Special Needs Families Take Vacations, too!

 

This is from our last Disney trip, September 2018.

 In planning and preparing for our upcoming Disney World vacation, Grady and I have been thinking, list-making (me, mostly with the list-making), and researching. We've looked at accommodations, restaurant options, recommended items to pack, but in all of our research, the there is precious little advice for traveling with special needs children. 

 Sure, there are a few generic tips, particularly for autistic people who may experience anxiety due to a change in routine, but what about the practical, logistical tips we need? What about the tips for the family who has a past-diaper-sized person in diapers or that family who has a child who doesn't eat solid food? There isn't much about those things. 

 I've not been consistent in recent years in updating our blog, but we vacation 2-3 times per year. My mom and step-dad moved to the beach this past summer, so our number of annual trips will be increasing as we plan to visit them there. My plan in returning to our blog is to share, not only our lives, but the trips we take and how we prepare. There are aspects that we are still figuring out, as Zoe grows and changes, and her needs do too. But there are others we have almost to a science that may be helpful to others hoping to take a trip, either soon or in the future. 

At the very least, I want to offer hope to those families who find themselves with a little one with some extra considerations, who also hope to take a trip one day. Having a special needs child isn't always easy, and it isn't always hard, just like parenting, in general. But it shouldn't mean your family can't vacation.