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Old 17 Nov 19, 11:05 AM  
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Originally Posted by Ryles View Post
My son, now 12, is an absolute nightmare with flying. He suffers terrible anxiety. He’ll start feeling sick the day before and the day we fly is sick continuously from when he gets up until we are off the plane. I now have a wheelchair waiting for him at the gate when we land as by the time we get off he feels so ill! I think a lot of it is totally psychological as he isn’t actually scared of flying. It’s nerves, excitement, being away from home etc. This year he was being sick in the queue for the plane and they actually wanted to get him checked over by paramedics and said they may remove us all from the flight if he wasn’t fit to fly! 😰 The BA lady never come back so we just boarded the plane. The flight attendants were brilliant with him for the rest of the flight. I hope every year he’ll be a bit better but so far he is just the same. Certainly makes travel day very stressful. Coming back he is a different kid and isn’t sick at all!
That describes my DS (12) exactly. Hoping for a better trip next summer, was better with the 'security' of the lanyard and boarding early. No problems coming home, apart from tears as he doesn't want to leave ...
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Old 19 Nov 19, 08:59 AM  
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lorrie36
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Originally Posted by FamilyGWales View Post
This is a bit wierd but it worked for my son.

We laid on the double bed and acted out getting on the plane with all the noises and mimed everything for him.

Clunk of seat belts (we used dressingown ties). Roar of engines, pinging of call buttons, fact that engines get noisier before takeoff. Also laid prone and bounded and shook for takeoff whilst making load engine noises then suddenly stopped jiggling around and changed noise to show we were off ground. Also did a bit of ok we are in the air now can undo your seatbelt and go for a wee. Gave him some cookies and a drink. Did a fake announcement about having to.put seat belt on, bit of turbulence. Then noises stayed the same bur an awful lot of fun bouncing on the bed. Then seatbelts off and a bit of a practice of landing. Only minor shaking and a bump.on landing. Engines got louder when brakes going on etc.

Explained everything with noises and even did little clunks for flaps etc.

Aimed to do it twice but ended up doing it more because a) he.liked milk and cookies and b) turbulence was a lot of fun.

Ps sweetie for takeoff and landing. Plus a lot of fun showing him how to blow his ears like diver 🤣

Now don't get me wrong he still isn't a fan of flying but 15 years on he flies several times a year and said that the whole bed bouncing thing at a young age helped him understand it better. And the more ridiculous the noises and bouncing the more fun it was so he started to associate it with fun.

Need to say it's not actually as bouncy as that but going to exaggerate everything so that you know what the noises are.
I would think this would be a great thing to do. You went through scenarios of how the flight could or would be.
I think of lot of anxieties for those on the spectrum is that some can’t think forward, some can’t think of how it would feel or be from leaving your house from locking the front door.
It really helps going through, step by step, everything that will happen and everything that could happen, be it by acting, watching loads of YouTube videos, story books or making your own story book with pictures of familiar people, the uniforms those you will have contact with will be wearing.
It’s a lot to think about. Where your suitcases go, the minute you say goodbye to your suitcases, they are gone. The tunnel you walk down to get on the plane. All those people that are there when you’re at the airport. The noise (ear defenders or headphones linked to some sort of music/video device works wonders)
That’s what we have found anyway.
We just go through the motions of everything from the minute we start saving, then book things. But not so easy when you’re on the spectrum or are anxious.
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Old 19 Nov 19, 04:34 PM  
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We have endless talks with our grandsons about what's coming, really basic stuff. We usually stay over the night before so we go step by step from arriving at the airport, checking in the car, twilight bag drop, arriving at the hotel, picking the beds, etc, over and over again. It seems to embed in their minds what's coming and so there`s no anxiety when it actually happens, it`s just I know what's coming next. Sometimes I think I could just record this and play it to them over and over again, but it means we never run out of conversation!
It works for all scenarios, currently it`s what`s happening for a family weekend in 3 weeks. I feel I`ve lived it over several lifetimes already...
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Old 20 Nov 19, 06:32 AM  
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I have done a little checklist for her, so she knows what's ahead and what's coming up next, checklists work well for her.
I find it hard though because too much information overwhelms her and scares her, but too little leaves her feeling anxious and worried - its a difficult balance!
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Old 20 Nov 19, 09:49 PM  
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I’m worried about getting my daughter on the flight in May. Our last flight she had painful ears on the descent. So bad that she was refusing to board the plane to come home.
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Old 20 Nov 19, 10:20 PM  
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Originally Posted by Pascaltimon View Post
I’m worried about getting my daughter on the flight in May. Our last flight she had painful ears on the descent. So bad that she was refusing to board the plane to come home.
My DD had really painful ears on flying, so much so we took her to the GP who said she had floppy eustachian tubes in her ears. She’s grown out of it as the GP predicted, but we found flight ear plugs really helpful...
just in case this helps
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Old 20 Nov 19, 10:38 PM  
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Originally Posted by Custancia View Post
My DD had really painful ears on flying, so much so we took her to the GP who said she had floppy eustachian tubes in her ears. She’s grown out of it as the GP predicted, but we found flight ear plugs really helpful...
just in case this helps
Thank you will buy some for her x
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Old 22 Nov 19, 09:48 PM  
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I am not sure which videos you have watched on YouTube but Keith Duffy (from Boyzone, so easy on the eye) has a daughter with autism and worked with Manchester airport on showing you the process of checking in etc for each terminal. It helped my youngest son who is a worrier.



I know other airports also have them which will be better to find the one specific to where you are flying from.

I would contact the airport you are flying from for any lanyard or wristband that your child can wear it at home before you go to get used to it which will identify them as a special flyer.

I would second the travel sickness meds, plus a lolly or something to suck on to help with any issues with ears popping on take off which was a welcome distraction for my son, getting to choose which lolly etc.
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Old 23 Nov 19, 06:56 AM  
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Thanks for that video - that's really helpful! We had one from virgin, it was a cartoon one but she wasnt overly impressed by it, but the one that you've posted looks better. We are flying from.gatwick but I dont think they have their own one. I contacted them a while ago and asked about the lanyard, but they dont send them out (Heathrow does though) but they said to go to the desk at the airport and get some.
Sickness tablets and lollys are packed!
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Old 24 Nov 19, 11:28 AM  
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