TSA at Orlando airport and DS's autism

[connie254]

We just came back last night and I had my son prepared for the airport security like it has been for the past 4 years or so. Well,coming back, they made everyone walk past a TSA dog. My son is scared of dogs and started swinging his backpack at the dog, and the TSA agent started yelling at him to keep moving.

I'm wondering if this is going to be the norm and what kind of assistance I should expect to avoid the dog when we go again in March? DS practices going through the body screener and has that down pat

 

[ArwenMarie]

I would expect that there could be TSA dogs anywhere in an airport these days.

Is there anyway you could get in touch with a therapy dog organization in your community who would work with you and your son to help him desensitize to walking past a dog?

 

[mom2rtk]

Unfortunately the dogs are part of the new normal in airline travel. You'll have to find a way to get him past this. I like the PP's idea of finding a therapy dog organization to work with him.

 

[lanejudy]

It sounds like this was maybe before the actual screening location if your son was carrying his backpack. Or just after where you pick up your belongings from the belt. Did you have to walk single file past the dog? Or could you walk next to your son as a barrier between him and the dog? If you had to walk single file, could he hold his backpack against his leg on the side with the dog - allowing the pack to be a barrier but without swinging it, he would need to hold his arm still and straight down at his side keeping the pack still against his leg.

I would expect that there could be a TSA dog on any given trip in the future, so you’ll need to work with him about proper behavior when walking past an animal. Swinging a backpack is definitely not right, and for a less trained animal that behavior could actually cause a dog to attack out of fear. Now that WDW allows pets, you may even encounter one at the resort.

 

[connie254]

This was just after the ID check and instead of the body scanner thing. We still had to walk through a metal detector. I may just hold his hand, and hold the backpack myself, and move as quickly as possible. And contact the TSA help number to see if they have any options.
If there's a service dog,the interaction isn't as close and very quick, and he just steps away from them and I tell him it's okay. He does great with thee neighbor's Yorkie

 

[BranRan]

You can call tsa ahead of your flight and notify them of your needs. They will have you check in with an agent at the airport and you can potentially bypass any triggers. I'll post the link for the phone number in a bit. The tsa rep on the phone was AMAZING!

 

[BranRan]

I found the number for TSA Cares! 855-787-2227
And this is the link if you need it!
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/passenger-support

 

[ArwenMarie]

This was just after the ID check and instead of the body scanner thing. We still had to walk through a metal detector. I may just hold his hand, and hold the backpack myself, and move as quickly as possible. And contact the TSA help number to see if they have any options.
If there's a service dog,the interaction isn't as close and very quick, and he just steps away from them and I tell him it's okay. He does great with thee neighbor's Yorkie

My thought was to find a well-trained dog to simulate walking past a TSA dog. Like go somewhere public and practice. If you have a local dog trainer in your area, I'm sure they would be happy to help. They usually have extremely well-trained dogs

I think taking the backpack away from him is a great idea.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I think it is becoming the new norm. I’ve been seeing more and more TSA dogs at airports around the country in my travels for work. It’s probably best to start prepping your son to encounter a dog at any point while you are at the airport.

 

[SueM in MN]

Also, keep in mind you may see dogs also in the parks.
We just got back on November 11; we saw a number of service dogs. Some were well behaved and a few were not and were probably not actual trained service dogs.
We also saw police dogs in several places. Most were by the bag check/security area, but we also saw one at a park, one near the buses and one at a resort.
I would expect to see more dogs as time goes on.

 

[connie254]

Also, keep in mind you may see dogs also in the parks.
We just got back on November 11; we saw a number of service dogs. Some were well behaved and a few were not and were probably not actual trained service dogs.
We also saw police dogs in several places. Most were by the bag check/security area, but we also saw one at a park, one near the buses and one at a resort.
I would expect to see more dogs as time goes on.

Quite honestly he does very well with most police dogs and service dogs. This one unnerved him because how close it was to him. It actually touched my thigh sniffing as I walked by. I grew up afraid of dogs thanks to my mother. She watched my son when I worked and instilled the same fear in him. My one friend had a dog-very calm and large-and my son would lean on his chest and never had a problem. Then my mother started the fear. I've become less afraid of dogs, but still hesitant around them. I don't think I can do anything about his fear because my sister's family got a dog and it barks and growls at anyone it doesn't know, so it's caged in the other room when we are there. He hears the barking and knows what that means.

 

[DisneyOma]

We just came back last night and I had my son prepared for the airport security like it has been for the past 4 years or so. Well,coming back, they made everyone walk past a TSA dog. My son is scared of dogs and started swinging his backpack at the dog, and the TSA agent started yelling at him to keep moving.

I'm wondering if this is going to be the norm and what kind of assistance I should expect to avoid the dog when we go again in March? DS practices going through the body screener and has that down pat

There's probably not going to be much they can do - they will not exempt people from screening. If you don't get checked by the dog, there is going to be much more invasive screening coming at you. Which would your son do better with?

