MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The Grand Strand, an area along the South Carolina coast that includes Myrtle Beach, is a popular destination for beach lovers of all ages, welcoming more than 19 million visitors every year, according to the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

It’s also the “birthplace of the autism friendly travel initiative.”

“Champion Autism Network and Autism Travel Club, we serve the family by creating traditional family experiences, but modified for the person with autism so that everybody can come out and enjoy a supportive experience,” said Becky Large, CEO of Autism Travel Club (ATC) and executive director of Champion Autism Network (CAN).

To build an autism and sensory-friendly network, ATC offers certifications for local businesses and essential workers through online training. Participants can learn about autism spectrum disorder and ways to create more welcoming environments.

“Through the training you learn about how to serve these families. For instance, when booking a reservation in a hotel, have the room be away from the ice machine or the elevator … we want to set the person with autism up for success by reducing as much sensory input as we can, to reduce triggers so that they’re more comfortable and the family’s more comfortable,” Large said.

With more than 30 certified autism-aware and trained restaurants, hotels, attractions and services, Myrtle Beach is certified by CAN as an autism-friendly destination.

CAN also offers a digital Autism Traveler mobile app to connect with participating businesses. Users can check in on the app to notify staff that a family or individual with autism is on site and access member discounts and accommodations, like free entrance for an accompanying autism therapist or parent, noise canceling headphones, preferred seating and express lines.

Air travel can also be stressful and overstimulating, so visitors flying through the Grand Strand can decompress in a sensory-friendly environment before or after a flight in the Myrtle Beach International Airport’s Quiet Room.

“I’ve been doing this since 2016 and we have created, God bless it, a community here in the entire Grand Strand from North Myrtle Beach down to Pawleys Island and Georgetown,” Large said. “We’ve worked hard in partnership with the different chambers and council members and civic leaders to create a community of acceptance, and that alone is working.”

CAN has about 900 member families in Horry and Georgetown County, according to Large. Regardless of if you’re an employee or a visitor, she says being understanding and reserving judgment is the best way to make the Grand Strand more supportive and welcoming for people with autism spectrum disorder and their families.

“What means the most to our families is educating people, whether it’s business owners and their employees or the public at large, educating people about autism,” Large said. “And if there is a tantrum or a meltdown, we want to reduce the judgment, and really that is the crux of everything.”

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