For my 7-year-old daughter,the December holidays — with all its bells and lights and shiny décor and,尤其是旅行计划梦想成真，but also a nightmare.
Maggie hasRett Syndrome感觉加工紊乱。At two and a half,music playing in the background seemed like it burned her ears.如果我们走进一家商店，restaurant,or anywhere music was playing,she would scream.
At 3,walking into a room with too much clutter would impede her ability to walk.
4岁，人群变得太多了。She would melt down.
At 5,airports and travel became intolerable.We had to give her anti-anxiety medications the doctors prescribed to be able to visit family.The side effects of the drugs were often worse than the sensory processing disorder itself.
6岁，we don't leave the house without her backpack of essentials.The gear that we need and have used is plentiful.
Trips across the country have ranged from manageable to earth-shatteringly horrible with vows of never traveling again: Crying,尖叫，full-on panic attacks It's a lot to handle for a little kid.It's heartbreaking as her parents.
Travel isn't easy but we have learned to adapt and accept.My husband,AJ,and I work well as a team.Our daughter,麦琪，is the most calm when she is with her daddy.She sits next to him,he sings to her and all his attention is focused on her.My job is to take care of our almost 2-year-old son and also to make sure AJ has everything he needs to succeed.
When we travel,我们最大的障碍之一是感官超负荷，which leads to anxiety,extreme meltdowns,breathing issues,uncontrollable stemming and a nervous tummy.
Her sensory gear bag includes everything but the kitchen sink.有耳塞可以静音。Cordless headphones to use for music and with the iPad for entertainment.A comfy change of clothes because nobody needs a meltdown because of an itchy tag.有弹性的感觉摆动给她身体带来舒缓的输入，yes we pack a type of hammock swing.Arm braces to control her stemming and hand braces to calm her hand-wringing.
Calming medications have been tough,but we have finally found the right one.Tylenol for pain and discomfort.最后，of course snacks and drinks to avoid typical hunger meltdowns,and ear pressure.更不用说，her emergency seizure medication,just in case an uncontrollable seizure decides to happen during flight.只要我们有这些东西，we are prepared.
We have figured out how to make traveling as uneventful as possible.We know there could be screaming at the airport,所以我们寻找适合有感官问题的孩子的航空公司。三角洲地区的一个特工曾经给我们一个私人会议室，because she saw Maggie was in distress and needed her own space.
We also make sure to book seats with extra legroom.She can't control her legs very well.There are sudden movements,which lead to kicking the seat in front of her.With extra legroom,we are usually safe,but we always talk to the passengers around us before we take off.They are usually empathetic and understanding,and we are grateful for that.
我们旅行的最重要的部分是确保大家保持冷静。This isn't easy.I'm starting to think our family motto is: Just survive and laugh it off when we land.
