How to navigate Gatwick with SEN child with challenging behaviour

[Firesidefox]

We're flying to Spain with EasyJet next month. Our teen does not queue and becomes aggressive and agitated in crowds. We haven't been abroad for several years but booked this before the latest travel chaos and are now getting nervous.
Can anyone offer advice on any help that may be available? It's not clear online.
Thank you

If you haven’t spoken to EasyJet and Gatwick you should. They have a specific special assistance security queue. If you are flying from the north terminal it has a sensory room. Think about things that would help e.g. boarding first or last, disembarking first. If you have a blue badge there is a specific drop off area.

Thanks so much @LargeLegoHaul It is the North Terminal. I have sent LGW a message via their online form and will now try to contact EasyJet.

Really helpful advice. We are absolutely dreading it!

I understand. We have travelled from a few different airports and with different airlines with DS1 (complex physical, medical and mental health needs. He’s now nearly 13 but developmentally around 6). I always dread it, but in reality the majority of times it has been OK, stressful and difficult but manageable and worth it. We have found most airlines and UK airports helpful. Hit and miss with airports oversees - some are even more helpful than UK airports, some aren’t so helpful.

The only significant problem we have had is with BA about approved seating. DS1 needs some postural support for long haul (we can just about muddle through shorter short haul flights without) and we normally use a stabilo seat (or a special tomato seat when he was younger) but neither are one of BA’s approved seats despite them being recommended by a Tryb4uFly assessment.

I have flown quite a lot from Gatwick with EasyJet with my disabled DS (he has both learning and physical disabilities), including twice this year and they have generally been very helpful.

You can book assistance in advance through your flight booking on EasyJet - one of the options is for "intellectual or developmental disability needing assistance".

At Gatwick there's a special assistance check-in queue for easyJet so you don't have to wait too long - it's sort of in the middle of the main easyJet check in area, you may have to go through the exit to get to it or ask staff for assistance - look out for the white header screen instead of the orange ones!

After check in go upstairs to security to the family / special assistance security area. There's a desk there for special assistance - I always say to them that DS finds queuing very stressful and we get escorted through. After security there is a separate quieter special assistance lounge where you can wait until the flight is called. We always have assistance to board the plane too but this is more as he's in a wheelchair so I'm not sure whether you'd get help to board.

When you return to Gatwick there is also a special assistance passport control lane (go past the main queue, it's on the furthest side) we never have to queue here long.

Hope it goes well, enjoy your holiday!

We found special assistance at Gatwick very helpful. Made the process very easy.

There also use to be pre covid a special sensory room in the North Terminal for children with additional needs. I'm not sure if it's still there now but might be worth asking.