Happy Travels with a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder

Throughout the year, you and your family are bound to hit the open road a time or two for one of a number of reasons. Many families may want to check out the scene in a new city. Others, will seek thrills at an amusement park or visit a family member that lives out of town. These trips can provide children with priceless learning opportunities and families with memories that will last a lifetime. For children with Sensory Processing Disorders however, these trips can be also be extremely challenging. Below are 5 tips and tricks to use in order to best support children who have difficulty processing sensory information on your next family vacation.

1. Discuss what to expect: Talking about the specific logistics of a trip can help to ease your child’s anxiety about the ambiguity of what’s coming next. Similarly, it’s important to talk about what will be expected of your child while traveling. Here are some questions that your child may have prior to traveling. Think through each one and discuss them as a family before your next adventure begins:

1. 1. What is the mode of transportation (ie. plane, train, or automobile)?
   2. What will you see? Will there be a lot of people?
   3. What will you smell?
   4. What will you hear? Will it be loud?
   5. How much time will it take? What will you do to pass the time?
   6. How much space will your child have? Will there be time or room to play?
   7. What are the rules while traveling?
   
   
2. Decrease the amount of extraneous and unfamiliar noise: Use noise cancelling headphones or calming music. Both strategies can help your child to calm themselves and more effectively process auditory sensory information, especially with the added stressors of travel.

For more tips check out the full article.