HUNGRY FOR TACOS

Thanksgiving and Autism. The perfect recipe for chaos.

Last year, my husband’s extended family made an inaugural last minute out-of-town Thanksgiving adventure to a large vacation home in Kiawah Island.

For an autism child, there are about eight red flags in just that statement alone. If I could have been inside his head, this is probably what I would have heard:

• Last minute. What? Where are we going? Why? But Nona’s house is just fine.
• Extended Family. Ack! I have to be with them all day? They ask me so many questions! No one really even hangs with me. I can’t figure out how to interact with my cousins. They all talk so fast and loud, and, besides, no one really likes Legos or Star Wars. So many people talking at once!
• Unfamiliar coastal location. What will we do there? I don’t like to ride bikes. Where will I sleep?…