way since she was in Early Intervention. We only get a brief window to get that vacation time in, and we want to make sure that she is able to experience vacations just like other children her age.
But sensory sensitivities and a dependence on routine can definitely make vacations overwhelming, and so it is important to make some additional considerations during planning to ensure a smooth, restful, enjoyable vacation for everyone involved.
Decide whether you can go away. Some individuals with Autism need the comfort of their own environment in order to feel at peace or to be able to sleep. If that's your situation, maybe you opt for a staycation instead. And there is nothing wrong with that! Grab the car and chart your destinations for each day during the week, the same as if you were going away. We have both gone away with Becca and done staycations with her - and in both cases we managed to go to a lot of places and she had an amazing time.
Think through the specific activities that you are proposing to do. Are there some additional supports that are needed in order for your loved one with Autism to fully enjoy? Are there some places you may have to rethink whether you can go? If you are going to any place with loud noises, are there quiet areas that are easy to access in case of overstimulation? Will you need to bring sensory headphones? Do you need to contact accessibility services in advance to access any additional supports offered by the venue? Be sure to review the venue's website and call in advance whenever possible. This will help you make the right decisions around where to go and will make all the difference between having all of your supports in place or taking additional time to try to set things up when you get there - and it can save a lot of frustration in the long run.
Understand that your loved one's enjoyment of the activities may look differently that your enjoyment of it - and that's okay. We took Becca to a children's farm on our last vacation. This farm allowed the children to pet the animals, and feed them and interact with them. We were quite excited for her to have that kind of experience, and even though she did pet and feed the animals, her maximum enjoyment was from walking up and down the stairs, climbing the bleachers, and playing with the multiple sinks that were scattered around the farm for the people to wash their hands. And while that may be upsetting for some, our goal is that we expose her to different experiences without overstimulating her and triggering a sensory meltdown in the process. When she needed a break, we gave her a break and we didn't force her to do any of the activities she didn't want to do. This allowed her to feel calm and safe so that she was in a better position to try out some of the other options available to her - and what she doesn't do this time, she might do next time. So we just allow her to enjoy on her own terms.
Sequencing is everything! We start out by making a list of everything we want to do during the week, and then sequence it so that the most sensory stimulating activities are not done back to back. We build in rest days (where we do sensory play, music, and other activities without actually stepping out) so that she can rest, unwind and reset.
Speak to your loved one with Autism about the upcoming vacation to prepare him/her. Some Autistic individuals struggle with transitioning to different activities or coming out of their routine. Whatever you can do to alleviate some of those concerns is going to be helpful. Consider bringing a familiar item on vacation for comfort. The first time we went away with Becca, we actually brought her sheets and pillow from home and her stroller, and these were the items that actually helped her fall asleep in the unfamiliar environment. It did take her some additional time to fall asleep, but we were able to do it and she had a great time.
As we approach the last few days of summer and we try to squeeze in those final activities, let's incorporate some of these considerations so that we can make sure we close out summer with a bang!
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