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An Autism Guide to Camping

May 16, 2019 (updated September 29, 2019) Published by angelazizak

Camping with Autism: Tips for a Positive Experience

To ensure that things go smoothly on a vacation in the great outdoors for those with spectrum challenges, here is an autism guide to camping.

You will find important sensory considerations as well as advice on campsites and equipment that will help you make the best decisions when planning your trips.

Passing on a love of camping…with some “growing pains”

I loved camping as a small child. My first family vacations were at state parks and lakes in a pop-up camper. We hiked, cooked over a campfire, and went swimming, canoeing and fishing.

I have a deep nostalgia for what camping means: family bonding, respite from home activities, and a chance to rejuvenate in the relaxing outdoors.

Wanting to pass that love onto my own children, we decided to begin with tent camping. We chose a park about 30 minutes away. Our site was right on the edge small lake, so we could fish right off the bank.

Things went fairly well that first night…until about 5 a.m. the next morning. My daughter woke up screaming at the top of her lungs and could not be consoled. This caused my son to panic as well. We decided to just pack up and leave right at sunrise, fearing the wrath of our campground neighbors (hopefully) still asleep.

Extremely disappointed, we sort of…gave up for a while.

If only we were simply more realistic about camping to begin with we could have given it another go while they were young.

Now that my teenagers have successfully experienced tent-camping with the Scouts, we decided to invest in a pop-up camper. We love it! We cook over a fire and read books in hammocks; when it rains we play games inside the camper.

Hopefully our own camping experiences over the years will serve as a guide to help you decide how you should approach camping having autism in your own family.

Practical Advice for a Positive Camping Experience

1. Consider the “5-senses” of camping.

The smell of a campfire. The sight of a fire lighting up the night. Unless you are camping by yourselves in the middle of nowhere, then be prepared to encounter lots of other campers, too.

The level of these sensory experiences depends on the location of the campground and your individual campsite as well as the people around you.

Assess how your child’s sensory needs can be accommodated on a camp-out considering the five senses:

Sounds: range from quietly muted to loud, such as nearby site conversations; kids yelling to one another on their bikes; loud diesel trucks going by; sounds of birds and other animals; dogs barking; etc.

Sights: range from minimal stimulation to moderately high, such as a private tree lined site to wide open spaces with lots of games and other social activity between people of different campsites. Some campgrounds form little communities of people of who come back year-after-year.

Tactile: Some camping pads are gravel rocks with some dirt or grass while others are a smooth concrete pad. Handling wood or sitting on a rough picnic table may irritate some. If your autistic child likes deep pressure, then swing hammocks are a perfect way to relax.

Smell: most smells are muted, but others can be strong like smoky campfires and fuels from cars driving by while others are very pungent (think “outhouse”).

Taste: if your child is sensitive to different waters, then bring your own water. Most full-hookup sites have water available, but you may want to use it only for external purposes (i.e. washing).

2. Choose the right location.

So much of your experience depends on the location of the campground and your site within it. Find out the level of accessibility for personal needs, safety, and recreational amenities.

Some campgrounds have websites or videos of their sites to show what it’s like. Or, call the campground for more info. (Poor Farmer’s RV campground in Ohio is one that serves both short- and long-term campers.)

Ask yourself these questions:

Is the campground and/or some sites completely in a wooded area or in full sun? This can be a critical element if someone in the family is sensitive to sun and heat.

Does it have natural privacy barriers and plenty of space between sites, or is there very little privacy?

What is the terrain like? Rough, steep, or flat?

Does it have access to water and electricity or will you be totally roughing it?

Does the campground and site fully accommodate someone who needs a wheelchair or other medical equipment?

Is there WiFi available in case of emergency (or can you easily reach someone at the campground office)? Many state and national parks have limited or no internet access while private campgrounds may have WiFi available for guests.

Is your site accessible to other activities and restaurants or is it pretty remote?

Are pets allowed? What rules are in place if dogs are allowed?

If your child is a runner, would you be able to get help right away?

Is the location near water if your child is not yet a swimmer?

Would you feel comfortable giving your child some room to explore the campground on his or her own?

3. Assess your accommodation needs.

Your camp experience can range from living like a pioneer in a makeshift tent to “glamping” like a rock star in a mini-apartment on wheels. Consider your family’s needs and previous experience staying in places away from home.

