Looking for your Autism/Disney Tips

[Bathead12]

Watch videos of the rides on You Tube before going if you can.

This is Excellent advice! My 5 year old son who has autism is usually anxious about doing something for the 1st time. By watching a video of a ride (such as Winnie the Pooh or TMRR) it helped my son experience the ride before actually going on it. Once we got to the MK, he was already screaming the names of the rides that he saw on You Tube and he wasn't nearly as anxious as if it was the first time going on the ride. Wish I would have done the same thing for the character breakfast

We learn this trick from our dentist. My son was really anxious going to the dentist and had a melt down the first time he went. The dentist had quite a few ASD children so he made a video of the whole experience of being in the dentist office and chair. Watching the video made each visit progressively easier.

 

[Tissa]

Hi, my DD3 loves Playhouse Disney on television so I thought she'd be thrilled to see them in person. It was a nightmare. We were right up front, but it was too loud and too much for her. She cried and stimmed the whole time.

Ear muffs, the ones they use for shooting, seem to work well with others, blocking noise and soothing them. DD can't stand to have her ears touched, so we haven't figured out that solution yet.

Sit in the back, use ear coverings and try not to allow Playhouse Disney overwhelm, if that's possible.

Also, lunch with Jo-Jo and Little Einstiens was also waay to loud.

Good luck with the project, I'll be interested to read them all when you get it finished.

Wendy

DS can't stand to have his ears touched either, we had such a hard time with everything until he figured out last year to start covering his ears with his own hands. He can take it if he is the one touching them not me.

Turbo flush toilets and those loud hand dryers are just too much for him. I find the family restroom to take him into and it's a lot more quiet.

After 4 trips the only thing he likes to ride is the TTA.

 

[Bugsmom73]

Social stories about flying, including security, waiting in line, getting to and from the parks.

We have stayed at AKL and WL with our ASD son.

SN kids or not, we have found this helps.


We have taken breaks with our kids SN.

Be flexible.

Get a room with a fridge

Eat breakfast in the rooms.

 

[SueM in MN]

If your child is around 40" or a little above and you plan on taking him on rides with a height requirement you may want to get a doctors note with his height on it to show with your GAC card. I am not sure if that is a solution but it might help. At the very least knowing this could be a problem may help someone prepare better for the possibility of this happening.

Rather than show a doctor's letter with the GAC (which might not get you in to the attraction anyway because the CM won't know what to do), I would suggest going to Guest Relations and explaining your problem to the CM there.
If you have a doctor's note with the height or if they measure your child there, it might be possible for the Guest Services CM to put a note on the GAC that says the child is over xx height and does not need to be measured because of his/her disability.
You can always go back to Guest Relations if you have a problem - so if you don't think of the height right away and find out it is a problem after the fact, just go to Guest Relations and explain what happened.

 

[disneynewman]

This is a great idea. They once wouldn't let DS on Fast Track because when they went to measure him a 2nd time he bumped his head and got very upset. The CM asked him directly if he wanted to go on the ride and he said no but he really didn't know what he was being asked , he says no all the time.

 

[spider]

My tips, especially those with long flight times (we are in the UK):

1) Wrap up some special presents to open every few hours, only cheapy stuff like colouring books, sticker books, comics, magazines. Our flight is 9 hours and Ben gets distracted with something new to look at, not for long, but a little respite is better than nothing!!

2) I always do an itinery - my son has to have a routine - with the dates and what with what we are doing on a particular day. He is "fairly" flexible if the weather is not up to certain parks etc, but he loves to know what we are doing and makes him less anxious.

3) Take time outs to go back to hotels or villas for swimming and relaxing.

4) We take Ben's portable DVD player with us and a selection of his DVD's from home - this is for his chill out time, a total lifesaver wherever we are on holiday, USA or Europe

5) Ben loves to collect the maps from each park, though we now have to ensure that when we are on holidays and the month changes, we have both maps, ie the July one and the August, this is due to a major meltdown in 2004!!

