So, like my recent NC suggests, are we screwed? 
We are travelling on the 26th to a shorthaul EU destination and we have some flexibility in our travel plans because my parents live out there and are lending us their car. So while we might miss a couple of days on our rental cottage, it's not an entire stack of dominoes ready to go over. We know we're lucky.
But. DS2 (8) is severely autistic. He's largely non-verbal, currently a bit incontinent and prone to over-excitement and bolting. He's very very VERY excited about travelling on aeroplanes 
but as anyone who has a child like him can attest, this doesn't necessarily mean it's an easy trip. What he doesn't do willingly is wait in queues. Previously we've managed to sidestep long passport, security etc queues by telling an official he has autism and they fast-track us (as they do with families with very young children). But in the event of massive queues because, for instance, the Unite security staff have walked out and Heathrow are operating on a skeleton staff, what do we do?
I just rang Heathrow and they weren't the most helpful. He suggested we pick up a 'sunflower lanyard' (these draw staff attention to people with 'hidden' disabilities - will there be any staff left to notice, though?) when we get to our departure terminal. I asked about any quiet waiting areas or rooms that they might have for people like my son, and he checked with his boss and said no, no such places exist. 
But that we were welcome to check into a paid lounge to wait.
I looked these up. They are all airside and apparently designed to protect the moneyed from the travelling hordes of plebs. 
Terminal 2 prices for our party start at £136 for ONE HOUR. While I'm tempted by the idea of DS2 running excitedly around such a rarefied environment I think that sadly, they are taking the bloody piss.
So. What I'm asking (and here, not in Travel, for traffic) is - can this really be true? Is there no chilled area in Terminal 2, either earthside or airside? Are sunflower lanyards the limits of Heathrow's customer service for people with autism? (He won't wear it anyway. I'll have to hold it over his head. It'll be fairly obvious it's his, given he'll also be wearing brightly coloured ear defenders.)
Is there anything else we can do to mitigate this? Save not going at all. I'm planning to pack as much as I can in hand luggage that we might need if we need to stay there a while. Bloody hell, I'm dreading this.