Disney childcare for kids with ASD?

Dr.JackieOgden

Earning My Ears
Joined
Feb 18, 2018
Has anyone used the kid's clubs at Disney for their ASD kiddos? Our son is 8, verbal, usually has a 1 on 1 at school but in a childcare setting I think he would be ok in a group as long as someone was keeping an extra careful eye on him. I'm planning on calling to check with them first but just thought I'd see if anyone had some experience with this. Thanks!
 
I think all of the child care centers are going away soon ( not sure the date) but I heard something is coming to the contemporary as a child care like thing it is very limited hour ( like 4 to 8) and I know they will not do one on one and I am pretty sure they will not be able to keep a close eye on your child.
 
WDW is closing the kids clubs like Sand Castle, Simba’s Cubhouse and Lilo’s Playhouse as of July 31st. I’m not sure about Camp Dolphin. There is a new evening childcare program with Pixar characters set to roll-out in mid-April.

Depending on what you have in mind with “keep an extra careful eye on him” he might be able to participate. I would speak with the counselors about your specific concerns.

Enjoy your vacation!
 
I know they’re closing at the end of July but we’re going in June. The Contemporary’s Pixar place opens in April and unfortunately while I think my son would love it I’m afraid he would just be so overcome with excitement about Jessie that his behavior wouldn’t be ideal .
It’s a shame, my daughter would be so happy to go to one of these clubs but if they don’t have any arrangements for special needs we won’t be able to do it.
 
I know they’re closing at the end of July but we’re going in June. The Contemporary’s Pixar place opens in April and unfortunately while I think my son would love it I’m afraid he would just be so overcome with excitement about Jessie that his behavior wouldn’t be ideal .
It’s a shame, my daughter would be so happy to go to one of these clubs but if they don’t have any arrangements for special needs we won’t be able to do it.

You could send your daughter and get a 'Kid's Night Out' babysitter for your son.
 
From what I have read on here, they don’t really have any accommodations for special needs kiddos. You might get lucky and send him on a less crowded night when there is a higher staff to child ratio, but I suspect that one in particular is going to be very crowded.
 
You could send your daughter and get a 'Kid's Night Out' babysitter for your son.
I
thought of that but it seems kind of unfair. There are already a few cool Disney experiences she can do that he can’t so I don’t want to add to the list. Also I’m not sure how I feel about the babysitter in the room...it weirds me out a little, especially since my son is vulnerable.
 


I
thought of that but it seems kind of unfair. There are already a few cool Disney experiences she can do that he can’t so I don’t want to add to the list. Also I’m not sure how I feel about the babysitter in the room...it weirds me out a little, especially since my son is vulnerable.
I had a very bad experience with a room sitter. She ignored my daughter and slept most of the evening leaving my 7 year old (at the time) terrified.

When I was in college, I worked with people with special needs and also babysat for an ASD student while his parents were away. I know of sitters/nannies who travel with families. Do you have a qualified sitter that you could bring on vacation? The extra support could create more relaxation for you and your husband.
 
I
thought of that but it seems kind of unfair. There are already a few cool Disney experiences she can do that he can’t so I don’t want to add to the list. Also I’m not sure how I feel about the babysitter in the room...it weirds me out a little, especially since my son is vulnerable.


I have to chime in on this. I am/was the SN kid and the eldest of 3. my brother grew up resenting me BIG time because he was not allowed to do things if I wasn't able to( I was in a WC for 90% of my childhood) My parents focused most of their energy making sure I wasn't feeling left out or 'different' that they completely disregarded the fact that it was actually my brother who was missing out on a lot as well.

don't punish your daughter in an effort to be 'fair' to your son.
 
I
thought of that but it seems kind of unfair. There are already a few cool Disney experiences she can do that he can’t so I don’t want to add to the list. Also I’m not sure how I feel about the babysitter in the room...it weirds me out a little, especially since my son is vulnerable.
my guess is that they staff based on number of kids there that night. my guess based on regs in Pa they could have between 10 and 15 kids per staff member based on ages with at least 2 staff at all times. not sure how much extra eyeing you child would get. they will not help with toileting at all as staff not allowed by self alone with one child
 
I have to chime in on this. I am/was the SN kid and the eldest of 3. my brother grew up resenting me BIG time because he was not allowed to do things if I wasn't able to( I was in a WC for 90% of my childhood) My parents focused most of their energy making sure I wasn't feeling left out or 'different' that they completely disregarded the fact that it was actually my brother who was missing out on a lot as well.

don't punish your daughter in an effort to be 'fair' to your son.
Yep. I was the “normal” kid with a SN sibling and there was a lot I didn’t get to do because of my brother. People assume that the neurotypical kid should be so thankful to be “normal” that they shouldn’t feel angry or resentful of the things they miss out on. It stinks that people don’t validate their feelings.
 
