SpecialGlobe Family Travel
  • Our Favorite Hotels
  • Articles
  • Destinations
    • Yellowstone National Park
    • Orlando, Florida
    • San Diego, California
    • Oahu, Hawaii
    • New York City, New York
    • Atlantis, Bahamas
    • Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
  • Passing Through Reviews
    • Cambridge, MD
    • South Hampton, NY
    • Buxton, NC
    • Cheyenne, Wyoming
  • About

Travel Tips & Tricks

Whether it is your 1st or 100th family adventure, here are some tips and tricks to help make travel easier. Picking a destination, packing or navigating the airport, we hope these tips and tricks get you going!

Traveling with Your Special Needs Child—for Children with ADHD, It’s All about Good Planning

2/15/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Traveling with Your Special Needs Child--for Children with ADHD, It’s All about Good Planning

Family vacations are all about seeing new places, experiencing new cultures and learning new things--about the world, and about each other.  For parents with an ADHD child, ensuring that vacation is fun--and relaxing--for every member of the family is also about smart planning. 
According to the National Institute for Mental Health, ADHD is a neurobiological disorder characterized by impulsivity, lack of attention and hyperactivity.  Children with ADHD appreciate routine and can easily become overstimulated.  That said, there’s no reason you and your ADHD son or daughter can’t have the time of your lives, if you follow these 5 simple tips:

Plan Your Destination Carefully:  particularly if your child is not accustomed to high-stimulation environments, you probably want to avoid theme parks which can be highly stressful for some children with ADHD.  Initially at least, it’s better to choose a low-stress vacation, perhaps a family hike, backpacking or a picnic.  This doesn’t mean that you can’t take your ADHD child to a theme park--if you do, call ahead to customer relations to see if they have special programs--many do, for example, permitting ADHD children to go to the front of long waiting lines.

Add Plenty of Structure:  it’s important to build as much predictability and routine into your days on vacation.  Have highly-structured schedules, with consistent times for waking up and going to bed.  Family vacations are a time to unwind, but for your ADHD child, structure is important.

Consult Your Doctor About Medications:  don’t just assume that you can take your child off his or her medication because the family is on vacation.  For some children with ADHD, there can’t be any break in their medications.  Your best bet is to consult with your physician, who can tell you whether it’s appropriate for your child to take a break from medications.  Also, be sure to bring your doctor’s contact information with you in case you need help.

Avoid High-Risk Foods:  children tend to associate vacation with fun foods, many of which have a high sugar content and high fat content.  These can exacerbate hyperactivity and you should avoid them.  You should also steer clear of foods containing red dye 40, and have regularly-scheduled meal times throughout the day.

Keep Your Eyes Open:  adequately supervising your ADHD child is just as important--perhaps more so--on vacation as when you’re in the familiar environment of home and community.  Almost every vacation destination abounds with safety risks.  Keep your eyes open to make sure your child doesn’t wander off or engage in risky behavior.

Special needs children have as much right as children who don’t face these challenges to happy (and healthy) vacations.  There’s no reason you can’t enjoy almost any vacation with your ADHD child, if you exercise some common-sense planning and follow these tips.


For more information about travel with your special needs child, contact us today
1 Comment
Carolyn Williams
12/7/2016 10:23:42 pm

I want to know more information on traveling with a special need child.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    SpecialGlobe Contributors

    From Parents, Travel Writers, 
    to those with expertise in Special Needs Travel you will find tips and tricks to make your dream trip a reality!  

    Archives

    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014

    Categories

    All
    Accessibility
    Activities
    ADHD
    Air Travel
    Apps
    Autism
    Camping
    Cerebral Palsy
    Courage
    Craft Ideas
    Cruise
    Education
    Games
    Holiday Travel
    Hotel
    Inspiration
    Medication
    Micromanagement
    Overprotective Tendencies
    Packing
    Photography
    Planning
    Research
    Routine
    Safety
    Saving Money
    Service Animal
    Sibling Stories
    Special Needs
    Structure
    Transportation
    Travel Insurance
    Travel Tips
    Travel Tricks
    Triggers
    Visual Aids

    RSS Feed

Home

About

specialglobe@gmail.com

Copyright © 2015
  • Our Favorite Hotels
  • Articles
  • Destinations
    • Yellowstone National Park
    • Orlando, Florida
    • San Diego, California
    • Oahu, Hawaii
    • New York City, New York
    • Atlantis, Bahamas
    • Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
  • Passing Through Reviews
    • Cambridge, MD
    • South Hampton, NY
    • Buxton, NC
    • Cheyenne, Wyoming
  • About