Travel With Your Mentally Ill Child

Traveling with a mentally or emotionally challenged child has it's difficulties. Your child may not understand why you are traveling, or may be bothered by the sights and sounds of the road or airport. Other people may react poorly to your child or be less than sensitive to your child's condition.

Take extra care in preparing you child for the trip. Start at least one month in advance by talking about places far away. If going to visit family, play tape recordings of extended family talking to your child. Familiarity with the voices will be reassuring when you arrive at your destination. Talk about the upcoming trip, even in you're unsure how much your child understands.

If you will be flying, try to get permission from your airport to have your child tour the airport and watch planes take off and land at least a two weeks before your flight. Let your airline carrier know your child has special needs.

If your child is calmed by music, be sure to bring a long a personal CD player or iPod. Allow your child to listen to their favorite music to help alleviate stress. Be sure to have lots of comfort items on hand.

Talk to your child's doctor and any therapists about the trip. They will be able to give you ideas and suggestions based on your child's specific medical condition and personality.

If traveling out of the country, make yourself familiar with the culture and customs of the area. As much as you may not like it, there are still places that are intolerant of those with certain mental illnesses or cognitive challenges. Your child may be subject to discrimination or even hostility in some areas of the world. In those cases, it's best to leave the child at home with a trusted family member or friend.

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