Hi everyone. I am the grandmother of a seven year old Aspergers child. As some of you already know and experienced, noise levels can be most discomforting to anyone with this disorder. My daughter, his mother, is considering taking him on an airplane trip from the East Coast to Mid Western Coast. She has never flown before and neither has he. As you can determine, I'm more than a little concerned. Any suggestions or feedback.

Wow... sounds like a handful. I would consult a doctor familiar with the disorder and get his/her spin on it. There are likely others here with much more experience though.
Cheers! Ian.

consider hearing protection rather than not traveling... IMHO

Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it. My daughter has since decided to put the trip off. I would certainly appreciate all the feedback you can give me on situations like this. I can certainly sympatize with anyone who is living this or going through it. My heart goes out to all of you. Thank you again.

From the POV of having an autistic child, I would advise taking the child to the airport before hand so he has some idea of what he will experience. If he's like my son, he will ignore the noise in lieu of obsessing about the mechanics of the planes. Earplugs would also be a good backup and maybe something new like a walkman or a gameboy advance with headphones.

some say children with AS can(with persistance) learn to live some-what normal lives. When my 10 year old was 6 he was diagnosed with ADHD and we lived that life for 4 years-the meds, the routines, the IEP's and then 504's when he was able to get out of speech(he still has a listhp):o) he had to be accompanied on planes because he just couldnt behave. over the last 4 years he has been on so many planes(divorced parents) that it is old hat to him. He was correctly diagnosed with AS in January of 04 and life has been different ever since, he can put a concrete name to his odd behaviors. He needs to have concrete concepts. he is still on the concerta that he has been on for several years, and that is working for him. I feel that he still needs to control the impulsivity that he has and be able to slow his brain down enough to be able to deal with day to day situations, not to mention that he needs to concentrate in school. He will be taking a plane trip tomorrow and he is ready to do it on his own. Armed with his gameboy and some books and snacks he will be able to make the 2 hour flight. I am so proud of him.