ASD son in London

[BothNo]

I'm thinking of taking a mini break with my son (4.5) to London. He is autistic and doesn't speak. Is this just a silly idea? He's very good at transitioning between activities now but I worry London will just be so overwhelming for him. I'm not sure if I'm being ridiculous even thinking of going. Mainly I'd like to take him to the parks and look round.

I recently took my ASD some for his birthday and it was fine. We queued for Lego shop and m&m shop but both were very quick and there's a McDonald's next to the Lego shop. I'd advise looking into any buses you might need before you go, and be prepared to walk. My DS couldn't cope with the tube so we walked it bussed everywhere

*son

Depending on his current experiences and how his Autism presents, this could be a lovely idea. If you don't live in a city, have you tried taking him somewhere larger on public transport - train or bus - to see how he manages the sensory stimuli of the journey? Would he get much out of the fantastic opportunities in London - the dinosaurs, the splash pool in the V&A, picnicking in the parks? If the weather was bad, has he been in a cafe before? How did he find it? Is there anything in London which aligns with any special interests he might have?

I would break it down into all the different parts of the day - travel, length of day, eating, toileting, activities, wet weather back-ups - and if he can do each of those, then it sounds fabulous. If not, you've got all summer to work on these and perhaps plan a trip for autumn, when you have the advantages of London being quieter and cooler.

I would avoid the summer, go at February half term, it's much quieter as there are fewer tourists and it's not too hot but still pleasant.
Ear defenders for the tube, I used to tie a helium balloon if I could find one to DDs rucksack in case we got separated at very busy places as you can see it bobbing around, good for zoos etc
Space out what you do and factor in travel days so travel in the morning, check in early nap and recover and then perhaps Galavant in the later afternoon.
National History Museum - dinosaurs
Transport Museum
Princess Diana pirate ship park
Planetarium at Greenwich
Boat bus
London zoo