Going on Holiday

RE: Going on Holiday

Hello Ayres Rock,

I would like to share this with you.....

Today is a celebration of Love and hope.
I share that Love and hope with you.

My daughter,who I nurtured and cared for, istoday on her way for a holiday far far away.

And that is why I share hope and Love~
For what once did seem impossible is now possible.

I send Love and hope....

I will end with sharing some words I wrote a few months ago, I had forgotten them, but today they seem “just right”…..


I have no path way
Just a way of being

I have no message
Just a sharing of Love


Simply sharing Love...

RE: Going on Holiday

Thank you for your note. How old is your child, you do not say?

We have a big divide in our family. My husband wants to go away to Croatia. My daughter will be ok as she is 4. However, I am not sure. My son is 7 and has never stayed in a hotel or travelled on a plane. We did go to Center Parcs in England which he adapted well to. I am worried he is not old enough to cope with it and I will be left dealing with all the stress.

RE: Going on Holiday

Can I ask what is your son like on buses and trains? If he adapted well to Center Parcs its a good sign, would it be worth checking into a hotel for a night in this country and seeing how it goes if you are unsure on this point?

If you are not too far from an airport then maybe the odd visit in advance to see the planes taking off, wherepeople check in etc. You could alsoask about the facilitiesi.e. is there a quiet area to wait within the departure lounge, then there's boarding the plane first and being settled before everyone else gets on, headphones etc. Consider self catering rather than hotel food.

As for your son having his first plane trip at 7, if there's a good chance he'll manage it, then maybe his age is a good thing. For example the same first trip at 17 could be more stressful.

You won't be able to predict everything, and it might not be entirely stress free, but if he wants to go, and with a bit of forward planning, it could work really well.

Best of luck whatever you decide. 🙂

RE: Going on Holiday

Hello Ayres Rock,

Sorry… I didn't say how old my daughter is…. she is grown up now and at university.

For us, it was about finding that level of comfort.
If that was right, then we would all have a good holiday.

It was mostly about the food.
The main thing was… "Will there be chips?”
If there was chips, things would be alright.

We went to Center Parcs too! Lots and lots!
And it was good to be able to use the self catering option when we needed to.

I would just like to add….
but for me, it wasn't just about my daughter, it was about me too.
If that comfort level was just right for my daughter,
then I felt just right too.


I send Love…..

RE: Going on Holiday

First to Rustic: Thank you some good advice there. Well I have not taken him on a train, but he did go with my nan several times. Sometimes he was ok, and then other times he just crawled under all the seats. His behaviour is very unpredictable. If he is tired or not in the mood, he can be VERY difficult to reason with or control. I would never fly on a plane without letting the airline know first, he may be wonderful but he may not. The downside is I can see him playing with the toilet door or wanting to run up and down the aisles or not sitting in his seat. My husband thinks I am over exaggerating but I cannot say for certain he will be ok and sit nicely for the whole journey. (it is a great worry to me). I think go to an airport would be a good idea, and then a hotel stay and then a one hour plane journey to France or something, before diving in the deep end. Do you have an Autistic child, you seem to have sound advice, thank you!

To Flit: I agree, it is about food. I know I can take lots of his cereal abroad, but with chips- if they don't look like McDonalds chips he won't eat them. To me, a chip is a chip, but not to him; some chips are ok and some are not. His drink has to be Tropicana Smooth Orange, if I buy another make, HE KNOWS from one taste. There is no fooling an Asperger child! Thanks for your help too.

RE: Going on Holiday

ORIGINAL: Ayres Rock

to Rustic: Do you have an Autistic child,

No - I'm in practice, and have a special interest in ADD, ADHD and AS.

