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- Q&A with Jackie Longino founder of Aspietravel
- Q&A with Tal managing director of ALUTEVA-autistic hotel in Israel
- Eva Bronstein-Greenwald-special needs travel agent and founder of We Belong
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- Q&A with David Intercontinental Tel Aviv
- Keri Bowers- film producer of 'Normal people scare me'
- Jamie Grover-Autism on the seas
- Peter Shears
- Clive-guide dog extraordinaire
- John Brown of 'Devyn and Dad' -an inspirational adventure across the United States
- Rose Niehaus Olsen Morris inventor of the safety sleeper bed
- Annette White,counselor for Camp Autism
- Colin Brennan-Canada's new singing sensation
- Dennis Debbaudt-autism safety expert
- Gisela Sedlmayer- author of 'Talon'
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- Fiona Westner Ramsay -Making-room-for-autism-in-your-canoe
- Laura Shumacher-Traveling with autism: a true story
- Phyllis Fanzo Lombardi-s -Vacation Time with Joey
- Kristina Chew-18 Miles On the Bikes At the Beach
- Jeff Katz-Chicago
- Margaret Ann Franklin's visit to the Great Northern Carousel in Helena Montana
- Claire Sarcone-Chessington the aspie way
- Elaine Hall-Tips for summer vacation
- Steve LHeureux -Autism "Outings" need to be planned and appropriate
- Kelly Green-The Gardens of Gilroy
- Wolfie Blue-Tips I learnt by traveling with my family
- Gluten free Disney cruise experience
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Steve LHeureux-Autism "Outings" advice
![Picture](/uploads/4/4/4/8/4448415/6097851.jpg)
Steve LHeureux is a parent of a child with non-verbal autism. His diverse background of skills provides several ways to influence and balance his environment. To ask Steve a question, contact him at [email protected]
Autism - "Outings" need to be planned and appropriate
Parents should include regular trips to local areas into the routine of their child with autism or and ASD. By using proactive planning and learning which trips are also appropriate and enjoyable for the child, the entire family can benefit. The autism spectrum is variable and some trips will be great for a certain child whereas others may not work out as well within the same environment.
First, it is important to find an activity on a trip that the child enjoys and their behaviors are favorable. Usually this means going places that are sensory friendly. For example, avoiding crowds and noisy areas may be a good start for a child that has sensory issues. Having lots of personal space and the sounds of nature may be a good environment for letting the child enjoy time without the hurried rush of a busy restaurant or store. On the other hand, other children may enjoy shopping and a restaurant visit and are not as affected by that type of environment. Maybe selecting groceries would be an enjoyable and educational experience to build more life skills for them.
Preparing the child with storyboards or other iPod devices that give the child a preview of the activity may lessen anxiety and let them select aspects of the trip that they would like to participate in. If you do this ahead of time and give a couple of options, the child may decide where they would like to go instead of the parent, which may prevent going to a place that they are not in the mood for on that day. When your child seems pleased with the selection and knows what to expect, parents should also expect a smoother experience once the trip is in progress. Taking the storyboard or iPod along to reinforce the expectations of the trip step-by-step (if necessary) is also a good idea.
Many children stay indoors too often and need to get outside into the environment and experience as much as possible. This growth in knowledge and behavior shaping that is modeled in the different environments should create improvement in future outings. Behaviors will not disappear, but should lessen with familiarity the next time the similar environment is experienced again. Trying some different settings will also show parents which events seem to create unwanted sensory issues and others that may not have been tried before, but the child seems to be happy and content with. Once you find one or two favorites, you will likely repeat them often and be able to enjoy them along with your child and family on a regular basis. The more you get out into the real world, the less surprise and negative behavior you may encounter in the future. These life skills should pay off when the child grows up and will then be familiar with more environments and building friendships with others.
If you enjoyed reading this article related to autism and parenting, you may also enjoy others from ToledoAutismDad.
*Originally appeared in the Arizona Scottsdale examiner ,September 22 2009
http://www.examiner.com/autism-parenting-in-scottsdale/autism-outings-need-to-be-planned-and-appropriate on
First, it is important to find an activity on a trip that the child enjoys and their behaviors are favorable. Usually this means going places that are sensory friendly. For example, avoiding crowds and noisy areas may be a good start for a child that has sensory issues. Having lots of personal space and the sounds of nature may be a good environment for letting the child enjoy time without the hurried rush of a busy restaurant or store. On the other hand, other children may enjoy shopping and a restaurant visit and are not as affected by that type of environment. Maybe selecting groceries would be an enjoyable and educational experience to build more life skills for them.
Preparing the child with storyboards or other iPod devices that give the child a preview of the activity may lessen anxiety and let them select aspects of the trip that they would like to participate in. If you do this ahead of time and give a couple of options, the child may decide where they would like to go instead of the parent, which may prevent going to a place that they are not in the mood for on that day. When your child seems pleased with the selection and knows what to expect, parents should also expect a smoother experience once the trip is in progress. Taking the storyboard or iPod along to reinforce the expectations of the trip step-by-step (if necessary) is also a good idea.
Many children stay indoors too often and need to get outside into the environment and experience as much as possible. This growth in knowledge and behavior shaping that is modeled in the different environments should create improvement in future outings. Behaviors will not disappear, but should lessen with familiarity the next time the similar environment is experienced again. Trying some different settings will also show parents which events seem to create unwanted sensory issues and others that may not have been tried before, but the child seems to be happy and content with. Once you find one or two favorites, you will likely repeat them often and be able to enjoy them along with your child and family on a regular basis. The more you get out into the real world, the less surprise and negative behavior you may encounter in the future. These life skills should pay off when the child grows up and will then be familiar with more environments and building friendships with others.
If you enjoyed reading this article related to autism and parenting, you may also enjoy others from ToledoAutismDad.
*Originally appeared in the Arizona Scottsdale examiner ,September 22 2009
http://www.examiner.com/autism-parenting-in-scottsdale/autism-outings-need-to-be-planned-and-appropriate on