Autism travels to Hong Kong and Rockhampton

by Benison O'Reilly on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

We recently arrived back from a family holiday in Hong Kong, and passed a few important hurdles in the process.  A couple of years ago Joe had a bad flight back from Fiji, which he claimed ‘hurt my ears’. He decided then and there he was through with flying. As you can imagine this limited our holiday options somewhat, just at a time the rest of the family was keen to spread its wings.

We consulted our RDI® consultant, who suggested a combination of noise-cancelling headphones (available at electronic/ music stores, unfortunately with a hefty price tag) and a social story. My husband and I took Joe on a weekend trip to Melbourne (total disaster —a story in itself) but the headphones came through with flying colours (pun unintentional).

An eight and a half hour trip to Hong Kong was another matter altogether, of course.  We elected to do an overnighter, which ultimately worked well for Joe, if not the rest of the family. Joe played a few games on the in-flight entertainment system and then fell asleep for most of both flights—there and back— although the rest of us arrived at our destination bedraggled and grumpy.

How did Joe cope with busy, chaotic Hong Kong?  Pretty well in fact, although he was out of sorts the first 24 hours and developed a nasty rash on his face which he couldn’t stop himself rubbing. (Thus the photos aren’t pretty.) He enjoyed Disneyland, especially Space Mountain. He coped with train, tram, ferry, taxi and cable car rides admirably. He found enough foods he liked, despite his notoriously fussy appetite.  He was disappointed that Super Mario Bros toys (his current obsession) weren’t as ubiquitous as he’d supposed, but that was the main downside.

A visit to The Peak on the second last day was a highlight. The magnificent view was obscured by haze but we found a store that sold a huge range of Super Mario toys! I don’t know who was more thrilled, Joe or I.

Overall, despite some fractious moments involving sleep-deprived teenagers, the trip was fun.

Today Joe said,’ I want to go back to Hong Kong.’

‘Why?’ we asked.

‘Because I like it,’ he said.   Duh—obvious really.

In two weeks’ home my husband and I are off on another trip, although Joe is remaining at home this time. We are heading to Rockhampton, Queensland on Saturday May 15^th to present at an Autism Info Day, being sponsored by Autism Awareness and Aussie Helpers Children’s Fund.  Hopefully our regional cousins, so often neglected by ASD services, will get something out of the day.  If you know anyone from the region who might benefit please send them the link below.  It should be a good day and it’s free of charge.

www.autismawareness.com.au/autisminfoday2010

These days are one of the payoffs that have come to Seana and me from writing the Australian Autism Handbook—a chance to meet other ASD parents, especially those just starting out on their autism journey. A lot of these people are still shell-shocked, in the worst stages of grief, so it’s a good feeling to go out and talk to them, and reassure them that the majority of kids will get better if their parents  are prepared to stand up to help them.

Not cured— just better—I stress. Our little trip to Hong Kong may have had its ups and down but ultimately proves that point.

Tags: autism, families