Could they actually “rough it” or would they need a more familiar setting like your own home? Here are some pros and cons of each type of camping accommodation:

TENTS…

Pros—cheap; relatively easy to set up; can be brought on a plane; set up anywhere; ideal for getting into remote places with fewer people.

Cons—may not be fully weather proof (rain, wind, cold, heat); little room to move, sit, stand; may not sleep comfortably; tight quarters for a large family or older kids; may need to bring a lot of loose items to camp.

POP-UP CAMPERS…

Pros—compact and lighter to tow (most cars); cheaper than most campers; queen or king-size beds; can sleep a whole family; often includes sink, stove and possibly a shower/toilet area.

Cons—smaller space than a travel trailer; takes at some time and effort to set up; canvas can tear and have holes; may not have access to some campgrounds (especially those out West if bears are a concern); not suitable to keep pets inside if you leave; may not have a toilet.

TRAVEL TRAILERS…

Pros—not much to set up; can store items inside; fits most campsites (depending on size); can take your vehicle to go places; full bathrooms and decent size kitchen areas; great for longer vacations (week or more).

Cons—need a larger truck or SUV to pull; new campers can be expensive; some beds actually smaller than they appear in photos; may require a lot of gas to tow.

RVs….

Pros—very little to set up; “home-on-wheels” style comfort with nicer kitchens, beds and bathrooms (maybe even washer/dryer); large space (especially bump-outs); ideal for long-term camping (weeks to months).

Cons—very expensive; may not fit in some campgrounds; must tow a separate vehicle if you want to go other places; expensive to repair/can break down while traveling; various states have different restraining laws when traveling in an RV (children must still be in a car seat facing forward which can be a problem in an RV—best if they ride in a separate vehicle).

4. Be prepared.

Plan and budget well. Get to know the campground and local area well before setting off. Pack what you need and find out if you can purchase items you missed at a nearby store.

Find out about all the amenities of the campground. Do they have electric/water hookups? Pool? Bike rentals? Horseback riding? Boating? Hiking trails? Playgrounds? Campground sponsored games and activities? Seasonal events? A nice view? A campground store?

What is your total budget? What is the cost of gas, food, campsite, rentals? Be sure to check out all the “extras” you’d like to do, not only at the campground but also the local area (i.e. museums, restaurants, shopping, etc.).

If your child wants to swim but needs assistance, take swim lessons. Learn to ride a bike before camping. Buy the necessary equipment to make sure everyone is safe.

Be sure to pack comforting sensory items if camping is new and strange for your autistic child.

5. Be realistic about what your family can handle.

If you are completely new to camping (i.e. never even been inside a tent or camper), then consider renting a camper. Some campgrounds will even have their own campers available for you to rent. Others, like Fort Wilderness at Walt Disney World, will allow you to rent a camper that is brought in and set up by a local company. You get the benefits of camping without all of the work.

Buying camp gear is a big investment! Consider how many days out of the year you’d like to camp and how much time, effort and work you want to put into setting up camp. Do you want the old-fashioned camping experience of sleeping on the ground and cooking outside or do you want to be more comfortable in a nature setting? Are you in this for the long haul or just want to experiment with camping? Ask yourself these questions to figure out the type of camping equipment you need.

Assess the skills, interests and patience of everyone in the family. What safety skills does your autistic child have? Do they need supervision while swimming, biking, walking, etc.? If you plan for certain activities but someone suddenly doesn’t want to participate, have a back-up plan. Ease into the experience if this is new for most members of the family (especially children with autism). Camping requires learning different skills, so be gentle with yourself and others.

If your family is miserable despite efforts to make it enjoyable, don’t be afraid to “throw in the towel”. It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to camp again—make adjustments for the next time (i.e. location, number of days, type of sleeping arrangements, etc.). Maybe staying in a cabin instead of a camper would be best.

Unwind…

Successful camping experiences actually take a bit of practice.

It took our family three times of setting up and tearing down the pop-up camper to feel comfortable with the process (and not get upset with one another). We wanted a step-up from tent sleeping without losing the more traditional camping experience. My kids appreciate the large king-size beds. I love the heat and air conditioning.

We still tent-camp with the Scouts. But having a comfortable camper allows us to relax and sleep a little better. When we retire, I’d love to get a travel trailer for longer excursions to places on my bucket-list.

