Alexandria Family's New DC Guide For Neurodiverse Kids Is Team Effort

ALEXANDRIA, VA — For Lee Lynch and her neurodiverse family from Alexandria, planning a fun day out may come with a few bumps in the road. That's why the family teamed up to create visitor guides geared toward children who are neurodiverse.

Neurodiversity can refer to people whose brains may function differently, from autism and auditory processing disorder to dyslexia, epilepsy and ADHD. The Lynch family's new 40 plus-page guide "Rocket Around Washington DC" takes neurodiversity into account to make sightseeing days in DC more accessible for all children. Organizations supporting neurodiverse people will get 10 percent of proceeds from the sales after taxes.

The book was written by mother Lee Lynch and illustrated by 12-year-old Emma Lynch with contributions from father Tom, 14-year-old Jack and 15-year-old Jeffrey. As a neurodiverse family, the Lynches understand the challenge of having to accommodate different neurodiverse conditions when venturing out. But a few years ago, the family decided to embrace the challenge and share their sightseeing experiences in DC.

"We personally experienced the benefits of exploring. It can be challenging, but it can also be mind opening," mother Lee Lynch told Patch. "We just decided that we had to get out there and really deal with those challenges rather than be overwhelmed by them. We wanted to share our experience with families in a way that it would be helpful to them."

To make a visitor guide for neurodiverse children, they had to be conscious about little details. That includes thinking about how the pages are laid out, using large fonts and bullet points to not overwhelm with information, give positive and encouraging statements and provide fast facts.

The book also incorporates previews of what children will visit, as outings can cause hesitancy or anxiety among neurodiverse people.

Each family member contributed their talents to the book. Along with Lee Lynch taking the lead on writing and 12-year-old Emma illustrating, 14-year-old Jack voiced the e-book, 15-year-old Jeffrey put together activities and father Tom contributed photographs.

The family dog even got in on the guide. Rocket the pug, inspired by the Lynch family's dog, is the narrator who children follow along with throughout the guide.

The guide has been years in the making. In 2021, the family put together a list of places they wanted to go in DC and worked through the list while adding more places as they went. It took about eight months of touring to get the content before they started putting the guide together.

The guide is centered on about 30 sites around the National Mall, a big draw for visitors to DC. The tour starts at Arlington National Cemetery and continues to key sites around the Mall. In addition, dozens of other sites in DC are recommended for visitors.

But the guide isn't only for neurodiverse kids, as it isn't uncommon for children to have meltdowns or other reactions to long outings.

"It can be used by any kid. The waiting aspect is often very challenging [for kids]. That was in our minds as well," said Lee Lynch.

With the release of the DC guide, the Lynch family is promoting it through their blog, neurodiverse family Facebook groups, media, bookstores and more. They're also working on a second guide, "Rocket Around Switzerland" that could be released soon.

The family's love of travel inspired them to gather content for more future guides. They are considering guides for places like Germany, New York City, Florida, Boston, New England and North Carolina as well as a tour of baseball stadiums. The Lynch family also hopes to collaborate with other neurodiverse families, who can work on guides in their home states.

The DC guide is now available in print and eBook formats. For more information, visit rocketaround.com.