Big Events, Thoughtful Prep: How We Made It Work

Some things feel out of reach until they are not.

For some of our families, an unfamiliar important event can feel like an impossible ask. An appointment that most families schedule and forget about can feel like a mountain. But mountains can be climbed with the right tools, the right timing, and a parent who knows their student well enough to build the path.

Here is a framework that works, using a real example: getting my daughter her first passport.

Know Your Student, Then Advocate Accordingly

Before any big event, the first step is thinking through the specific challenges your student is likely to face. Crowds? Waiting? Strangers? Unfamiliar environments?

For us, the passport process involved all of the above across two separate visits: a photo appointment at a store and an official document meeting. My daughter does not associate well with new environments, waiting is hard, and strangers add another layer of unpredictability.

Knowing that, I made a key decision early: instead of booking the document appointment at city hall, I found that our local library branch handles passports. Smaller, quieter, more manageable. I visited the branch in person, explained our situation to a staff member, and she suggested we book two back-to-back appointments so that if my daughter finished her portion and needed to leave, one parent could take her outside or to the car while the other completed their paperwork. If an in-person visit is not possible, a phone call works too — the point is to make contact and discuss your needs and possible challenges ahead of time.

Scout It First

For both visits, I went alone first.

At the store, I asked the clerk to walk me through the entire passport photo process. Where do we stand? What does the setup look like? I had the clerk take my photo so I could show my daughter exactly what she will have to do. The backdrop was a pulldown screen next to the cold beverage coolers.

At the library, I visited the branch, located the exact desk we would walk to, and identified the chairs where we would sit and wait.

Was this overkill? Depends on your kid's needs. My daughter does really well when she sees a visual of what is being expected or presented to her. This is something that can be scaffolded down the line with possibly less detailed and more generic imagery or just words as your kid shows progress.

Build a Social Narrative

For each visit, I created a simple social narrative — a short, visual story that walks your kid through exactly what will happen, in order, using real photos and clear language.

Research consistently supports social narratives as an evidence-based tool for helping autistic students manage anxiety, navigate new situations, and increase positive behavior outcomes. They work because they make the unknown known.

For the photo appointment, I titled the narrative "Take A Photo At The Store." Clear, specific, accurate. I used a street view photo of the Walgreens exterior, a photo of me standing at the backdrop, and a photo of the toy section at the store with a note that she could pick out a toy after we were done. Each photo was paired with a short caption using words I knew my daughter could read on her own.

For the library visit, I titled it "Important Passport Meeting." I used a street view photo of the building, a photo of the interior showing exactly where we would walk, and a visual of a passport. I did not call it a library. For my daughter, that word carries a specific association with a different building. Reframing the environment meant she arrived without the friction that label might have created.

Make the Finish Line Visible

For some kids, especially when the outcome of an event is abstract — paperwork gets filed, something arrives in the mail eventually — the accomplishment needs a shape they can see and hold.

To use this also as a teaching opportunity, I prepared a fake passport to give her as she completed the meeting. Not as a reward for good behavior, but as a way of saying: you did this, and here is the proof.

I found a passport file on Teachers Pay Teachers, printed it, and created custom "stamps" using Boardmaker icons and familiar imagery: a car for the car ride, the produce section of a grocery store she recognizes, a playground, and the McDonald's logo. I printed them as stickers.

As we finished the paperwork, I gave her the first stamp right there in the moment. We drove to McDonald's, ate a picnic at the playground, and she added the remaining stamps to her booklet herself.

She was more than happy to accept her version as the real deal. And in every way that mattered, it was.

It Is Possible

None of this required professional training or a perfect day. It required knowing my kid, doing a little extra legwork, and trusting that she could do hard things when given the right support.

REFERENCES

1. Scoping review of social narrative interventions for autistic individuals, finding consistent support for their use in managing transitions, novel situations, and reducing anxiety (PMC / American Journal of Occupational Therapy).

2. Study examining digitally-mediated social stories for autistic children adapting to upcoming changes and novel situations, with practitioner survey data confirming managing transitions as the most common goal for social story use (PMC).

3. Overview of social narratives as an evidence-based practice, including guidance on implementation using real photos, visual supports, and individualized content (Indiana Resource Center for Autism, Indiana University).