Camping is a wonderful way for families to reconnect by “unplugging” and interact with one another more. You can relax for a little while without the burden of each person’s different daily routines and other home obligations.

Even if it’s only for a weekend, short trips are often what is needed to feel rejuvenated from everyday life.

With the right planning and attitude, camping can be a joyful, memorable experience!

Easing Your Child Into Camping

March 15, 2019 (updated September 29, 2019) Published by angelazizak

In this article I outline the the five steps to take (in order, preferably) to easing your child into the camping experience for the first time.

Making camping with autism a positive experience

It’s one thing to stay in a hotel with comfy beds and the allure of a pool. It’s another to practically sleep on the ground with nothing but a thin nylon tent separating you and nature.

Many children on the spectrum are adamant about maintaining a nighttime routine. One little change may lead to a meltdown.

Let me state the obvious: camping disrupts that normal sleep pattern. New “bed,” new place to sleep, new routine, new sights and sounds. That means unpredictable behaviors.

It’s one thing to avoid camping if it’s just not appealing to everyone in the family. But if you’re avoiding camping adventures just because you want to avoid unwanted behaviors, I urge you to seriously reconsider!

Don’t miss out on the potential to bond with family and friends in a relaxing, therapeutic environment! By slowly easing your child into camping adventures, you will find it a much less stressful process to instill a love of vacationing in the great outdoors.

Learning to love camping takes time

The smell of roasting marshmallows over the fire. The thrill of catching fireflies. The fun of camping in a tent. Everyone is relaxed and happy.

That idyllic picture of camping is not often reality.

We introduced our young kids to camping jumping in head-first. We started off great. We fished and cooked and played on the playground.

But by 5 AM the next morning my 5-year-old daughter was crying inconsolably. Nothing seemed to calm her down.

Fearing wrath from the entire campsite, who were all still asleep, we packed up our equipment with rapid speed. By 7 AM we had left the campsite with very cranky kids.

We vowed not to try this again for a while.

And we didn’t…. something I regret.

Even with the most seasoned and experienced campers, things don’t always go as planned.

Sometimes an important item is left at home. Your gear doesn’t set up properly. Someone doesn’t sleep well. Someone is complaining about the food. Someone can’t stop crying. Mosquitos are sucking the life out of you! UGH!

And then you start thinking… Why didn’t we just stay home?!

Actually, that’s not a bad idea.

“Wean” into camping

Maybe, like mine, your own childhood memories are filled with wonderful camping expeditions with your family. Maybe, like me, you can’t wait to share that love with your own kids.

But camping can feel like a very strange and scary thing to do for an autistic child who may become terrified when his or her daily routine is thrown out of whack and comfort zone severely challenged.

My kids were on the verge of getting their autism diagnoses when we first camped. Once I became familiar with autism, my child-rearing philosophy changed. I realized (many times the hard way) that adapting my kids to new things needed to be set at their own pace.

And, yet, I still needed to motivate them enough to try new challenges. I had to be a little more patient and “wean” them into unfamiliar experiences. If I had known then what I know now, we would have introduced them more gradually to idea of camping and helped ease them into camping.

If the idea of camping can be introduced in “digestible, bite-size chunks”, then the actual experience away from home can go a little more smoothly and become something your child will actually enjoy.

5 Steps to Easing Your Child into Camping

I recommend that you do these steps in order and as long as necessary to feel comfortable before moving to the next one.

1. Set up camp in your child’s bedroom.

What a fun way to introduce the idea of camping than in your child’s most comfortable place!

I always wanted a bed-fitted tent when I was a child, but I couldn’t convince my parents to buy one. So, I set up blankets over my bedpost and invited my sisters into my “tent” to play games and read stories.

Get your child comfortable sleeping in a tent in his or her own bed, whether it’s an actual bed-tent or something created. Maintain your normal bedtime routine. Bring in comfortable, familiar items (favorite blanket, toy or sensory equipment).

Use this time to talk about it as “camping” in order to associate it with a positive, comforting experience. Practice using flashlights.

*(If your child is co-sleeping with you, consider setting up something beside your bed.)

2. Set up camp in your living room.

This can be done during the day on a pretend-play basis at first. Keep a small play tent up permanently if you have room.

Do what you would do in a real camping experience: pretend sleep (or take real naps), pretend building a campfire, pretend cook, pretend fish, etc.