 

[*love*2*shop]

Some things we did to try to make this a great trip:

** GAC- this is a MUST...We did NOT need any drs note!! we walked up to guest relations our 1st day at MK with son/all of us and exp issues etc..we recv the GAC

** at the AIRPORT- this as well, you do NOT need a drs note..when cking in explain you have a special needs child, SWA gave us a PREBOARD pass each time and we were boarded 1st along with the wheelchairs to ensure we sat together..not a problem at all

**Bring a DVD player or Gameboy etc on the plane- get a few new toys/items for the plane ride...

** HOTEL....get a SUITE/ villa so that if the child is used to having a Bed ALONE he is not forced to try to sleep with sibling..gives EVERYONE BREATHING room as well, so that you arent crammed in a 300ft room for 7 days !!!!! we stayed at ALL STAR MUSIC in a SUITE and OMG it was so great!!!! having 2 bathrooms and tons of beds!!

**BUFFETS!! we did all of our dinners except 1 as a buffet, so that we could eat right away and when were were done, could go.... best thing ever!

**breakfast...we had stuff in our room and ate there in the room....( we did have the dining plan)

** DONT GO COMANDO.....dont try to get to the parks at 6am and stay out until midnight .... we stayed enough days so we could ENJOY the *VACATION* we tended to go back to the hotel mid day, re coup and go back out....we were back to the hotel and IN BED by 10pm every night...a SLEEP deprived child is not a good thing! for ANYONE

**STROLLER....ITS A MUST!!!! my son lived in the stroller except on rides..there is NO WAY to NOT have it! dont try to not have it, then get one....we brought our own DBL maclaren side by side stroller....


** at the parks/stroller..be sure to bring gameboy, little figures for them if they need those to keep occupied....etc...

** GET A map FOR THE child UPON ENTERING THE PARK ( ALONG WITH 1 FOR YOU) MY KIDS loved LOOKING AT THE MAP AND seeing where we were or things they would like to do...

** go during a LOW period/less crowds and when it not so hot...it makes for a tough/long day-trust me

**Pick your battles..my son would only eat pizza/dessert the entire trip-for 8 days arghhh, but thats him and it wasnt worth fighting over....

**its a VACATION!!! try to relax and treat it like a vacation and have FUN!! if they dont wnat to do a ride..move on..its no big deal...

