Pediatric Therapist Aviva Weiss Offers Ten Tips to Prepare for Good Times Together This Holiday Season
The chaos of packing, airport crowds and
security, lengthy car rides and yes, even overexposure to family and
friends is enough to erode any holiday traveler’s festive spirit. Add
traveling with children into the equation, especially when special
needs are involved, and some parents might wish they could just stay
home. But a few preparations, says Fun and Function LLC founder Aviva
Weiss, can go a long way toward ensuring a good time for everyone.
Traveling disrupts routines and removes children from familiar
surroundings. This can be especially stressful and difficult for
children with special needs notes Weiss, a certified pediatric
occupational therapist. A mother of four, including a daughter with
sensory processing disorder, she says parents of special needs children
can pave the way toward less stressful trips by observing these ten
guidelines:
1. Prepare the child in advance as much as possible. Practice for the
trip for a period leading up to the actual travels. Talk about the
upcoming experience to help your child overcome anxiety. Act out or
role play anticipated events in advance, from taking off shoes for
airport security to applauding after a toast.
2. Redirect anxious energy into constructive activity. To take the edge
off the potential anxiety of seeing many less familiar faces all at
once, make the event a fun and educational by creating a special
activity. Create a small photo album featuring people who will be at
the event, and help your child play “Family Bingo,” checking off each
person he or she greets or sees across the room. Or, create a pictogram
of your itinerary or agenda and help your child follow along.
3. Encourage creative expression. For those able to write or draw, a
pocket journal or sketchbook for illustrating what they’re experiencing
can provide another useful outlet. Children who are more observers than
participants may appreciate assignments such as taking pictures with a
digital camera.
4. Don't expect perfection. Whenever you travel with children, it’s
best to “expect the unexpected,” or at least leave room for something
to pop up to divert you from your agenda.
5. Secure an extra set of hands. Try traveling with a friend, family
member or caregiver to help keep things in order when you’re on the
move, provide manpower for carrying belongings and an extra set of
eyes, and even make bathroom breaks with multiple children an easier
task.
6. Manage expectations for you and your hosts. A pending visit from a
special needs child may produce stress for the host as well as the
child and the parent. Prepare everyone by communicating your child’s
needs in advance and asking for some general ground rules for inside
the home, as a gesture toward making the visit as pleasant and peaceful
as possible.
7. Bring along some “friends.” Pack a bag of objects that are fun and
familiar. Sensory gadgets/fidgets, noise reduction headphones, weighted
vests, or favorite belongings from home will help filter out outside
stimuli and provide a comforting connection to “home.”
8. Minimize changes to eating habits. Try to keep your child’s diet
consistent to prevent constipation, indigestion, allergic reactions or
other adverse developments. Feed your child something satisfying to
comfort them before a long trip, and take along favorite utensils as a
connection to more familiar situations. Don't expect your child to sit
for an entire meal. Rather, prepare a spot where he or she can rest,
play or calm down while the meal continues.
9. RX for safer travels. Ready a medicine kit with prescriptions,
medical information and OTC products to confront fevers, allergies,
cuts and other issues that may surface when you travel out of your home.
10. Preserve the moment but reserve time for breaks. The ingredients of
posing for pictures – people huddled close together, bright flashes,
noise and the need to stay still – can lead to overstimulation. Don't
oblige your child to participate in all the photos, and be sure to take
breaks in between.
“Traveling with a special needs child – or any child, for that matter –
needn’t be a stressful event,” Weiss says. “In fact, it can be a great
experience, offering lessons and fond memories for all. The keys are to
prepare everyone in advance, include a few fun and familiar items and
activities, and above all remember that it takes time and patience to
learn how to manage change.”
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Reprinted With Permission
Aviva Weiss, a pediatric OT and founder of Fun and Function LLC, offers tips for traveling with special needs kids.
