Boarding pass for autism
From check-in to take-off: Children and young persons with autism learn not to be afraid to “spread their wings”
Dates
Tickets
Venue
Information
Cost
Free admission
Reservation and more info:
Booking required, at education@onassis.org
Booking requests will be treated on a first-come first-served basis.
T: +30 210 37 13000
General
For children on the autism spectrum and their families
Staff at Athens International Airport and members of the airport community as a whole
Special Education experts - Therapists
November 2018 - May 2019
Introduction
How easy or difficult is it for a child or adolescent with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to be on a flight? How can we, as fellow passengers, help?
Can you remember the first time you boarded a plane? Light signs, check-in, gate numbers, announcements, security controls, fasten your seat belts, ready for take-off… Air travel is still a source of stress for most of us. How does a child or teenager with autism actually cope with all these novel stimuli? One out of every 68 children is diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Many times, air travel is not the preferred mode of transport for these children and their families. Are you familiar with what you could or should do as a good fellow-passenger in cases where the person sitting next to you reacts in an unexpected way due to stress?
For the second year running, children with ASD and their families prepare to fly by familiarising themselves with the process of travelling by plane, through the innovative flight simulation programme “Boarding Pass for Autism”, created by the Onassis Foundation. At the same time, Athens International Airport staff receive appropriate training, while relevant booklets have already been published, containing individual social stories targeted at therapists and parents of children with ASD, as well as information booklets for each traveller.
Photo © Paris Tavitian
