• Replies 5 replies
  • Subscribers 69 subscribers
  • Views 995 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Holiday advice

Tea drinker!

Hi

My daughter is 14 and has recently had an autism diagnosis. She is very anxious a lot of the time, especially when she is not at home.

We have booked a short break for 3 nights with her and our 2 other children but she is now saying that she doesn't want to come.

We have changed our plans so we are doing very little while we're away in order to try and make it easier for her but she is still saying that she doesn't want to go.

Does anyone have any advice on the best way to support her??

Thank you

Parents

  • Always going to the same place for holidays can help- it makes the holiday home a second home. This might not he practical though. The only holidays I still went on after moving out from hhome were hiking holidays (anywhere in world would have been fine), since being injured 4 years ago I haven’t gone anywhere on holiday. What made the hiking holiday fine was the in built routine, the ability to plan it meticulously myself, having all i needed with me- even though the surroundings changed and there is of course unpredictability, there were a lot of aspects of hiking holidays that were predictable and made me feel safe. 
    I’ve also had to move a lot and I struggled but I have a few ideas. 
    It really helps to have some things stay the same/ be consistent- maybe take some familiar food, keep some part of routine the same or take some other familiar items. The scary thing about holidays is all the change and unpredictability, so you need to try to minimise that- maybe getting your daughter involved in planning could help as well? I’m less sure about this as it could also heighten anxiety but ultimately I find that for me it helps when I can plan and identify possible challenges and solve them. 

    the only thing to be cautious about is to not get stuck to a routine that is difficult to take with you- my daily bike ride gives me comfort and security and when I moved country job etc that stayed the same. But it has got to the point where it is a hindrance because I am so dependent on this now (also as it is one of only forms of exercise i can currently do) but this is unhelpful when thinking about a holiday. 

  • in reply to Ann :)

    Have you asked her what it is that she is anxious about regarding the holiday? 

Reply Children
No Data