Has your child ever been to a more standard child care setting? Funny enough I booked both Lilos and the new Pixar Playzone for my ASD son (10 yo) because he was very sad about being too tall for the IKEA childcare. I know he enjoys those settings and being around other kids even if he doesn't want to interact. He is in an inclusion classroom with push in or pull out once a day for about an hour.

What are you worried about if they don't keep a close eye on him? Is he a runner? Self-harm?

Kids clubs include dinner. How is your ASD child about food and self-feeding?

Finally, where will you be? At the hotel eating? At a park nearby (Magic Kingdom for Lilo or Epcot for Sandcastle)? How will the family react if your son needs to be picked up early (including your DD)? These are things I would consider.
 
Has your child ever been to a more standard child care setting? Funny enough I booked both Lilos and the new Pixar Playzone for my ASD son (10 yo) because he was very sad about being too tall for the IKEA childcare. I know he enjoys those settings and being around other kids even if he doesn't want to interact. He is in an inclusion classroom with push in or pull out once a day for about an hour.

What are you worried about if they don't keep a close eye on him? Is he a runner? Self-harm?

Kids clubs include dinner. How is your ASD child about food and self-feeding?

Finally, where will you be? At the hotel eating? At a park nearby (Magic Kingdom for Lilo or Epcot for Sandcastle)? How will the family react if your son needs to be picked up early (including your DD)? These are things I would consider.

He's not a runner and he's fine with eating (when he chooses to, anyway!) he is more just about doing his own thing and not caring that other kids might want a turn or that he should be quiet when everyone else is trying to watch a movie. Plus he has a TON of energy. In the Pixar setting I can see him just running up to the characters and wanting to interact with them the whole time instead of understanding that they're there for everyone. He also really likes to try to touch character faces. He hasn't been in a child care setting years, mostly because they are often free services and I don't really expect the workers to have to put in the extra effort it takes to manage him.
Our kids never stay up past 9:00, especially on Disney trips, so we would be picking them up pretty early anyway. We are hoping to finally get to try out Trader Sam's!
 
I have to chime in on this. I am/was the SN kid and the eldest of 3. my brother grew up resenting me BIG time because he was not allowed to do things if I wasn't able to( I was in a WC for 90% of my childhood) My parents focused most of their energy making sure I wasn't feeling left out or 'different' that they completely disregarded the fact that it was actually my brother who was missing out on a lot as well.

don't punish your daughter in an effort to be 'fair' to your son.
I'm sorry that you and your brother had such a bad childhood experience. I can assure you that my daughter does not get “punished” and that we have never told her that she can’t do something that she wanted to do because her brother couldn’t join her. For example, our daughter has done the Jedi training at HS twice while our son wasn’t able to participate even though he would have liked to. Unfortunately the reality of having a special needs child is that sometimes adjustments have to be made. Like most parents in this situation we spend a lot of time figuring out how to do what’s best for both kids. In this case I don’t think letting my daughter go to a childcare service (that she doesn’t even know exists) and leaving my anxious and vulnerable son on his own with a sitter we don’t know is a good solution. In the end I imagine we’ll skip childcare altogether and just try to get to Trader Sam’s on a trip without kids.
 
I had inquired about Kids Night Out for 2 children with medical needs with some behavioral needs.
If I decided to go the route of leaving my kids with someone at the resort I would most likely look into home health nursing availability on a private pay one-time basis. KNO wanted to up charge us due to the level of need. If its not illegal to do that in Florida it is certainly pretty shady.
 
I had inquired about Kids Night Out for 2 children with medical needs with some behavioral needs.
If I decided to go the route of leaving my kids with someone at the resort I would most likely look into home health nursing availability on a private pay one-time basis. KNO wanted to up charge us due to the level of need. If its not illegal to do that in Florida it is certainly pretty shady.

I see nothing at all “shady” about charging more for care that is more specialized.

If my kids had greater needs, I would certainly expect to pay more to have those needs met.
 
I had inquired about Kids Night Out for 2 children with medical needs with some behavioral needs.
If I decided to go the route of leaving my kids with someone at the resort I would most likely look into home health nursing availability on a private pay one-time basis. KNO wanted to up charge us due to the level of need. If its not illegal to do that in Florida it is certainly pretty shady.

Thanks for sharing your experience, that’s definitely good to know. We are used to paying more for sitters that have experience with ASD and don’t really mind, the extra $$ is worth the peace of mind.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top