You can call tsa ahead of your flight and notify them of your needs. They will have you check in with an agent at the airport and you can potentially bypass any triggers. I'll post the link for the phone number in a bit. The tsa rep on the phone was AMAZING!

Bypassing security is not going to happen - then everyone and their terrorist grandmother are going to claim they get triggered by something at the airport. With this present administration, expect even more security, and even fewer chances to avoid it.

Quite honestly he does very well with most police dogs and service dogs. This one unnerved him because how close it was to him. It actually touched my thigh sniffing as I walked by. I grew up afraid of dogs thanks to my mother. She watched my son when I worked and instilled the same fear in him. My one friend had a dog-very calm and large-and my son would lean on his chest and never had a problem. Then my mother started the fear. I've become less afraid of dogs, but still hesitant around them. I don't think I can do anything about his fear because my sister's family got a dog and it barks and growls at anyone it doesn't know, so it's caged in the other room when we are there. He hears the barking and knows what that means.

Well, stay away from your sister's family for one, and get your son into some program or other to be more comfortable about dogs. And don't let him alone with your mother ever again.

 

[BranRan]

Bypassing security is not going to happen - then everyone and their terrorist grandmother are going to claim they get triggered by something at the airport. With this present administration, expect even more security, and even fewer chances to avoid it.

If you have a legitimate medical condition, services are available. I utilize the resources available and my condition is what's considered an "invisible illness". I've never had difficulty with TSA responding to my needs in a positive way. There is never any harm in asking for help.

 

[OurBigTrip]

If you have a legitimate medical condition, services are available. I utilize the resources available and my condition is what's considered an "invisible illness". I've never had difficulty with TSA responding to my needs in a positive way. There is never any harm in asking for help.

I would certainly hope that help wouldn’t include being able to skip TSA screening.

 

[BranRan]

I would certainly hope that help wouldn’t include being able to skip TSA screening.

It's not skipping TSA.
Definitely never said it was.

 

[mamabunny]

I would certainly hope that help wouldn’t include being able to skip TSA screening.

You don't ever "skip" TSA screening, but there are alternative screening protocols available on a case-by-case basis.

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't think I can do anything about his fear because my sister's family got a dog and it barks and growls at anyone it doesn't know, so it's caged in the other room when we are there. He hears the barking and knows what that means.

I wouldn’t visit my sister, plain and simple.

My BIL had a dog that growled and was awful towards me and my then little son. I stopped visiting. What was the point?

As for what barking means, it can mean many things. In the case of BIL’s dog, he had been abused by children’s before BIL’s then partner saved him. Hearing high voices scared him. So he barked and growled out of abject fear.

They weren’t willing to try and help the dog emotionally, so I helped me and my son emotionally. We visited elsewhere with BIL.

And I agree about no more alone time with mom. I also practice what I preach there, as even at 13 my son doesn’t spend alone time with his grandma. She was abusive towards her kids, a spanker with her lovely granddaughters for NO reason, and she’s not great with her only grandson. She’s awful to my husband, and if she got nasty towards him he and DS would leave. Took two times of immediate departures for her to get that she wasn’t to berate her son in front of grandson. Took two babysitting times for us to realize she wasn’t appropriate to watch our son. And she never has again.

 

[cruisin5]

I can't even begin to count the number of dogs I saw at the parks on this trip. Mostly riding the front basket of an ecv. There was a highly stressed yellow lab at Newark airport, I felt so bad for the dog. At least when I see a TSA dog I know the dog is trained.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

We just came back last night and I had my son prepared for the airport security like it has been for the past 4 years or so. Well,coming back, they made everyone walk past a TSA dog. My son is scared of dogs and started swinging his backpack at the dog, and the TSA agent started yelling at him to keep moving.

I'm wondering if this is going to be the norm and what kind of assistance I should expect to avoid the dog when we go again in March? DS practices going through the body screener and has that down pat

know what you said about dog in the family but your son is going to have to get the dog part of screening down like he has the scanner. how would he be with having to have a pat down? stranger touching him? you could be there but could not touch him. I am guessing this would not be a good answer. I would talk with a dog trainer in your area even if you do not have a dog and see if that person can help train your son to walk by the dog. thank goodness handler had dog under control as swinging appearing to hit at dog could have had that dog take your son down. could be why handler yelled at your son to move on. think like a police dog trained to take people down and protect itself and officer. I am seeing dogs more and more as screeners in mall and concerts

 

[mom2rtk]

know what you said about dog in the family but your son is going to have to get the dog part of screening down like he has the scanner. how would he be with having to have a pat down? stranger touching him? you could be there but could not touch him. I am guessing this would not be a good answer. I would talk with a dog trainer in your area even if you do not have a dog and see if that person can help train your son to walk by the dog. thank goodness handler had dog under control as swinging appearing to hit at dog could have had that dog take your son down. could be why handler yelled at your son to move on. think like a police dog trained to take people down and protect itself and officer. I am seeing dogs more and more as screeners in mall and concerts

There was a dog at the security check going into DLR over the weekend. It's going to be more and more common.