Airline Travel, Especially When Special Needs Children May Be Involved

[crashbb]

Sue, I don't think you've ever posted anything that I disagreed with. Thanks.

Jodifla, I think it has nothing to do with the diagnosis, and everything to do with the behaviors which are dangerous, and rude.

Actually I'd leave at "behaviors which are dangerous" Rude is in the eye of the beholder and, though unpleasant, most of us can suck it up and make it through a flight with a rude fellow passenger (adult or child). Though, we might come on Disboards and rant or whine to friends, of course. Here I could see leeway given based on diagnosis. Causing a safety concern, on the other hand, is not a place for leeway.

 

[jodifla]

The family wasn't thrown off the plane because their son was autistic. They were thrown off the plane because, in their own mother's words, "they were out of control." All 4 of them, apparently.

I have a difficult time understanding how being appalled that 3 adults can't keep 4 children under some semblance of control translates to being mean to kids with autisim.

Actually, I haven't said much about this family because on viewing their story, I have a lot of unanswered questions.

But this is the 3rd time that an autistic child has been thrown off a plane recently.... and THAT'S what I find so disturbing.

ANd FUNNY, I don't think I've ever heard of a plane crash because caused by a disabled passenger, although to hear people talk about it on these threads, these kids are going to bring down the plane or endanger other passengers somehow.

 

[In a hurry]

Actually I'd leave at "behaviors which are dangerous" Rude is in the eye of the beholder and, though unpleasant, most of us can suck it up and make it through a flight with a rude fellow passenger (adult or child). Though, we might come on Disboards and rant or whine to friends, of course. Here I could see leeway given based on diagnosis. Causing a safety concern, on the other hand, is not a place for leeway.

I'm thinking physically rude. Kicking seats, screaming, etc. I should have been more specific.

 

[Lewisc]

I might have agreed with you but the mother said the kids were out of control. It sounds like all 4 kids had issues not just the 2 with special needs.

It sounds like the kids weren't seated when the flight crew told passengers to be seated. The airline has to follow government safety rules. I think we'd have had some posters defending the family if the kids stayed in their seats and were just loud.

Interesting comment regarding issues with autistic kids. Do you think it's more common for parents of autistic kids decide to try their luck? Is the present state of air travel; packed planes and long waits at the airport part of the problem? Do you think FAs have less patience?

Actually, I haven't said much about this family because on viewing their story, I have a lot of unanswered questions.

But this is the 3rd time that an autistic child has been thrown off a plane recently.... and THAT'S what I find so disturbing.

ANd FUNNY, I don't think I've ever heard of a plane crash because caused by a disabled passenger, although to hear people talk about it on these threads, these kids are going to bring down the plane or endanger other passengers somehow.

 

[Schmeck]

There was a poster (on this thread, or one of the others?) who had been on a flight that had to abort a landing because a child was not secured in a seat. That description was scary!


No, they don't throw you off a plane for being rude (or they would have tossed the guy that constantly farted all the way to Orlando, who was sitting in front of me) but even saying something threatening is cause for being tossed.

I can see parents who do not fly often being overwhelmed with the experience of travelling with a disabled child. With all of the cutbacks in the airline industry, the barebones flights are really rough. And once you are up there in the sky, there's nothing you can really do if you've forgotten to bring something! Maybe we could make up a checklist or something of that sort for people? What to do before, during, and after a flight?

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Schmeck, your post made me laugh! Thanks for that!

I do like the idea of a checklist. Since I don't fly, I can't really contribute, but I'm sure there will be some good and itneresting suggestions about what to include.

 

[bavaria]

There was a poster (on this thread, or one of the others?) who had been on a flight that had to abort a landing because a child was not secured in a seat. That description was scary!

That was me, and I fly weekly, and still found it frightening. The purser was dripping in sweat and showed me her hands when it was over; she said it was her most frightening flying experience ever (sadly, it wasn't mine; I have been through worse)

For all the bad press, I have seen hundreds of passengers, flight crew, and security staff show kindness to children and adults with needs. A few weeks ago I watched a security agent take extra time with a teenage girl who appeared to have special needs; she was very upset that her stuffed bunny had to go through the xray machine. He went out of his way to explain it and show her that things would be fine for bunny. I have seen countless UA pilots (yes, pilots) escort passengers in wheelchairs or who have mobility issues onto the aircraft first, usually welcoming them aboard and making them feel special with their comments.

Those good actions and outcomes are rarely discussed, but most days on an aircraft for me are absolutely without incident at all.

