Advice please for day out with asd child

[amyclaire85]

Hello!
We are tired of staying indoors all our lives so have decided to bite the bullet and take the kids to Marwell Zoo tomorrow.
DS1 (3 and a half) is autistic with limited concentration and hardly any speech.
Anyone gopt any advice about how to try and make the day run smoothly?
I have thought about printing some pictures of the animals he will see for him to look at on the way there.
I am praying it will go well and we don't have to leave after 5 minutes!

[Jimjams2]

1. Have zero expectations
   
2. What are you doing about food- picnic on a bench might be the easiest way
   
3. Let him lead you round (unless he gets stuck on one object- that's tricky).
   
4. If there's a huge queue to get in go to the front and ask to push in.
   
   Good luck. Does he like animals? Ds1 doesn't but quite likes walking round the zoo- just won't look at anything!
   
   Do you have to coordinate siblings needs as well (that's the tricky part)

[amyclaire85]

I definitely have no expectations lol! We had a particularly horrible trip to Drusillas but that was about a year ago so hopefully he'll be more interested now.
He does seem to like animals quite a bit.

ds2 is only 6 weeks old so thankfully shouldn't be too much of a problem

[amyclaire85]

Taking picnic is good idea thanks!