With the school year drawing to a close, it’s time for parents to start thinking about how they plan to spend summer vacation with their kids. It’s easy to underestimate the amount of structure the school day brings to your daily routine. It can be tricky to find ways to keep children occupied and stimulated when you’re not working around the school’s set schedule. Plus the break from school creates new challenges for parents to overcome. Here are four tips from Chubuddy that you can use for a fun and ASD-friendly summer break.
Try to Maintain Some of Your Daily Schedule
It may be beneficial for ASD children, and their parents, if they maintain the same daily schedule that they did during the school year. This means keeping a consistent eating and sleeping schedule. Maintaining your routine helps your child from becoming overwhelmed, which often leads to disruptive behavior. Keeping your routine will pay off when the school year restarts in a couple of months. If you allow your kids to get used to staying up late and sleeping in all summer, they will have a hard readjusting to their school-time routine.
Theme Park Travel Tips
If you’re planning on a family vacation to a theme park during the summer, you should try to utilize programs that will make the experience more fun for a child with autism. For example, you can check with the theme park for Accessibility Programs for people with disabilities. For example, some parks offer fast passes to visitors with ASD children. You can also check online forums for advice from other parents who have visited a park. They may give you valuable information for when to visit certain attractions and how to avoid potential issues. Theme parks can be a lot of fun, but they can be overly stimulating for a child with ASD. Consider bringing noise-canceling headphones to give your child a sensory break. Don’t forget to bring a Chubuddy lanyard or clip-on item.
Prepare Your Child For Trips to New Places
One of the joys of traveling is seeing new, unfamiliar places. These same qualities can make travel unpleasant for some kids with ASD. Parents can make their trip go more smoothly if they prepare their child for the things they will see and do on their vacation. For example, explaining the process of going to the airport or explaining how hotels work will make them feel more at ease when the time comes. You can even do some role-playing to show them what to do when asked for their ticket You can also show them pictures of the place you plan to visit that way they can enjoy their visit rather than be unnerved by the new surroundings.
Teach Your Kids About Summer and Travel Safety
Whether you plan on traveling to far away destination or enjoying a staycation at home, the summer break creates new challenges for parents with ASD kids. When kids aren’t spending the daytime at a school desk, there are more opportunities for accidents and other safety concerns. For example, parents should remind their kids about being careful around pools. Doors and locks are another concern at home. You may need to further secure doors if your kid and unlock them at will. Whether you’re at home or a hotel, check whether your child can exit the location unassisted and be aware of what you need to do to secure the premises. If you’re traveling to a theme park or similar attraction, discuss the importance of staying together, not running off, and what to do if they get lost.
No matter what you plan to do for summer break, remember to have some Chubuddy items satisfy your child’s craving for oral stimulation. Now that they won’t be a distraction during class, you can get some of the chewable things they wanted before that would have been too much fun for school.
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