New Book by Rockland Author Provides Insight for Parents Traveling with Neurodiverse Children
(ROCKLAND) September 7, 2022 – “Travel has always been in my blood,” says Dawn M. Barclay, noting that her parents owned a travel agency in Manhattan and that she has written for several travel magazines. Barclay recently completed a new book titled, “Traveling Different: Vacation Strategies for Parents of the Anxious, the Inflexible and the Neurodiverse,” after encountering challenges traveling with her own children when they were young. There will be a book signing event on Thursday, September 15 from 5 to 7 pm at the Palisades Center, ThEATery Court – open area in front of 5 Wits on Level 4 hosted by BRIDGES, Rockland’s Independent Living Center which supports people with disabilities. Patricia Stark, President of Patricia Stark Communications, will lead the interview and Q & A session with the author from 6 – 6:30pm.
While the book was originally meant to be a parents’ guide for vacationing with children with autism spectrum disorders, her research revealed that most children—even neurotypical ones—become anxious when traveling outside of their comfort zone. “I could not find any books that took the lessons learned from parents of children with spectrum disorders and applied those experiences and lessons to children who were neurotypical. And that became my mission: to offer parents of special needs travelers some proven travel tweaks and then explain how those modifications can simplify and enrich every family’s vacation.”
Some of the subjects covered in the book include Pre-trip Preparation, Navigating Airline Travel, Car, Bus and Train Travel, Cruising, Outdoor Vacations, and Restaurant Dining. The back of the book is chock full of resources including itineraries (there is even one for golf vacations), associations and organizations to contact for more information and an impressive list of places to visit by interest that are autism friendly.
Barclay will be available at the book signing to speak with parents, answer questions, and sign copies of her book. She will also donate 20 percent of book sales from the event to BRIDGES.