*** DISNEY BUSSES*

~~~we stayed onsite and we able to use the magical express, but opted not to...we opted for a limo..direct to hotel in 30mins from MCO airport......and back...
~~The ONSITE Busses.....they werent the best and we spent MUCH of the vacation either WAITING for a Bus or ON the bus...NOT always able to entertain the children during these times....hubby and I talked that the next time we go, we would consider renting a CAR!!!

**FLIGHTS...try to leave your house mid day, so that you dont have to get up at 2am to get to the airport...same thing with coming home..we had a 145 flight out of MCO back to NH..arrived to NH at 415 and were home at 530pm....we were able to get up at 7/8 am on the flight day home, limo didnt come until 11am..NO RUSHING!!

**BACKPACK....be sure to have a backpack at all parks to bring with you into rides in case of waits etc...

**If your child can understand a talk..be sure to explain that if they get lost/ separated..go to a MOM WITH CHILDREN and ask for HELP, or go into a Gift SHOP and ask the CASHIER for help/lost, try to tell them what hotel you are staying at, or use a traker/child locator/leash may work depending on age...

**Sunglasses /hat..the SUn is VERY BRIGHT there and my son was dying!! hhad to buy him sunglasses & a hat which he NEVER would normally wear...

**Kyle lived in his CROCS..again, it wasnt worth the fight, thats ALL he wanted to wear, no sneakers,,NOTHING but CROCS..easier from him to work with...

** A LANYARD..Kyle LOVED to have his own Big BOY lanyard to hold his card and a few dollars....

**RESORT STUFF/DOWN DAY..try to utilize your resort activities/ waterpark/down day....

** RESERVATIONS for ADRS...try to book them as soon as possible if there are a few you think you MUST SEE...I booked all ressies and had an itenrary for each day to have some sort of plan....BUT didnt tell the kids all the info because if plans change, they get upset! they knew each day most info BUT NOT all, so that we could also be flexible if needed....


**MEDS** be sure to try to stay on meds Schedule!! we found it hard as we were busy and would lose track of the time!! and would forget to give him his pill until hrs after the due time....



have a great trip

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Just went with friends that have an autistic son in June. Not sure all of his issues, or what they are called, but he has problems being touched, can't express himself well, doesn't like crowds, but is very curious about everything. Here are tips we used that helped us avoid total meltdown.

1. Stay somewhere with a kitchen and breathing room. Eating at a kitchen/dining room table in familiar surroundings helped. We stayed at HGVC on I-Drive. DVC resorts are great, too.

2. Buffet at CP was great, but characters can overwhelm and automatically touch the kids. If kid has problem with touching, seat kid on inside of booth or table. If he/she wants to get closer, he can. If not, kid is shielded by wall and/or adult.

3. The soda fountain at the Dolphin resort was awesome. Very accommodating to dietary needs, and fun atmosphere without being too busy, like Beaches & Cream can be at times.

4. GAC!!!! What a life saver. Make sure you have a Dr. note giving specific instructions about what the child can or cannot do. This is especially true if the child has issues with crowds. Standing in a line would have been a nightmare with my buddy because of the crowds of strangers standing within close proximity to us, sometimes even pushing and shoving. This does NOT MEAN that you will always be able to skip lines. Sometimes we were guided to a place to wait while others in the party stood in line; we were always taken care of. We did get one person hassling us about "cutting in line". Her loud voice and brusk tone almost started a meltdown. To avoid such people, have your GAC pass handy to show as you pass these jerks and keep on walking. If you wish to explain, have one person stay behind and do so, but KEEP ON MOVING with your child toward your destination. A cast member will understand and never act badly, so don't worry about offending someone that doesn't understand.

5. When using GAC at shows, tell the CM up front what the child's issues are. Typically, you will be led to a small room near the front of the theater. These usually are dimly lit rooms where you can sit on the floor, chill and stay away from the crowds. Every show has one. Make sure the cast member directs you there. At Turtle Talk, we had to tell the cast member that we knew such a room existed, even though she claimed she didn't know about it. When we asked for her superior, he knew and led us right there. We had to wait for two shows to get in, but it was worth it.

6. More on Turtle Talk. The manager asked us about whether or not the boy would want interaction with Crush. We said yes, and Crush talked to him directly. The manager explained, however, that sometimes an autistic kid could freak over this, so he said to make sure to tell him if you didn't want Crush to attempt to interact with the child. Also, the guy with the microphone will know to stay away from that area where you are seated.

7. Get to the park early, when crowds are smallest. You can get on most of the biggies quickly and without the crowds. Use the Unofficial Guide, or TGM touring plan and tour efficiently. Go off season if possible.

8. TAKE THE NAP! TAKE THE NAP! TAKE THE NAP! While such overstimulation might be just what the Dr ordered for some children with these types of issues, it is still overstimulation. Take a long break, AT LEAST two hours actually in the hotel room, every day. You will be thankful for it later.

9. Be careful of the fountains that shoot up from the ground in EPCOT. Your kid will probably love it, but has serious potential for meltdown and tantrum if the kid doesn't want to leave. Trust me on this one!

