Planning for travel with your child with disability, autism, ADHD or other additional needs

It’s good to plan for things to take longer than you expect if you’re travelling as a family and your child has disability or ADHD, is autistic, or has other additional needs. Giving yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going and get organised when you arrive can reduce stress for everyone. It can also help your child to feel calm and happy.

The key to relaxed family travel is planning. You can use our family travel checklist to make sure your plan has something for everyone and you pack everything you need.

Preparing your child for family travel

Sometimes travelling can be scary and unfamiliar for children with disability or ADHD, autistic children, and children with other additional needs. But there are things you can do to prepare your child.

You could talk to your child about:

• where you’re going – for example, ‘We’re going to visit Grandma and stay at her house’
• what it will be like – for example, ‘It’s going to be warm and sunny, and we’ll be able to swim in the sea’
• how long you’re going for – for example, ‘We’re going for a week, so we’ll be away for 7 sleeps’
• how you’ll get there – for example, ‘We’re going to drive there. We’ll leave after breakfast, and we’ll get there at dinner time’.

For autistic children, it can help to explain what your child can expect when travelling. For example, if you’re flying, talk to your child about the security screening process so that they know what’s going to happen.

You can also use social stories to help your child learn about social situations and to prepare them for sensory changes, like sounds, changes in lighting and temperature, and so on. You could talk to a professional working with your child about developing a social story about travel.

The Changing Places website has a map of accessible bathroom locations in Australia and worldwide. Some of these bathrooms are locked and can be used only by people who need them. To use these bathrooms in Australia, you can speak to a locksmith about getting a special key, called an MLAK key.

Medical supplies and family travel

If your child takes medicine or needs other medical supplies, make sure you’ve packed everything you need for the whole trip.

It’s also a good idea to travel with spare medicine or medical supplies. Doctors often recommend taking twice the amount your child needs in case of unexpected events – for example, if your child gets sick during the trip, or if you lose or damage the medicine while travelling.

You should split medicine and medical supplies between your hand luggage and suitcases in case a piece of luggage goes missing. You can take prescription and non-prescription medicine on board domestic flights. But limits apply for international flights, so check these with your airline before you travel.

If you’re travelling outside Australia, you should carry a copy of your prescription and a letter from your prescribing doctor in case you’re questioned by customs. The letter should list all the medicines and medical supplies you’re travelling with. You’ll also need to make sure the name on the prescription label matches the name on your child’s boarding pass. A letter from your child’s GP or specialist can also help in case your child needs medical attention while you’re away.

It’s also a good idea to check the laws in the countries you’re travelling to. Some countries have restrictions on the medicines you can bring in.

Special equipment and plane travel

If your child uses special equipment like a wheelchair, talk to your airline or travel agent before you travel to find out about the accessibility of check in and boarding, seat allocations, bathrooms and so on. They might need to make special arrangements or organise extra help.

Check with the airline before you fly to see whether there are any restrictions on taking medical equipment on board.

If you have a stopover, you can ask the travel agent or airline to check accessibility and arrange for a wheelchair or other mobility aid.

If your child has a less visible disability, a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower card can help. This card lets people know that your child needs extra support or time – for example, when you’re going through security screening.

Special meals and plane travel

If you’re flying and your child has special dietary needs, you can contact the airline to organise a suitable meal. It might also be a good idea to bring your own food in case the airline can’t provide the food your child needs. But check the airline’s restrictions on bringing food and liquids onto flights.

Always let the airline know you have a child with additional needs. That can avoid waiting in lines and misunderstandings with staff.
– Parent of a 5-year-old autistic child