Vacations are incredibly important for families, and allow the opportunity to create fun, happy, loving memories with your children.

But as a parent of an autistic child, traveling and being on vacation can often be very stressful, lead to anxiety, and result in tantrums and meltdowns.

You may have heard, or read about, social stories for kids with autism in the past.

And this blog will help you understand what social stories are, how they can help autistic children handle unfamiliar situations, and specifically how you can use them to make vacations much more enjoyable for your entire family!

What Are Social Stories?

Social stories tell a tale of a particular event or activity and include specific details and information about what to expect, and why.

Social stories are great for a wide variety of things and aren’t only beneficial for children with special needs.

A few ways you can use social stories are:

• Teaching children how to brush their teeth or wash their hands independently
• Developing a child’s ability to understand how others behave, or respond in particular situations
• Learning how to interact socially through sharing toys, or saying please and thank you

How Can Social Stories Help Children With Autism

As a parent of an autistic child, you’ll know that a big thing that can really help them is having a consistent routine.

However, following the same routine isn’t always possible.

Other people and external factors can get in the way.

And there will always be occasions when your family needs to do things outside of the normal daily routine you often follow – such as going on vacation.

This is where social stories can help autistic children – by helping them prepare for these unfamiliar situations, and cope with scenarios that fall outside of their normal routine.

How To Use Social Stories To Make Traveling With Your Autistic Child Much Less Stressful

If you are going on vacation soon, then creating and going through some social stories about the experience can really help your child handle the stress of travel.

It’s also worth remembering that traveling can be stressful for everyone – even us, so consider how challenging it can be for a young child, and then how it can be even more challenging for a young child with autism.

The social stories you create can focus on the areas that your child most struggled with last time – whether that’s getting through security, boarding the plane, or landing.

If you’ve never traveled with your child before – we know many parents with autistic children are terrified to travel and avoid it because they don’t feel like they can handle the pressure and stress – then pick the situations you think are most likely to challenge your child.

Once you’ve picked the specific situation, create short sentences with clear information about what happens.

It is best to include pictures too, which represent actions and provide a visual aid to learning.

The aim is to keep it as clear, easy-to-follow and focused so the stories don’t get lost or become too complex or confusing.

If you have a lot of scenarios, it’s best to break these up into multiple social stories, rather than one long, complicated social story.

Want To Take Your Autistic Child On Vacation But Too Anxious Or Worried?

If you don’t feel like you or your autistic child can cope with traveling and going on vacation, we can help.

Our expert team has worked with thousands of autistic children with a huge range of developmental challenges and has helped them become much more independent, capable, and confident.

This means much more fun on vacation for them.

And much less stress, pressure, and fear for you!

To find out more about how we can help, there are 2 free options you can choose from…

If you want to speak to an expert over the phone, from the comfort of your own home, and to save the travel, you can arrange a Free Telephone Consultation.

On this call, you can share your child’s story, and get personalized recommendations and advice from our team.

Or if you would like to get the full experience and visit our clinic, we would love to meet you and your child.

You can do this in a Free Discovery Session where you can see for yourself how specialized care can accelerate your child’s development and allow them to catch up with their peers, play on their own with friends at the park, and communicate better with you.

Simply click HERE to arrange your free discovery session now, or call us on (908) 543 4390

More Free Expert Advice For Parents Of Kids With Special Needs

Read our blog – 10 Fun Occupational Therapy Activities To Try At Home

Read our blog – Why The School-Based Therapy Your Child Receives Doesn’t Seem To Be Helping

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