My son developed symptoms on the autistic spectrum from about the age of 2, by the time he was 4 he was food phobic (same very few foods, same plate, sandwiches square not triangles etc), he was light sensitive, water phobic, speech problems etc, stressed, but I didn't go down the "conventional" route to a diagnosis. Stopped him using sodium fluoride in toothpastes, (our water isn't fluoridated) cut out all chemicals I possibly could in toiletries, soap powders etc, and within a couple of days his light sensitivity improved enormously, gradually the food phobia lessened. Have since treated him nutritionally, homeopathically etc - aimed at the nervous system and the adrenal glands.

With food - inmy son'scase I think he "knew" on some level that he was being poisoned by the mouth (via the toothpaste) so he had very fixed food "rules" to make him feel safe. (Sort of his body knew something his mind didn't - so his mind made up protective behaviours IYKWIM) When he was no longer being poisoned by the mouth, he no longer needed the food rules, and dropped them naturally. He now eats a really good range of foods, even trying squid on holiday! He's now 9.

RE: Going on Holiday

Poor you, you must have had a tough time of it. Have you ever noticed when you give children certain sweets how immediately they become hyperactive? I've watched my children after eating penny sweets (that they so love and I hate) and immediately after they are so hyper. I try to stick to giving them plain chocolate. Too many of our foods now are not natural - and so many foods contain sugar. I read a good book by Patrick Holford (his website PatrickHolford.com) he used to be on GMTV occasionally. He wrote a book called Optiminum Nutrition for your Child's Mind and in some of his books he goes on about additives, etc,etc and how damaging they are. I know he does a clinic with Nutritionists but I do know it is expensive (that is in his book) but I also heard that the clinics were very successful (my sister is an Osteopath and has had people mention putting their children on it). I would go down that route with my son, but it would be useless because he would not stop eating his cereal (which has sugar in it) and he is so skinny anyway from eating so little that I would rather him eat a bit of sugar than nothing. However, you seem to have found a result yourself (it is only until you get these problems that you search long and hard for helpfor yourchild). I also have trained as a Massage Therapist and Reflexologist and I find that he loves it so much and helps him relax. I have broadened my knowledge since having a child with AS but I still love having other people help with bits of information and experiences as you helped me with your suggestions and am still yet to have a holiday abroad! Thank you.

RE: Going on Holiday

ORIGINAL: Ayres Rock

I would go down that route with my son, but it would be useless because he would not stop eating his cereal (which has sugar in it) and he is so skinny anyway from eating so little that I would rather him eat a bit of sugar than nothing.

I think of it as peeling the layers off an onion - with a child with food problems, nutrition isn't much help to start with. My son would eat nothing that wasn't on his "safe" list, and could spot a supplement or something sneaked in straight away. And if a pea touched the plate, nothing would get eaten. So it was starting with something else, something that didn't need his co-operation, with him it was just changing brands of toiletries to start with, then we were able to peel back other layers gradually over time.

I was fortunate that one layer I didn't have to peel back was vaccination, my two youngest aren't vaccinated, my son was born too quiet, stayed too quiet, was too placid, I am convinced that had he been vaccinated he would have had far worse problems. But for a child with a stress related condition, who has been vaccinated, its often a good idea to completely avoid any of the substances that might have appeared in the original vaccines as fillers - from MSG, sorbitol,to formaldehyde (often found in bubble baths etc). The idea is to take as much of the chemical stress pressure as possible off of the nervous system and adrenal glands. That type of stress is more easily avoided, so then hopefully their system is better able to deal withmore unavoidable stressors IYKWIM.

RE: Going on Holiday

What is IYKWIM?

I do agree that some children are overloaded, so there is no point adding to their list. I don't use Bubble bath and all that stuff anyway. I use very few chemicals around the house too and always open windows if I do.
Ifind that my son is extra sensitive to smells anyway and I do not need to make his problems worse. There are just too many chemicals in everything now, from food to our daily house products.

RE: Going on Holiday

ORIGINAL: Ayres Rock

What is IYKWIM?

If you know what I mean 😀

RE: Going on Holiday

Oh how Funny! (I am a bit slow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)