Effective Strategies for Teaching Independent Travel Skills

Teaching someone to plan and navigate an outing will empower them with a practical and repeatable process.  It’s important to build confidence with repeated practice and positive reinforcement, with personalized techniques tailored to the individual’s specific needs, which is especially important for neurodiverse individuals or those with other disabilities.

Always start with the basics!  Foundational skills like spatial awareness, landmark recognition and problem-solving will be keys to success in the training.  Spatial awareness will help develop an understanding of their immediate surroundings.  Teaching landmark recognition along familiar routes will help them build a mental map of their community.  And problem solving like introducing simple “what if” scenarios will increase skills.  Always start with low-stakes situations and gradually increase the complexity. 

The next step is route planning and navigation.  Begin by teaching a short, straightforward route with minimal distractions and repetition. Use visual support. Employ visual aids like simplified maps with landmarks, step-by-step schedules, or picture cards to outline the trip. Always, always, always involve the learner. Let the individual participate in the planning process by researching options and identifying landmarks on a map. Lastly increase their responsibility. Transition from a guided approach to allowing the learner to lead the journey, with you as a supportive observer who provides minimal, non-intrusive prompts.

These are great beginning steps to independent travel instruction.  Remember to build in safety and emergency preparedness.  Road safety skills to include crossing the street at lights, observing traffic and waiting for buses to leave before completing crossings.  Also include situational awareness skills to instill the habits of being aware of one’s surroundings and listening to their instincts. Create a clear, practiced plan for emergencies, including who to call and when. Include a "safe word" to be used in true emergencies. Be sure the individual is well equipped with a charged cell phone, a battery pack, and a written list of emergency contacts.