Traveling With a Child on the Spectrum

Great article by René Craft in the Austin-Statemen

AUSTIN, Texas -- Before I became a parent, I spent most of my free time traveling, visiting 20 countries in 15 years, with monthlong trips to Asia, the South Pacific, Europe and Central America.
When my husband and I had our son, Jackson, I couldn't wait to share travel with him. But our son was not a natural-born traveler; even short trips to see the grandparents were challenging. Around the age of 4, Jackson was diagnosed with autism, and I finally had an answer on why he hated leaving our house.

A Trip to Chicago -- Autism Style, Conclusion

The conclusion of Laura Shumaker's trip to Chicago with her son Matthew from SF Gate.

A recap of the Trip to Chicago:
a) Matthew's trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a trip he'd saved up for and that he had been talking about for months, was cancelled.
b) Matthew and I decided Chicago might be a great alternative, since it is a big music town and is near states that Matthew has not been to. But who could travel with him?
c)Matthew suggested that I travel with him, even though his original plan was to travel "without my mother."
d)Matthew never gets sick. Fast forward. We check into Hard Rock Hotel, and Matthew is so sick (fever, sluggish, sore throat) that I summon the hotel emergency doctor, who gives Matthew a shot of B12 and an antibiotic. "He'll be fine in a few hours. Want a restaurant recommendation?"
Matthew was not fine in a few hours. He slept through till morning.

A Trip to Chicago -- Autism Style, Part 2

Part 2 of Linda Shumaker's blog from SFGate.com

When we left off (link to Part 1 if you missed it):
a) Matthew's trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a trip he'd saved up for and that he had been talking about for months, was cancelled.
b) Matthew and I decided Chicago might be a great alternative, since it is a big music town and is near states that Matthew has not been to. But who could travel with him?
c)Matthew suggested that I travel with him, even though his original plan was to travel "without my mother."
I asked my friends from the autism community to recommend some good travel sites. Within minutes, I found a great deal: Two nights at the Hard Rock Hotel plus plane fare for just a little over $800 dollars.
Before I clicked the box that said "I want to purchase this travel", I contemplated the travel insurance option, but shrugged it off.