Same Time, Same Place
For the past few years, we have gone to the same place each year for our summer vacation. We often go with family and friends. The first year was very challenging for Mikey. Everything was new to him, and he ended up having his worst meltdown ever! I took him home early to get him some relief from the changes.
We decided to give it a try again in the off-season and let him go with just Dave and I to see if we could help him get used to it. We went over his April break last year and that seemed to help a lot. He loves the beach and doesn’t care at all if it is a little chilly.
Each time we go, he seems more and more comfortable. We went this month with close friends of our family. They know Mikey well and he has fun with them.
Spoiler alert: he LOVED it! He knew which room was his. He was comfortable taking his shower on his own. He found a spot to watch the TV shows he likes during the day to escape some of the noise and the heat. He spent time in the pool with everyone instead of waiting until the evening when the pool was empty. Maybe my favorite thing: he slept through the night every night we were there.
He made it his own and was able to relax. I have read that it can help people with autism if you take your vacation at the same time of year to the same place. Our anecdotal evidence is 100% supportive of this theory. The vacation went very well!
In Hindsight
If you’re trying this yourself, I’d keep the first trip relatively short and keep the group small – maybe just your immediate family. Then in future years, you can make the trip longer and the group bigger if your child can tolerate that.
Next
Mikey had so much fun this year that he felt upset and frustrated when we got home. I’ll need to tackle that next, but I’m so proud of his vacation progress that I’m willing to work hard to help him transition back into our real world more smoothly.
For more on vacations, click the link below.
For ideas on a travel checklist to make the trip easier, click the link below.
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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