GAC/auditory processing

[njsmama]

I have a 9 year old daughter with an auditory processing disorder. She looks like a normal kiddo (no visible disability) but is terrified of certain sounds. Just being outside Test Track makes her cry (I think it is the decibel level). She has big ambitions to ride things like ToT, RnRC, BTMRR etc, but often gets up to the rides and hears the noises and bails out. We have always done the rider swap in the past so Dad could ride with the boys while I sat with dd, then I would use the rider swap ticket to go ride with the boys. We went last May and because she is now over the height limit for those rides, they were very hesitant to give out the rider swap tickets. She is making great strides and I hope this in a non-issue on our upcoming trip in November, but I am trying to make plans now just in case. I know that there have been many changes with the GAC, but I have never used one, so I am not very familiar with them anyway. Would obtaining one of these help us in any way? We don't need to skip lines or use an alternate entrance, we just want to be able to enjoy the rides with the boys without forcing her to wait through standby times twice for each ride she can't do. Make sense? Thanks in advance!

 

[Gracie09]

If she received a das she would have to ride the ride. You couldn't send your husband and the boys on to ride while she sat out.

 

[SueM in MN]

The GAC ((Guest Assistance Card) program was discontinued and was replaced with the DAS (Disability Access Service).
If you want more information about DAS, there is a thread near the top of this board about DAS - one thread about WDW and one about Disneyland.

But, as Gracie09 pointed out, the person the DAS is issued to needs to be going on the attraction. So, it would not help in this situation.

Has she ever tried noise reducing earmuff/ear protectors?
Many people have very good luck with them. They dampen the noise just enough to make it tolerable.
The brand most people use are by Peltor - you can find them on Amazon in children's size and colors like red, blue and pink that appeal to kids.
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Jun...F8&qid=1399240363&sr=8-1&keywords=Peltor+kids
We always see at least a couple of kids wearing them every day at the parks. Some kids decorate them with stickers or bling.

 

[njsmama]

The GAC ((Guest Assistance Card) program was discontinued and was replaced with the DAS (Disability Access Service).
If you want more information about DAS, there is a thread near the top of this board about DAS - one thread about WDW and one about Disneyland.

But, as Gracie09 pointed out, the person the DAS is issued to needs to be going on the attraction. So, it would not help in this situation.

Has she ever tried noise reducing earmuff/ear protectors?
Many people have very good luck with them. They dampen the noise just enough to make it tolerable.
The brand most people use are by Peltor - you can find them on Amazon in children's size and colors like red, blue and pink that appeal to kids.
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Jun...F8&qid=1399240363&sr=8-1&keywords=Peltor+kids
We always see at least a couple of kids wearing them every day at the parks. Some kids decorate them with stickers or bling.

Thanks! I'll give it a whirl! She is all about some bling, so maybe that will be enough to help her!

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks! I'll give it a whirl! She is all about some bling, so maybe that will be enough to help her!

Hope they work for her.
I've seen some pretty well blinged up with stick on rhinestones and stickers.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My DD has the Peltor earmuffs in pink and they really help her. We've also had her listen to her mp3 player with earbuds. She loves music and will happily listen to that and drown out the cacophony of noises that agitate her.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Hope the earmuffs work.

Many families have similar issues (for a variety of reason) with one kid not wanting to do certain rides but being too tall for rider swap. The family board might have some suggestions for you too.

 

[PinballFamily]

Good luck - hope the headphones work for your daughter.

DS used similar ones on many WDW trips - I just had looked back at photos the other day and there they are! (Sometimes the problem was the decibel and sometimes, I think was the frequency or static from amplification, or...?) The ones we got came with a small plastic waist/belt clip and that was a great way to stash them on his body when they weren't in use. (He could swiftly grab them and put them on when needed, rather than rummaging through a bag or backpack to locate them at crucial times.) A carabiner clip might work just as well, if the clips aren't easily found.

 

[Objectivity]

My daughter also has auditory processing disorder. We visited last November and are going back again this November.

First, get a DAS card for her. Visit guest relations, they'll ask a few questions to you and take her picture and give you a card. It takes about five minutes. You may use it, you may not. But, definitely have it.

In our case, the card helps us limit the time of exposure to the loud noises. An hour in the Test Track line would be too much, but with the DAS it was doable. We gave the card at the entrance and got a return time, approximately the time of the length of the line. At any time after the return time they give you, you present the card and go in the fast pass line.

With Test Track, each time we did that, we pretty much walked into the holding room where they line you up before you enter the room where you make your car.

If, for some reason, the Test Track (since you mentioned it) breaks down and you're stuck in that line after you make your car, I think there were exit doors you could use to leave, or you could ask to enter into the car-making room (which would not be in use with the line backed up) and wait until the line started moving again.

Just remember, the DAS is good any time after the time they give. But, you can only use the DAS to wait for one ride at a time. Plan ahead and be strategic. Get the DAS filled out prior to eating a meal, so when you're done you can go on the ride. Or, if you have a strategic mind, plan your Fast Passes around the DAS. If you get a FP for Thunder Mountain, have the DAS filled out for Splash Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean so you can go right from one to the other.

If you do go the earmuff route, get them early and try them at home in a variety of situations. Not just home, but in public. Some kids take to them as a relief, others don't like being disconnected from the rest of their group/family.

 

[chipsgirl]

We found the earmuffs to be especially helpful during fireworks for both of my children (both with SPD, one with APD and the other with Autism). My daughter didn't use them for any of the bigger rides but I certainly see how that could be a great idea as long as they do not pose a safety hazard and there is no risk of them coming off during the ride. I would not recommend wearing them in RnRC because there would be the possibility of them rubbing against the bars that come down over her and then them falling off. Does that make sense?

If wearing earmuffs do make waiting in line tolerable, then I personally would not get a DAS.

 

[Michigan]

Neither of my daughters like loud sounds so they use pink ear phones used in gun ranges.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

It might be worth looking into a DAS. The one thing is that the DAS can only be used for rides where she's planning on riding.

If she could do the rides if the amount of exposure to the noise while waiting is reduced, a DAS with earmuffs/headphones might be your best chance. The DAS would allow the majority of the wait to be done in another location and then the earmuffs/headphones (worth experimenting to figure out what blocks/reduces sound in the way that works for her the best) could be used to reduce the noise spent in the FP queue when returning to actually ride. (Once you've hit the return time on the DAS you enter through the FP queue, but that can be 10-15 minutes wait.)

 

[EskiLvr]

My older DS has Profound Unilateral Hearing Loss (no hearing at all) in one ear, and overly sensitive hearing in his "good" ear (most likely to compensate, but who knows how Mother Nature works).

His audiologist outfitted him with a custom musician's earplug (check out westone.com and you can see what they look like). It's very small, easy for him to take in and out - and it can cut out up to 25 db of sound while still allowing him to hear voices.

Having said that - we're bringing his noise canceling headphones for our upcoming trip, because he can't use his musician's plug and his new CROS hearing system at the same time. He'll just carry them in his sling backpack and then use them during fireworks (and possibly during Fanstasmic - we'll see how that goes). His ability to deal with loud noise *has* gotten better with age - he still doesn't like it, but he doesn't melt down like he used to.

Good luck!