Vacation and Autism: Embracing the Unknown with Brantley’s First Trip

𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 - 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘺’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴.

We leave for vacation in the morning—my son Brantley’s very first vacation. At nine years old, Brantley has profound autism and a strong need to be home, where routine and familiarity provide him with a sense of security. Our home is his sanctuary, offering the comfort of predictability.

I’ve done everything I can to prepare Brantley for this trip. We’ve discussed our plans, where we’ll sleep, what we’ll bring, and what we’ll do. We’ve even packed all his favorite items, including his trampoline.

Until today, Brantley would laugh when I mentioned the trip. But now, my sweet boy is visibly nervous.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous too.

I can’t help but wonder if he’s worried about how the beach days might affect our toilet training success.

I wonder if he’s anxious about sleeping away from the comfort of his familiar bed.

Is he concerned about how we’ll manage his elopement attempts in a new environment?

Or is Brantley anxious about all of the new pica opportunities that come with a new location?

I’m worried, too.

But if we don’t go, we’ll never know what we’re capable of. This trip is a leap into the unknown, but it’s also a chance for growth and new experiences. No matter how it turns out, we’ll face it together, and that’s what truly matters. #autismfamily #autismlife #autismlife #specialneedsfamily #specialneedsparents