 

[mamaloya]

OK, let's run with the checklist idea. As Sue said, stop discussing the case. Let's see how comprehensive we can get this list and still have it fit in a reasonable size backpack, or 2, one for sensory seekers, one for sensory avoiders.

Seekers:

*Their favorite "lovie", blanket, stuffed toy, etc.
*DVD players with at least 5 movies and headphones so as not to disturb others
*A rubiks cube
*One of those pin boards where you press your hand in it and can see the impression
*Model magic (this is not messy like playdough)
*chewy/crunchy snacks for an entire day and then some

Avoiders:
*Their favorite "lovie"
*Noise canceling headphones
*Ipod/MP3 player with soothing music
*A light blanket to throw over them to "escape"
*Model magic
*snacks for an entire day and then some

Also, shoes will have to be removed for security. Make sure they have on shoes that can easily be removed and replaced. Let them get used to them ahead of time. Prepare them to have to put them and their "lovies" into the bin for the Xray machine.

Chewing gum or a water bottle with a top than can be sucked can help with cabin pressure.

Now, let's try to respect Sue and keep this as a helpful post from here on out.

 

[Belle1962]

Ideas we use:

DS game

Dont' forget to use the special lanes at security--the waits are often less. Using my handicapped placard from the car I can also use the elite, employee only lanes also.

Deck of cards. Now that DGS can play WAR that can kill HOURS!!!!!!! I pack a new pack with whatever he is into now (we have pooh, pirates, regular, princess (yes), and now Indiana Jones). He has as much fun looking at the pictures as we do playing. And this game can be played easily in your seat if you teach them to put their winning crads under the deck in their hand. Not a separate pile.

NO WATCHES!!!!!!!!!! Now that he can tell time there is no living with the child if we are delayed or they keep announcing a time. It is easier to deal with "what time is it? and how much longer?" when I can "stretch it".

Activity/coloring books

snacks

 

[MarieS]

I have flown twice with my youngest son. He is not autistic, but does well with a visual schedule. We have several books about going on an airplane. I got some photos off the internet to make a little story about going through the new security protocols since it's been some years since he's flown. In his case, he does much better with all this preparation in advance. We will also look at the flying book during the trip as a reminder.

Another thing that has helped is having his own favorite snacks and lots of them. This way we don't have to worry about only having available things he doesn't like or can't have. We also bring his blankie and spinner toys.

 

[pilgrimr]

We have flown with DS (6) who is autistic. To be honest with him and DD (3), flying is getting to be hard. But somethings that we used was first we brought his car seat. He was used to sitting in his car seat, so having him sit was not a big problem. We also had small bags of his snacks that he could eat. Also, he has a personal sony playstation (psp). What made this nice that it plays movies, games, and music. We bring it everywhere when we know he has to wait. I know that flying is faster, but with everything you have to bring so the kids don't have a meltdown, we just load everyone in the car and drive. At least in the car we can always stop and get out. I can really sypathize with parents that are trying and their children are having meltdowns. I know that it can be miserable to everyone around, but no one is more miserable than the child and their parent that is working hard to calm them.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Last night I was on a flight home and we apparently ran into some fairly severe weather. I don't know what altitude we were at, but I know some stuff started flying around the cabin, including my water bottle (my choice was grab it or my computer, the computer won) which ended up in the aisle.

When ever I have been on a airliner (which is very often) we have always been asked to continue wearing seat belts when seated, even if the seat belt sign is off.

If you have children running around in the aisles, "out of control" even when the seat belt sign is on, they can become missiles and hit (and hurt) other people or seriously injure themselves.

As a Disney CM I am repeatedly told that our absolute highest priority, over everything else, is the safety of the Guests. I am reasonably familiar with aircraft safety; the FAA says I am qualified to pilot (small) aircraft. If a person refuses to follow safety instructions whereby they could injure themselves or others I would agree with any airline (a) refusing to allow the person to fly on that airline and even charge them with safety law violations.

 

[livndisney]

Since at Sue's suggestion the direction of this thread has changed, is it possible to change the title of this thread so people who need the suggestions would be able to find the info?

 

[bavaria]

I would add to look for a quiet area of the airport if you or your child has challenges with overstimulation.

Many airlines sell a day pass for the lounge (and yes, children are welcome); some credit card programs such as Amex Platinum also have these benefits. A quiet corner of the lounge provides a respite from the noise and activity of the terminal.

Failing that, look for a quiet spot in the terminal. I like to sit near but not AT my gate - often the gate next to it, or across from it, is relatively empty, but I can still see the monitors and hear the gate agents.