Include favorite comfort sensory items, like a soft or weighted blanket, fidget spinner, or a stuffed toy.

Watch videos of people camping to show what it’s like. Find or create your own social story of the outdoor camping experience so your child can associate fun “home camping” with camping in a new place.

When your child is ready, set up an overnight “living room camping” in which everyone in the family is involved. It could be included alongside your own weekend routine (like a movie or game-night) but call it “inside camping” when it’s time to sleep.

Share your enthusiasm with your child—make it fun! Do this a few times until you think your child is ready to try a new place to camp.

3. Set up camp in your backyard (if possible).

Moving your camp from indoors to outdoors can feel like sudden transition, even though you are still at home. There might be some anxiety about the darkness, being outside, hearing different sounds, etc.

Consider setting up a tent outside during the day for pretend-play first. Let your child explore the fun of outside-camping on his/her own.

If you can set up a campfire in your backyard, begin to introduce how to behave around a fire and perhaps cooking over a fire during the evening hours. Start introducing camping tools, like hot dog forks.

When you’re ready, have the family move to the tent to sleep. Be sure to include the same favorite bedtime routines and sensory items. Even if your child can only sleep half-way through the night outside, it’s a big step!

Keep trying until you make it through the night.

4. Set up camp at a family or friend’s house.

At this point your child should be more comfortable being outside. But now it’s time to move to another place away from home.

I suggest possibly setting up camp in the backyard of a beloved family member or friend as a way to transition to a real campground experience. Maybe grandma or grandpa would like to host your family’s camp-out and be willing to welcome you in the house in the event your child becomes anxious.

Remember, same routine…same comfort items.

5. Set up camp at a nearby campground or state park.

When ready, consider staying somewhere close by for one night, say…maybe less than an hour away (if possible).

Some campgrounds require more than one night minimum on holidays, so if you’re not ready for more than one night you may have to go on non-holiday weekends. That’s probably best to avoid the crowds.

Conduct some research into the campground. Does it have nice amenities that will allow your child to feel comfortable and have fun? Fishing, swimming, playground, hiking, outdoor games?

Be sure to include the familiar things from the previous camping experiences at home, including favorite meals, bedtime routine and personal sensory items.

The fact that the family is sleeping together in one tent or camper will provide some comfort in this new situation as well.

Small Steps Lead to Giant Achievements

While camping may be a hard transition for your special needs child, it will foster in him or her a love of nature as well as some incredible life skills.

When children overcomes their fears, they often feel a burst of self-confidence. This leads to a greater willingness to try new things beyond their comfort zones. Camping provides many new experiences to build self-confidence.

Besides vacations with family, one of the best ways to learn life skills and build confidence while camping is participating in a scouting organization.

My 17-year-old son has camped so many times with his Boy Scout troop I lost count. Simple weekend camp-outs led to week-long adventures.

When he was 14-years-old he spent several nights along lakesides at Boundary Waters in Minnesota. This past summer he explored the iconic Black Hills in South Dakota. His ultimate camping adventure was sleeping on a sailboat for a week in the Florida Keys.

Because he was comfortable enough to sleep outside away from home and family for a week at a time, he got a job at the local scout camp. He now has gained valuable employment skills.

Apart from therapy, Scouting has provided some of the greatest social and developmental benefits for my autistic kids. Read my article “Why Scouts BSA is Terrific for Autistic Youth” to understand how involvement in Scouts leads to incredible personal growth.

Easing into Camping is the Key to Self-Growth

To access the potential development of life skills and self-confidence, consider camping! Hopefully, the five steps I have outlined of easing your child into the camping experience will help significantly in achieving those goals!

The trick is to maintain a sense of familiarity by using similar routines and comfort items from home and transfer the camping experience across different settings—from inside to outside and from home to another place.

Try to keep the experience positive all the way through the learning process to reinforce that camping is a “good thing”. Push limits but recognize when enough is enough. It may take weeks, months or even years…but you’ll get there!

For more information about the sensory and autism-related considerations of the camping experience, read my article “Camping with Autism“. You will also find helpful tips on campers to help you decide which ones is most suitable for your needs.

Above all, have fun!! The whole experience gets easier the more times you try it!

If you think your older child may be ready for camp experience for one night or several nights away from home, check out this very informative article by the Indiana Resource Center for Autism.

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