More than 20 area children with special needs and their families will travel from Boston to Walt Disney World on Friday on the first ever Magic for Autism flight.

Each of the 21 families who paid to make the trip to Orlando, Florida, includes a family member with special needs such as autism or down syndrome-which can make travel extremely difficult due to sensory stimuli and fear.

The trip is a culmination of four years of work by the Charles River Center along withsupport from JetBlue, Delta and American Airlines as well as Massport and TSA to conduct a test run travel program called Wings for Autism.

The program itself provides a true-to-life travel dress rehearsal to support families of children with special needs who find plane travel extremely challenging. The Magic for Autism trip evolves the practice of travel into an actual vacation effort.

Rebecca Daugherty, mom of three children including 10-year-old Riley, who has autism, said the trip is an amazing opportunity for both Riley and his siblings.

I am thrilled beyond belief that my children will finally be able to experience Disney World, said Daugherty,. In addition to this being inclusive for individuals with ASD, this trip will be tremendously fun for our neuro-typical children who cant always attend events due to their brothers needs."

Alan Day, owner of ASD vacations and father of an autistic son, facilitated and organized the trip and said he was focused on providing support to each family throughout their vacation.

Support is the magic word, Day said.. By providing support- at the airport, on the plane and on the ground courtesy of Walt Disney World and staff from Autism on the Seas- we can ensure that each traveling family experiences the unexplainable magic that comes with any trip to Walt Disney World.

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First Wings for Autism flight heads to Disney