Also ask your airline's policy re preboarding - some are more liberal than others. United for instance does NOT allow all families with small children to preboard, but does allow those with special needs to preboard.

 

[SueM in MN]

Since at Sue's suggestion the direction of this thread has changed, is it possible to change the title of this thread so people who need the suggestions would be able to find the info?

I will try to change the title to reflect that the thread started out one way and is changing paths.

EDITED TO ADD: THANKS TO CHESHIRE FIGMENT FOR CHANGING THE TITLE. I GOT TIED UP IN DOING SUPPER BEFORE I COULD FIX THE TITLE> IT WAS MAGICALLY CHANGED WHEN I GOT BACK.

Whoever mentioned the Mr. Rogers air travel book - I had that for my kids and it was great. There was text for kids who can read and lots of good pictures. They showed the things like the little bathroom and talked about all the things you would see and hear and how things would feel. It was called Mr. Rogers Airplane (Mr. Rogers First Experience Book) and you can still find copies for sale on Amazon.

The Orlando airport website is great and has quite a few pictures of different parts of the airport. There is a link to the airport website in the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

 

[bookwormde]

Eeyores Butterfly

I was waiting to talk with SW so I will now PM you in consideration for Sue’s request

One piece of information that might be helpful that I found out is that a lot of SW counter agents are trained as CROs (Good job SW). So if you ever have any question check to see it the counter agent is a CRO and they should have the answer.

Sue,CHESHIRE FIGMENT

Thanks for re-labeling the thread so we can have a positive discussion.


Schmeck

I have done lots of go arounds for lots of reasons they are not scary. What is really scary is the potential for injury to the child if something happened during the landing if nobody noticed that she was unrestrained.

And yes a checklist is a must for any competent parent of a disable child (or any child who is flying for the first time to a great extent)

bookwormde

 

[SAGE]

Honestly, I would never attempt to fly with my two kids. Both are on the spectrum. The older one I could explain things to, but she may still have a hysterical crying meltdown (but at least she would probably stay in her seat). My younger one is nonverbal and is cognitively at about 6 - 18 months, so she wouldn't understand anything and also start screaming. I don't think I would subject my fellow passengers to that!

We ended up booking the AutoTrain down to WDW. It cost more than the 5 days we are staying at WDW! But it is worth the extra cost to us, we even got a sleeper room so the kids could have a place to regroup.

It was a good thing we didn't fly. We would have flown out of our small regional airport and JetBlue ended up cancelling 1 of the 2 daily flights to Florida! Our flight probably would have been cancelled!

I felt the same way when my son was young. His stress level would have been off the charts and I wouldn't put him through it or other people on the plane. Unfortunately, we had to wait many years for a vacation. (But he is doing so well now, it was worth it )

 

[crashbb]

Bavaria mentioned pre-boarding. I know that my parents specifically didn't pre-board with me when I was little. Reducing the time that I needed to stay properly seated was good for everyone (I'm ADHD). If possible, one parent would board to store luggage etc. and then the other parent and I would board near the end of the boarding period. It doesn't work for every family (or if flying SW), but it is something to consider.

 

[LuvsTinker]

For those concerned about flying with their child, is your child calm during car rides?

My son, now 8, PDD-NOS, has always been calm while riding. He has flown now several times and FORTUNATELY, no problems.

We sit towards mid to rear of the plane (even when we were able to pre-board), because the mad dash for people to get off the plane isn't worth trying to retrieve our stuff and son and feel rushed and trapped between people. I love Disney, but I can wait a few more minutes to get off the plane peacefully and not jammed between people.

His Gameboy or Nintendo DS has been great to occupy himself. When he was younger and feet were at good level to kick back of seat, we took his shoes off. Favorite snacks help too.

WARNING: If flying out of Orlando, and flying SW, and your child loves McDonalds, make sure you have enough time to get McDonalds before having to board your flight. One time we were running VERY late to the plane; my son saw the McDonalds (when you exit from the tram going towards the corridor) and we could not stop. He screamed the entire way down the corridor, while getting on the plane, and Thankfully stopped screaming once we started to taxi. He was about 4 at the time and didn't understand. We brought that meltdown on ourselves for running so late.

 

[LolaCola]

I also wanted to suggest for either of the packs listed - do not forget whatever Tylenol/Motrin/pain reliever/etc. your child will take, is in there. It's so much better to have that with you and not need it, than it is to need it desperately and not have it with you.