Taking your first flight can be nerve-wracking for anyone, but may be especially so for those living with autism. Many families avoid air travel because they are unsure how their autistic child will react to the stress of flying. To help these families, the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) has partnered with the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) and Fraser to introduce the Navigating Autism program.
Navigating Autism provides children with autism and their families the opportunity to practice their airport experience. The program guides these families through the process of traveling through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP).
The Navigating Autism program will offer bi-monthly events beginning January. At these events, families will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the airport and travel procedures. Children, and their families, will practice entering the airport, obtaining a security pass, going through a TSA security checkpoint and walking to their gate. Finally, families will board an aircraft and find their seats. (Note the aircraft will remain on the ground)
Once families have completed their “test run,” they are welcome to spend time relaxing in MSP and taking in all it has to offer, from the arcades to the restaurants. Families can attend as many Navigating Autism events as they need to in order to feel confident before taking their trip.
In addition to preparing families for a positive travel experience, the Navigating Autism program will also provide training for airport, airline and TSA personnel on how to accommodate children with autism and other special needs.
The MAC has offered tours as requested to autistic families since 2003, but Navigating Autism is the first program to be put into place to offer this service at MSP. The MAC relies on a partnership with the airlines and TSA in order to make this program a success.
To learn more, or to register for an upcoming event, visit the AuSM website, www.ausm.org.
