Next week we will be going on our fourth mini family vacation since we adopted our daughter, Grace Li, from China in 2010. Gracie was a special needs child with a cleft lip and palate and we adopted her at 28 months. We thought we would just have to repair her palate and all would be well. But after 28 months in a Chinese orphanage we found our little girl had more challenges than met the eye. Early this year she was diagnosed as autistic. Wether they are developmental delays or actual autistic tendencies we don't know, but she is what therapists and autism parents refer to as "on the spectrum". So now life is full of therapies and questions and uncertainties... and love and laughter and dimples. But there are challenges we never dreamed we would encounter.
To me one of the hardest things to do is really a simple one-- go on a family vacation. Wether a full blown family fun vacay or just a weekend fun trip, there is much more involved than just packing and going.
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| Swivel chairs in the hotel rooms are great! |
About a year ago, we went on our first family trip with Grace to Virginia and we are going back again in a week. Since that time, I have learned alot about traveling with autism and I am hoping this trip will be better in some ways.
Each day is a learning experience with Gracie so vacations are no different. The biggest thing we have learned is to let her go at her pace. She's an observer. She watches and, when she is ready, then she does. So on our trip to Busch Gardens we will let her observe this time, instead of forcing her onto something. ( We learned that lesson at Disney, the hard way- More on that later.)
Plus, we also found she is a water bug, so we will be spending alot of time at the water park this time.
So two of the most important things I've learned are not to push too far and give her the chance to do things she really loves to do, like swimming. AND allow for downtime, for both of you!
More later!
