Traveling as a family has always been a goal for us. Knowing we needed to take extra measures to help Charlie be comfortable with travel, we have been working towards this goal for a long time. We started small doing quick outings in our community, we've done weekend camping trips since the boys were young, we eventually moved up to day trips close to home and in more recent years we've incorporated longer Summer vacations in our camper.
In 2017 we heard about an amazing program at Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport called Navigating MSP Program. This is a free program that hosts monthly gatherings at the airport where autism families can go to learn about navigating the airport and how to make it work for your family. You get the full airport experience with a one to one volunteer who shows how to go through security, explore the terminal and where you even get to board a plane and meet a pilot. Knowing we had big travel goals we signed up for a tour time. Talk about an amazing program! Each of our boys got a social story on a lanyard, we got a detailed tour and had the chance to ask a ton of questions. The volunteers are wonderful and so patient. We even got some one on one time with the pilot after our group dispersed. The pilot answered our questions and gave us pointers on traveling with a service dog. Rules have changed since then, but the time we had with him was invaluable. The boys got to practice being at the airport, boarding a plane and they even got to see the inside of the cockpit! We had every intention to go through the program again closer to the time that we took a family trip on a plane, but life throws curveballs from time to time.
Last week I got the sad news that my grandfather would pass after having a stroke. I needed to go to North Carolina to say goodbye and to be with my family. But me leaving for any amount of time is never easy for our family. So, it was decided Charlie would come with me. Yes, a last minute trip where he would be required to ride in a plane.
We prepped. We planned. We packed. We talked through everything we'd be doing. We got out his social story and studied it before we left. He even brought it with us so he could go through it step by step and know what came next. I have to say, this may have been one of our biggest lifesavers. Thank you, Navigating MSP Program!
One part of our travels that truly made me nervous was going through security with Charlie. I didn't know if he'd be scared, be set off by any loud noises as we went through security or even just the waiting to get through the line of people. But he amazed me and was a rockstar.
Because of his age, they did not make him take off his shoes, which was a huge help. He waited patiently. He listened. Thankfully we only had to go through the regular metal detector and not the larger scanner that surrounds you. He stayed calm.
While I gathered all our items from the security area Charlie looked at his social story for what was next. We walked to our gate and waited. Charlie occupied his time with some snacks and his kindle. And then we got the call to board. All I could think was, "here we go!"
He blew me out of the water. He sat calmly. He watched movies, played games and had ample snacks. He had Sunny, his service dog. Sunny was his constant.
Charlie knew he could count on Sunny to be there the whole time. To help him walk through the scary parts, the transitions, for snuggles when he was nervous, or deep pressure when he started feeling a little out of his element.
They both did amazing.
But we couldn't do this trip alone. Stay tuned for part 3- tips for flying with special needs.
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