Hiking/Camping other outdoor stuff w/ your aspie kid?

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Does anyone here do outdoor stuff with your ASD child?
Before the kids, we used to do lots of camping (not car camping, real camping ) and hiking, kayaking and canoeing and we'd eventually like to do those things as a family. We are going on some medium-longish nature walks/hikes during our summer holiday so we'll see how that goes. We live in the city and my son loves animals, trees, water and everything but he hasn't ever really been out in the elements for more than a few hours at a time. I kind of shudder to think of him in a tent during a rain storm, freaking out about bugs, or relentlessly demanding something completely unattainable out in the middle of nowhere etc. On the other hand he might absolutely love it. He's still not even 5 and my other kid is just 2 so we've got time. I am holding out hope that we might someday manage it.

Anyone here successfully camp or hike with their ASD child or children? How did you start out with them?

Yes, we've camped with our Aspie kid. He was easy; a natural fit to the outdoors. It is where he belongs, really. My NT daughter ... not so much.

I think you ease into it, starting with car camping, where you have a relatively easy escape should it turn out that he can't handle it. As with pretty much everything you try when you have an ASD child, make choices that have easy back up plans, and don't lock you in too far. Even with something they love, you just never know if things are going to go wrong.

Boy Scouts is great; I'm not much of a camper, even though we did do several family car camping trips when the kids were young, but once my son started doing monthly outings with Scouts, I wasn't needed. Quite a few ASD kids get involved in scouting; the program is well defined and, thus, easier for them to follow. And, depending on the troop, they can get a lot of camping in, rain or shine!

It centers my son to get outside of civilization; he needs it.

PS - he won't hike with me anymore because I go too slow for him. His natural feel for a trail, and where to place his feet, blows me away.

I loved camping and hiking from a young age.
On most nature trips, something would go wrong, and those were the most fun and eggsiting!
Your son might love what you are worried about him having problems with.

Both of my kids will hike and do nature walks. It is most interesting when we get a book about local plant, insect, or animal life and try to find examples on the walk.

Have you ever considered geocaching? I haven't done it yet, but I think it sounds like it could be appealing to kids of all types. Who doesn't like looking for a treasure?

My kids love the outdoors (they don't have Asperger's but they have autism). We've never managed to do any camping, but we go hiking every Sunday, rain or shine. My older son loves hiking and my younger son is nonchalant about hiking but he does love being outdoors in general. I think it's really good for sensory-wise, and also there aren't really any social expectations since there's nobody around so they can do almost whatever (be loud, run around without me holding their hands, etc.). I would suggest starting off with a nearby trail, so if it's just a day trip, if it goes horribly wrong, you can always go home. I think hiking would appeal to a lot of ASD kids.

Thanks for sharing! I guess car camping or maybe a cabin is a good way to start. One of the main reasons I like camping and hiking is the feeling of getting really far away from other people too. And I've always loved the feeling of having everything I need on my back. I can't really explain or describe this feeling well enough, but it's one of my most favourite feelings. And I love walking and hiking for hours and hours, just taking in the scenery and talking about nothing or pertinent things around us. I have so many similarities with my son in terms of sensory and social issues, I hope he'll like these things too. We'll see.

We don't have scouts here. Our outdoor opportunities are pretty limited- we mostly go to the beach or hangout near mangrove areas. Other than that it's just desert, dunes, some craggy mountain areas, and a few oases. The heat and sun are pretty bad and my boy doesn't like that. But we do get to travel for extended periods and I'd like to make camping one of our family activities. This thread gives me hope! Thanks.

My son (16, suspected mild Aspie - working on getting him tested) likes hiking but doesn't like camping and definitely would not like backpacking. He hates the feeling of dirt on him, and he still freaks out about bugs. He would hike everyday if he could sleep in a bed at night and shower off any dirt he collected on himself during the hike.

We still have gone car camping as a family in some nice campgrounds, though he has complained the whole time. We have car camped since the kids were very little (our youngest was 1 yr old the first time we went.) We've stayed in cabins a few times also, which my son prefers.

I suggest starting easy. Try a cabin or go car camping. Stay close to home or be willing to get a hotel if there's a disaster. Keep the first trip short. When we went car camping the first time, we were in a state park close to home the first weekend in September, which is normally not too cold. That night, though, we were driving home at 3AM because the temperature dropped so low and our kids were so little.

I *LOVE* getting out into the woods away from civilization. Unfortunately for me, the family I grew up in is not that way and neither is the family I married into. My husband will go camping, but it's not something he *LOVES*. My son is not into it. My daughter is into it, and we want to go backpacking together sometime, but getting the gear for that is not something my husband is too excited about.