Tips for Taking Children out on Visits A step by step quick guide

Preparation is the key! The more you prepare your child, the easier it will be for them to deal with the new situation e.g. visiting the doctors, hospital, dentist, hairdressers, a party, shops, etc.

Always try to visit yourself to make assessments – you know your child best! Does my child find loud noises disturbing? Is my child OK with dark crowded places? Is the cinema Autism Friendly?

Take photos of the place; staff, rooms your child will be visiting. If outdoors take photos of places, equipment etc.

Looks at photos on a website if they have one, e.g. a theme park.

Share photos with your child and talk about what will happen.

You could make up a social story or visual time table to explain what is going to happen.

You could try role play, e.g. being a dentist and getting your child to open their mouths, etc.

Watch TV programmes of children visiting these places e.g. ‘Something Special’; ‘My Story’; ‘Down on the Farm’; ‘Get Well Soon’; ‘Let’s Celebrate’; ‘Topsy & Tim’; ‘Wooly & Tig’ from CBeebies website.

 Look at any books describing the event / place  Take photos while you are there as a reminder for your next visit  Think about your journey there and possibly plans for lunch and share with your child  Keep to your other routines as far as possible

You need to try and stay calm and consistent! Try not to let it show if you are worried too!

Routine is important to children because they crave safety and security, so knowing that things are going to happen in a particular way makes them feel in control. As adults, we can deal with change better because we can anticipate what that change will be like by finding out everything we want to know about it beforehand, and by using our previous experiences to imagine what it will be like. Our children often don’t have the language and understanding to help them anticipate what the change will be like and only have very limited experiences to refer to, so even what seem like very small changes can turn their world upside-down.

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