10. If your kid likes stimulation, try every ride, building up to the biggies. Even TOT was great for this 5 year old.

JUST HAVE FUN!

 

[SueM in MN]

4. GAC!!!! What a life saver. Make sure you have a Dr. note giving specific instructions about what the child can or cannot do. This is especially true if the child has issues with crowds. !

I just wanted to point out that a doctor´s letter is not required and that if you have one, it is possible that the CMs may not want to see it. They are not forbidden to look at it, but since most of the letters are not that helpful, they often don´t look.
Some people do feel more confident asking for a gac if they do have a letter, especially for invisible disabilities. If you do choose to bring one, it should be specifically detailing the needs of the child - saying he can´t wait in line is not helpful at all.
See the disABILITIES FAQs thread GAC information for more details.

 

[emmy]

We have always found the Crayola model magic to be a great sensory tool, it comes in small packages that you can toss in your backpack and open as needed.

Our DS is 10 now and we will still use a stroller for most of the parks. He does great when he has his own space, so we just give him a fan or toy to play with and he enjoys having his "safe space" in the stroller.

A small flashlight to focus on during any anxious moments in rides is great!

Having his own drinks and snacks available for him also helps avoid the meltdowns over not liking anything they sell.

We also like to stay at a timeshare with lots of room and a kitchen to make familiar meals.

 

[3inthefamily]

We got back a few weeks ago from our 2nd trip with our son who has PDD-NOS. He is 4 this year and did MUCH better than last year.

The GAC card is a MUST, as is a stroller. We didnt need the GAC card all of the time due to smaller crowds, so the best advice is to go on an off-peak time! We also used to GAC card to sit in the handicapped section for the parades. We had a great seat and my son was thrilled to get some extra attention from the characters that walked by.

We had a great time at the Coral Reef restaurant, looking at all of the fish in the tank kept hime very busy, as did the tv's in 50's prime time. Otherwise we did buffets, so there was no waiting for food.

We kept his Leapster with us (handheld video game) and he was good enough to ask for it when he needed to zone out. That really saved the day when we did have to wait for food, or fireworks. I really recommend having one, they are for ages 3-10.

 

[stellablue]

I am a special ed teacher and thought I would list some tips from families of my students who have traveled to WDW:

1. GAC cards-they used them as needed and said it definately avoided some potentially tough situations.

2. They have all said that buffets were a lifesaver. Being able to move around, less wait time to eat, easier to control time spent in general.

3. This seems to be a popular one for parents who have children with severe behavior problems and/or children with difficulty communicating:
-Many parents I work with created small cards with a very brief explanation about the child's special needs.
-I know a parent who prepared these cards and gave one to the hostess of a character breakfast. It simply described the child's communication difficulties and behaviors so cast members could make an effort to help the child feel at ease.
-I know another parent who prepared these cards for their child who has severe behavioral issues. They follow a very specific behavior plan. They might give the card to a kind person who might be trying to help (but their help might actually be making it worse). The card just simply alerted the person that their child has some special needs, he is safe and his family is handling it, thank you for your concern and to please not intervene.
-They find it much easier to just give this card as needed, instead of trying to handle their child and people trying to help (or staring) at the same time. They also find that cast members will be sensitive to their needs and it makes their child's experience that much more pleasant.

4. Safety: If you have a child who has a tendency to wander (or lacks safety skills), some parents I know will have their child wear a monitoring devise bracelet that will track the location of the child in case he/she wanders off.

5. Fireworks: Parents tell me they try to choose a viewing location that is close to an access to indoors. In case the noise/lights are too much, they like to be near a quick escape.

6. You tube videos of attractions AND a trip to a local amusement park: Parents swear by these! Don't wait till you get there to find out what does NOT work. The You Tube videos will also help you plan-plan to go to the places he/she seemed to enjoy watching. Bring a PECS book of photos of the attractions you are planning to go to. Separate by park. Go over these with the child prior to heading into that park.


Just some suggestions....

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[disneydeb]

thank you for this thread, my grandson was just diagnosed with aspers, the trip we took in april was a distaster, we went to epcot good friday, many melt downs that day, had reservations for alfredos, only got as far as seating when dgs started yelling, screaming, running around, had to leave didnt even get to order. then being more aware and prepared in sept, went for mnsshp, much better trip, brought 15 glow sticks with me was even giving them out to other children scared on dark rides, when we went epcot, he got 3/4 around and meltdown started, this time we took him to side for 5 minutes and i brought bubbles with me , let him play with them til he was ready to move on, we didnt let him get too hungry, mcdonalds in the parks was a life saver since every meal had to be chicken and french fries, when shopping at dtd, he went in stores til he had enough then we let him play in fountains while i watched him and dd shopped, then dd watched him and i shopped, worked great, we also made some pool time , the life jackets at the pool were a big help for me since i am a non swimmer, dd sunbathed and i took dgs in pool, that was some of my most enjoyable times in the pool. also i made sure we had rental car, and we actually stayed at hilton in lbv across from dtd, for part of trip and pop century, had a better time at pop, i also made sure i had refridgerator in room for milk and snacks, that was a must for our family, next year i am planning dec vacation and cruise, was wondering if anyone did cruise with austistic child? would love hints for that.

 

