The Lovely Lisa has come back to do a guest post. No introductions needed, welcome back Lisa!
Tales from the World of Extreme parenting - H is for Holidays.Part 1.
As a mother of two children with Autism who have travelled from Melbourne,
Malaga, Brisbane,
Ballarat, Dublin and
Dubbo several times in the last TEN years, I felt I might have a few tips to share.
Now, Volcanos and The Recession might have you considering a Stay-Cation with kids and stuff all packed in the car ready for two weeks in The West. Think Again.
Problem with this is that it with a strong likelihood of rain for 10 of the 14 days you have booked, you may find yourself cooped up in a holiday house with no broadband, no cable and the prospect of hanging around the local Supermarket for entertainment.
"De Amusements" and Indoor Play Centres are like the seventh circle of hell for our special needs family with their total sensory overload, and my kids do not like them much either.
Walking in the Rain may be romantic for a couple who can run to the nearest pub and fill up on smoked salmon and brown bread washed down with Irish Coffees while they dry out their anoraks by the turf fire. Add two hyperactive kids to the mix and it just doesn't work.
So take my advice and go somewhere sunny for your holidays. And fly!1. Two Words: SELF CATER!
You will all be much happier.
Where I come from, Full Board is something that you surf on at the beach.
So I found it perplexing to hear parents complaining about the minefield of taking meals on holiday at the same time as everyone else in a busy dining room full of foods and table settings and people who do not understand that your son wants to taste all the sugar packets before putting them back on the table.
Give up on Having Your Dinner at Midday and just grab what you need at the supermercado each day, to eat whenever it suits.
That way you can feed yourselves and the kids for most of the day in peace without worry about additives or special diets or intolerances.
But don't feel you have to cook every night. The great thing about holidays outside of Ireland is that you can feed the whole family in a restaurant for less than it costs for a dinner for two here.
Many holiday places have outdoor tables where a mess will be not only tolerated, but expected. Seriously, give yourself a break and go out.
There are literally hundreds of great websites for choosing a villa or apartment to book yourself. We use "Spainaway"or "Owners Direct" but go on line and shop around. Really good bargains to be had and you need not be tied to Saturday to Saturday. Book your flights on the days that suit you (traveling on a weekday is much quieter) and then make the booking company an offer on the number of days.
If you book accommodation and travel independently you can organise your own transfers, either by hire car or taxi and not be tied to waiting around bus that will stop at every resort en-route. Many of the booking companies will recommend or even organise transport for you. Just ask.
2. Prepare: With Social Stories,
If your child can read then write a story on the computer, double-spaced and with pictures to represent each stage of the journey. Make sure you build in
rewarding activities to do along the way.1. Drive to the Airport
2. Take the bags to the desk and get a boarding pass, then go to
McDonalds!
3. Then go to the big gate and take off your shoes…..etc
Your child will go through each boring step in order to get to the next interesting step.
You can read the story together several times before the trip and ask teachers and other carers to read and talk about it too.
Finish with a photograph of the villa or apartment that you will be staying in, which is easy to obtain from the web. And the mantra “Holidays are Fun!”
For a pictorial social story go
here to upload and print off the Autism Support Website guide to planning your journey.
Or you can use pictograms and drawings. These are best if your child tends to be very literal about photographs and won't get on the airplane if it doesn't look exactly like the one in the story.
3. Packing: Bring home with you!I am not mad, I just mean bring a few choice items that the kids particularly associate with home. I always pack a few favourite, washed a million times, duvet covers and pillowslips with the kid’s favourite characters on them.
When you get to the villa or apartment or even hotel room, go straight into the bedroom and put the pillows in the pillowcases. You can put a blanket or even a sheet inside a quilt cover, which is great if you are somewhere too hot for duvets.
For the first trip away I actually took the covers off their beds, so the smell would come with us as kids tune in to the familiar like that. I also take a couple of story books, the ones that you like to read to them, and as many kids magazines as they have (
CBeebies, Peppa Pig or Disney etc), as you can leave those behind at the end of the holiday.
You will be particularly glad of these if you are going abroad. First trip to Spain I had to read “We’re going on a Bear Hunt” every night for 14 days.
Bring familiar toys to scatter around but look for Beanie versions to save space when packing. Ask friends and family to look out for these 'doppleganger' toys in charity shops or check ebay. We make them choose one toy each for the plane, and put the rest in the hold luggage.
To be continued.............. Read original post
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