Well, seems like somehow they managed to get it to do a u-turn. lol

I agree though, there should be something better to do than yanking on the seat belt and yelling, let alone turning around.

I would not risk taking my daughter on an airplane (or lots of places actually) unless I was reasonably certain she and I could handle it, even then something can come up at anytime...I just don't see a way to do it that would work and being that every single autistic person has different and often mysterious (to the rest of us) triggers, I don't even see how you could train somebody to not make it worse. I can see how just air pressure changes could make it worse for my child, and nobody could do anything about that. Or maybe the sound of another passenger's voice or the sound of the pilot speaking on the intercom....there are just too many variables. The only thing I can think that might possibly help would be to have flight simulation sessions with the individual beforehand until they become habituated enough to handle the experience....but you know the cost of that would have to come from somewhere....

you are right, just wondering what is a autistic supposed to do if they NEED to fly, what are parents supposed to do when they NEED to take there children on a plane (okay, well maybe it is not that necesary to fly). The only thing I can think of that would maybe help is the way the airline people react and handle the situation, cant say the women reacted to good to the situation (well flight simulation would probably help also )

so maybe the best thing is to not take your autistic child on a plane if you think they wont be able to handle the trip?

(If I ever need to fly I will be sure to get some medication first, it takes alot to hold it together when I ride the bus across town, I couldnt imagine a airplane ride )

I know. See how the autistic does on a boat, on, say, Lake Michigan which gets pretty rough sometimes, when it is rough. I haven't flown before, but I imagine it might be fairly similar to being on a boat when it's rough. If the ASD child or adult can handle that, they might stand a chance of handling a plane.

I can handle a boat, not a crowded boat, but for the reasons I said I dont think I would do so good at handling airplane, (for me anyway) there is way more to it then just the flying part

I was thinking the same thing..., a quiet private room/area for anyone having issues of any sort.

I don't know but if I was the mother I would have tried to do all the seat belt tightening myself and not allowed anyone else to do it...
but I'm sure at some point the kid was on overload already...

so then the private quiet room would have been handy....

or-
Maybe even a tranquillizer or something might have been appropriate to have on hand for just this type of reason.

But a train is probably better option for the child anyway.

When Allie was @ 8yo, went took a ferry to Catalina Island and back. She loved that, and although I loved the ride, I was very scared she would end up overboard. On a boat though, you can go topside to the open air and walk around quite freely. On a plane your movement is fairly restricted so a completely different environment.

I guess if you absolutely had to fly with an autistic person, you might look into chartering a plane...If there was no way I could drive it, I'd make sure I had plenty of valium, even on a private charter.

Okay Peg, I've been boating for a very long time, quite regularly since I was like 10 or 11. So please forgive the stupid question that I'm about to ask. But what do you mean by topside?

Up on the deck, as opposed to down inside the cabin. I haven't boated much at all, so excuse me if my sailor's vocabulary is off the mark.

Ah, okay, wondered if that's what you meant. It actually makes sense, as being in the cabin is often referred to as being "down below".

Getting off topic, but just a quick lesson if anyone ever finds themselves on a boat. If you're on a boat, and you're getting motion sick (or know you're prone to motion sickness), do not go down below. Do not go down below. Do not go down below. Do I need to say it again? Do not go down below.

My dad mates on a charter fishing boat, and there have been stories. Your instinct when you're not feeling well is to go lie down in the cabin. That's actually the worst place to be when you're motion sick. I know the captain of the boat my dad mates on will warn people, if you feel sick stay in the cockpit. You WILL feel worse down in the cabin. But people almost invariably head down below when they get seasick.

The general recommendation is to position yourself in the middle of the boat, on deck, and try to stare at the horizon. And if you have to puke, do so over the leeward side (this means the side of the boat that the wind is blowing towards, so you're puking with the wind and not against it and having it blown back at you).

Not ASD related, I know, and not plane related, but while we're on the subject of boating, I figured I'd give that little tip.