If we are honest I think we will all admit that travelling anywhere with any child can be testing at some point during the journey. Travelling with an Autistic child can be even more testing. Not just for the parents or the child but for those people travelling around them. The question is what can you as a parent do to make your journey that little bit easier?
Parents will already have a plan in place to prepare their child for the Airport so we wont be going into to much detail about that here rather our focus will be on the actual Airport process and the flights.
Airport Parking
Most people who live any distance from the airport will probably use a form of airport parking, so it makes sense for your airport experience to begin by planning the type of airport parking you will be using. Children with Autism dependent on what part of the Spectrum they are one will probably struggle to deal with social interaction to some degree. By choosing a park and ride option you will either have to get on a dedicated transfer coach with lots of other people or have to wait around for the transfer coach that circulates on an on going basis. Both of these options are not very Autism friendly due to the fact that there will be a lot of waiting around and interaction with other people.
The alternative option to park and ride is what is know as meet and greet parking. This method is much more Autism friendly as it enables you and your family to drive directly to the airport and have your vehicle collected from the terminal you are departing from. By choosing this method you will avoid any waiting around and will definitely not subject your child to any unnecessary social interaction.
Easy Check In
Its worth checking with your airline if they have an express check in service. If they do then you will be able to check in online before you arrive at the airport this speeding the whole check in procedure aling vastly. If you can use the express check in service all you will have to do upon arriving at the airport is join the express check in queue which moves greatly faster than the other queues as all you are in effect doing is off loading your luggage.
Med Seats
Each aircraft has what are known as Med seats (medical seats) which the aircraft staff can allocate at their discretion upon departure. I would recommend calling the airline well ahead of your journey and explain to them that your child is Autistic and it would be in everybody's interests if you could be allocated the med seats at the front of the aircraft. The reason why these seats are good is because they reduce the stimulation that will inevitably surround your child. This will hopefully keep them calm enough and prevent any tantrums that would of course affect everybody else on the plane. It is worth mentioning this when trying to secure your seats as ultimately if they allow you to have them it will make everybody's life easier especially the cabin crew.
Knowledge is power
The final piece of advice is down to the parents and how they feel at the time. It is advisable and nice if when sitting down you inform the cabin crew and surrounding passengers of your child's condition. You don't have to go into great detail about it but generally people are more understanding if they know why things are happening and by you knowing they know the stress levels will be lower.
Unfortunately queueing at airports is inevitable but the more phone calls you make before you travel the easier your journey will be.
Written by Jamie Lyons on behalf of Heathrow Airport Parking and Manchester Airport Parking specialists MF Airport Parking
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jamie_R_Lyons
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