[Epcot Mom]

We have been many times but only recently learned our son is highly functioning autistic. He has never been able to sit through the Festival of the Lion King (AK) and after giving it another try this week, I finally understand why. Very visual with lights, colors, movements, sound, packed in with crowd after waiting in long line. He had to get right in our face to close his world in and avoid all the stimulation from the show. He made it, but he really had to work hard at it. In the future, one of us will skip it with him and spare the hard work from the 5 year old. Having said that, we play the Illuminations music at home a lot. Each night we watched the show, he seemed to conduct the music, with great details. He was really able to focus on the tiny aspects of the music and he enjoyed the show.

We gave him his own fanny pack so he could carry paper and crayons (for chilling), his autograph book and pen, his pin lanyard if he needed to put it away and his information and where we were staying, just in case. He had full control over it and could get his crayons out whenever he needed them.

The biggest thing is just to let them show you what they need and follow it!
Have fun!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have a grandnephew whose parents found something that works for a (now) 6yo with Autism.

Apparently he was having sensory overload conditions, which were discovered by his covering his ears. His parents bought him a set of Winchester Shooters Sound Earmuffs at a Wal-Mart. When he wears them it cut out the sharp noises and a lot of the surrounding noise. He is still able to hear when people talk to him.

His wearing those cuts down on one of the stimuli and allows him to tolerate others. He has reached a point, when in a park, where he is able to let his parents know when he needs the muffs, and will put them on himself. When thing have calmed down enough for him he will take them off and give them to the parents to hold.

Actually, this past weekend he was able to do three parks in three days without a stroller and with no major meltdowns.

 

[lucigo]

This is an old thread but I just found it and have something to add. If you have a child with hyperlexia (a love for numbers and letters) stay at Pop Century, visit the number statues in the front and the keyboard on the ground by the 90's pool.

Pay attention to your child, what does HE/SHE enjoy? It might not be the same things we do. Make sure to give him his time to enjoy also. My 4yo son didn't care so much for the rides but he absolutely loved sitting in a pile of rocks at a gift shop and picking out the perfect ones to put in a little bag and bring home.

Make a scrapbook for your child when you get home with the things that he enjoyed about the trip so he can share his trip with his teachers/therapists etc. My son can't answer questions like "what did you do at school today" but he was able to look at his book with his speech teacher and tell her POP POP POP!

If you don't want to bring a game boy to the park (I was afraid we would have bad transitions if we brought it) a good alternative for us was a travel sized magnadoodle. He even learned to write BUS and POP.

Get the GAC card, don't be shy!

Bring favorite foods from home to avoid excess stress. For us that meant granola bars, bananas, and Dt. Dr. Pepper!

 

[ireland_nicole]

If dining TS, always get the 1st dinner seating. It's a lot faster, and you can usually get a table in a space that suits your child. It's especially useful at Coral Reef, you can ask for a seat next to the aquarium.

 

[lawlesslovewdw]

One of my tips if you are flying mention prior to leaving to your airline that you have a child with asd and that you would like a private screening room at the airport. Orlando airport was a scene of a huge violent meltdown as adam wouldnt take his shoes off and struggled with the crowds for screening. We are now screened privately with little or no wait

 

[BeckyScott]

Just wanted to add this in- I found it on the Tips board and wanted to share the link in case someone here is interested-
http://www.safekidshaven.com/
sells disposable ID bracelets and also temporary tattoos for autism where you can write your phone number. If your kid won't put up with bracelets or leashes, the tattoos might be a good option.
I've never ordered from them, so don't know how well they last, but it's an idea!

 

[breezy1077]

agree with everything -
one tip though -sounds obvious, but the extra spent on the park hopper option is worth it for anyone traveling with ASD kids.
eg. my son would wake up wanting to go on Buzz's ride and we'd be able to make a quick trip into MK just to ride this one and then we were free to go to whatever park we wanted the rest of the day. It could save you from a whole day of them asking over and over again about one particular attraction(I'm sure parents with ASD kids can relate).

Another tip: umbrella stroller - can also be used to give that hug-like pressure that some kids on the spectrum crave. Also, our son used the "hood" top to pull down over his face whenever he needed to block out the visual sensory input.