Autism-Friendly Charters
A Vacation of A Lifetime For All
“Surveys show 87% of parents of autistic children do not go on vacations, but 93% said they would if autism-friendly facilities were more available.” At PYM, we ensure we can provide such facilities and are accepting of guests with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to provide them with the same unforgettable charter experience as everyone else. To accomplish this, we provide educational ASD information to all of our crews in detail about what to expect and how to ensure all guests onboard experience our company guarantee, "a vacation of a lifetime”.
An Intro to Autism
An estimated 1 in 44 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), across all racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, in the latest report from the CDC in 2021.
However, the data collected from the CDC only comes from 11 states and doesn’t include children under 8 years old. An autism diagnosis can be given as early as 14 months old.
This figure also doesn’t include those who go undiagnosed. Studies show that as much as 50% of autistic males and 80% of autistic females that get an autism diagnosis, receive it after age 11.
The point is - the likelihood is very high that we have had or will have guests on the autism spectrum. Although most people associate autism with children, we must also remember those autistic children grow up to be autistic adults.
ASD has no cure or treatment, only resources to understand their differences and help them be the best version of themselves, and to navigate life and the world.
So, what exactly is autism anyways? The latest definition from the CDC is “a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges”
How Does This Effect Our Industry
In an interview with Alan Day, co-founder of the company Autism Double-Checked, which trains and certifies hospitality staff to be autism-friendly, he mentioned that a recent survey shows 87% of parents of autistic children stated they did not go on vacations, but 93% said they would if autism-friendly facilities were more available.
In the interview, he also mentions that families with autism are more likely to want to vacation outside of peak season to avoid crowds and potentially having to wait in lines.
Lastly, he mentions that these same families are likely to cause repeat business, due to one of the traits of autism being repetitive behavior. If a child or individual on the spectrum finds a destination or experience familiar, they are more likely to prefer that experience over a new one.
So What Do We Do?
Here are some things we are aware of and how we cater to autistic guests:
Sensory Sensitivities – This is one of the most common traits of an autistic individual. Anything that involves our senses, may be more difficult to process, or may be processed differently, and in most cases can be heightened. Some examples are being sensitive to bright lights, having an aversion to certain textures either by touch or by taste, and being overwhelmed by crowds or loud noises. The sound of a blender to you might sound 10x louder and grindier to them! Even something like singing, can be physically painful to them due to the change in pitch.
▪ What we do: Make the effort to be aware of those sensitivities in order to adjust where needed. They might need dimmer lights when having dinner or might want to stick to quieter areas. It also might help to warn of any loud noises that could cause an adverse reaction.
Communication & Social Skills -Another very common trait is challenges associated with communicating and social skills. Autistic individuals may find making eye contact very challenging. They also tend to have trouble processing indirect communication such as body language, or sarcasm. They might not realize that if you’re looking at your watch in the middle of a conversation, it means you’re running short on time and need to go. It may also take longer to process questions and come up with an answer.
▪ What we do: Understand it’s okay not to have eye contact. Also, be direct and mean what you say, in a respectful manner. Avoid things like sarcasm, rhetorical questions, or irony, and if you do use these, explain what you meant. Sometimes give them a second to process what you’re saying or asking. This way everyone understands each other, and everyone can have a better time together.
Safety First - Challenges with danger awareness and wandering is prevalent in autistic individuals as well, mostly children. Wandering is when an autistic person leaves a safe area or a responsible caregiver for more than the usual amount of time a child might step away from their caregiver to play with something as an example. Wandering can happen for various reasons, such as a fixation on a particular object or place, to escape stress or anxiety, or simply because they find it enjoyable to run or be chased.
▪ What we do: Create a safety plan. Make sure all adults involved in the process are aware of the possibility of wandering. It can be very helpful to keep a form of identification on the individual including name and emergency contact information. Have an honest conversation with the family to see what adjustments can be made on the boat to prevent wandering. Lastly, have a conversation with the autistic individual about safety and any potential dangers, which can be included in a social story.
Social Stories
Social stories are a strategy used to introduce new and unfamiliar experiences to someone on the autism spectrum and is most used with children. Think of it as a picture book or a guide that quickly explains every step of the experience. The strategy is to customize the social story to the upcoming experience and to introduce it to the child in advance, to familiarize them with what they can expect to happen, therefore making each part of the experience recognizable and prevent anxiety. This allows for the individual to have fun and prevent meltdowns simply because they can more easily process what is happening and don’t have to suddenly painstakingly process all this new information! You can create a social story about anything – getting a haircut, going to the dentist, going to a new school, etc.
Visual Schedules
Visual schedules work similarly and sometimes hand-in-hand to social stories. They are essentially small images that represent the different steps in an experience, and are connected to create a schedule. Visual schedules can be a reminder of the aspects they are already familiar with from the social story, and can be placed strategically on the boat in common areas for easy access.
Autism Awareness Hits Home
"Hi, I am Janessa Sarmiento and I am one of the Yacht Accounting Specialists at Paradise Yacht Management. Aside from being a great accountant, my goal in life is to make the world a beer place for my son to live in. Damien was diagnosed with autism in 2019. He had a developmental delay with his speech. He also had a fixation with spinning objects, wasn’t interested in playing with other kids, and he wouldn’t respond to his name when called. Therapy really helped, and I really thought this would be something he would grow out of – that this was just a phase.
I decided to do a lot of research on autism, and I was enlightened to the idea that – autism is more of a blessing than it is a curse. Autistic brains are capable of amazing things you could never imagine. I learned that the challenges autism people face, are less about the autism itself, but the environment they are in, and that the world is not built for autism people. It is our responsibility to be aware of their differences, accept that they are as normal as anyone else, and be willing to adapt to those differences.
Damien’s still going to therapy, and now he talks – A LOT. At first, when he would flap his hands, I wanted to stop him – but now I know he’s just communicating his happiness. When he would walk on his tippy toes, I would try to plant his heels down, but now I know he’s just in sensory overload, and that’s okay. He is hilarious, quirky, and really brightens anyone’s mood. He knows every planet and dwarf planet in our solar system, and he knows the name and shape of every state in the United States. Autism is his SUPERPOWER. I learned his autism is not a phase, and he would not be the amazing person he is without it.
Autistic people and their families are seeking positive experiences that have the well- informed staff and accommodations to cater to them. Simply through education, our crews at PYM can further expand their already impressive skillset and create the unforgeable experiences these families are looking for. Just because someone flaps their hands when they are happy, doesn't make their desire to just have some fun, any different from anyone else."
Janessa Sarmiento
Yacht Accounting Specialist | Paradise Yacht Management
“Showing kindness towards those who are different and embracing our imperfecons as proof of our humanness is the remedy for fear.”
– Emma Zurcher-Long of “Emma’s Hope Book”
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html) https://researchautism.org/the-autism-dilemma-for-women-
diagnosis/#:~:text=Comparing%20the%20rates%20of%20autism,diagnosed%20prior%20to%20this%20age
Lisa D. Wiggins, Maureen Durkin, Amy Esler, Li‐Ching Lee, Walter Zahorodny, Catherine Rice, Marshalyn Yeargin‐Allsopp, Nicole F. Dowling, Jennifer Hall‐Lande, Michael J. Morrier, Deborah Christensen, Josephine Shenouda, Jon Baio. Disparities in Documented Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on Demographic, Individual, and Service Factors. Autism Research, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/aur.2255
https://www.hvs.com/article/9040-Autism-and-the-Hospitality-Industry-An-Interview-with-Autism-Double-Checked https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandsafety/wandering.html
