frantic mom of autistic son!

[saymama]

Do I need to get a new pass for my son everyday or is one valid for the whole stay?
Also, we will have a party of 5 adults, ds (4 with hyperlexia), and ds (1 with dev delays).
Do I need a pass for both of them for all of us to go, or will older son's pass let us all go
with him? I don't want our party to get split up.

Also, older son only eats chips, poptarts, and popcorn. Can I bring those to a restaurant?
I will also have to bring his own drinks. He only drinks koolaid out of a particular cup.

Has anyone used a leash before? I am thinking of buying a harness or something. He'll
get so excited and do his own thing. NOt to mention I am so afraid that even in the Happiest
place on earth, that someone will grab him and run. Younger ds will only be 1 1/2, so he should
either be in a stoller or attached to one of us the whole time.

And just wondering, how did your kids do on the rides at disney? DS can't sit in story time
at school how is he gonna last on a ride. I know there will be things that he can't or wont do
like the muppets thing. He is not gonna wear those glasses. But I know he would love it if he
did.

thanks,

toni

 

[saymama]

is there a way that we can be seated next to exits in case ds needs to leave. I would hate to ruin everyone elses time if he had a meltdown. They don't happen often, but you never know.

Boy, I am going to be a nervous wreck by the time May comes.

tonia

 

[teri]

#1. Calm down! everything will be just fine, you will have a great time, trust me.

#2. You will geet the GAC from Guest Services at the entryway, before you enter thefirst park, and it will be good for the length of your stay.

#3. Special diets don't upset them at all.

#4. You will need to take it slow for the rides, and may not actually get to ride so many of them... but then, riding the rides is only a part of a Disney vacation. I will try to bump some relevant posts today when i get back, to help you get some ideas.

"My brain takes a vacation just to give my heart more room..."
teri@iluvdisney.com

 

[teri]

#5. I recommend a bungee cord instead of a solid tether - it is easier on both of you.

#6. Yes, you can sit by the exits. Calm, calm, calm!

"My brain takes a vacation just to give my heart more room..."
teri@iluvdisney.com

 

[momejay]

Mom of two with autism. We just returned from Disney. GAC is good for length of stay. Just go to guest relations at your first park. Up to 5 can go with child. Have pass handy & give to first CM you see at each ride. We had no problems in restaurants. We did have to explain why my DS wanted to eat dinner sitting on my head... (only once.) The character dinners were great for them. It gave them a distraction so I could finish my meal without shoveling my food. My DS ate hotdogs, fries, apples, Poptarts, & popcorn the whole trip. Noone objected. They now have cups with lids in most of the restaurants.

 

[momejay]

I have a larger stroller for my DS otherwise he'd be eating things off the ground. I have used leash with my DD, but if she really wanted to she'd just slip out.
You can still enjoy muppets & bugs life without glasses, mine did. The screen is just fuzzy.
You know your kids better than anyone just use your judgement.
CMs can only help you if you ask for it. Believe me they try.

 

[tammie]

we two have a son with autism age 7 who went this past sept and dec of 1999.....we have a special stroller that work out great for him.....becouse he is such a runner the stroller sure came in handy....we had a special pass for johnathan to get on all the rides very fast from guest relations and also reminder to bring a doctor note with you about the autism....sometime you need it and sometime you do not.....and it you use a stroller as a wheelchair have the pass say that and the word autism....we use our stroller everywhere a wheelchair went and sometime i was told that the stroller was not allow in the building but when i got the pass out it was ok.......another thing was i did bring johnathan food in the park and his drink becouse he will not eat the food in the park....johnathan would surive on wheatwhins fuit loops popcorn and kool aid in the park and then have his weaver chicken tenders in our room for breakfast and dinner or whenever........we stay at the polly so we got a two regerator and a mirowave that i ask for...we stay in conciege for the 12 day so i had to bring alot of johnathan food down on this trip.....allso bring with you food that you may not be able to find down to florida with you....like i know for a fact that i could not buy weaver chicken tenders honey batteted down in florida becouse i call the compony and they do not sell it down there......has for the rides johnathan did not mind the rides at all he just does not like the lines at all....and the pass i sure great for our special need children......have a great trip and i hope everything go smothly my next trip is dec 2002 and we are counting down.....tammie

<a href="http://www.disneyclipart.com/"><img src="http://disneyclipart.simplenet.com/Movies/Cinderella/cindy-prince02.gif" alt="Cinderella and Prince Charming!" border="0" width="192" height="245"></a>

 

[SueM in MN]

i thought I had already pasted a link here about Guest Assistance Cards, but when I looked to see the new responses, I hadn't. click here for a link to a long thread about Guest Assistance Paases.
You can also scroll down and look for any posts with "Guest Assistance Paa", "Guest Assistance Card" "GAP" or "GAC" in the title.

SueM in MN
Co-Moderator of disABILITIES

ˇ

 

[Leca]

We went in Dec with our five year old autistic son. He would not wear the glasses in the shows but still enjoyed them. WE got a guest assistance pass, this does now allow immediate access but lets you stand in the disabled line where there are alot less people. My son can't sit through circle time at school either but rides are a different story. I would suggest a mid day break for sure. Go in little bits. We had a great time and our autistic son loved it. Have a note from your doctor!!

 

[saymama]

So glad to see everyone's responses. I am calmer now. I realize that there are 5 adults that will be there to take turns tending to his needs if he can't handle the moment. I think we'll be fine. He's very flexible unless he really wants something. So going into a place won't be so bad, it's the leaving part that might get him. Or maybe he won't want to see The little Mermaid at that moment. I plan to seat as close to the exit as possible. A quite escape just in case we need it. I think that rides will be okay. I love the Carousel of Progress, but I think he'll have to skip that one because there are no exsists and I don't think that it will hold his attention for 20 mins. Unless he's tired, then he can catch a few winks. WE are bringing a drs note, because so many people tell me how handsome he is and he doens't look like he has a problem. I am also getting medic alert shoe tags, in case the horrific happens and we lose him. I have my lease for him. Bought an actual dog lease and collar at the disney store. It looks like a belt (he would have never tolerated the harness) and then the leash attaches to it. I have my neck shoestring thing (looks like a backstage pass) and I will put my pass in that. I am so prepared. Getting my packing list together, bought the stollers. As long as I keep preparing myself, I'll stay calm.

Thanks for the support! I'll be nervous, but I am sure that we'll do fine.