Son w/ Down Syndrome at WDW

[tavery]

Hi. We will be going to WDW the first week of Aug and staying in AKL. I have 3 daughters....ages 15,11 and 9 and my DS w/ down syndrome who is 5 but is devolopmentally about 2....non verbal except for DADA, no no, nana (can mean mommy or banana). His comprehension is at about a young 2 yr level. He is quite ambulatory....weighes 43 lbs and is cute as can be...blond, blue eyes and spoiled rotten. He does have sensory issues.....ie wigs out at tumbling (when my dds go) or in the waiting rm of the orthodontist....other times he is fine.....most resturants he behaves like a typical 2 yr old.
We are looking at buying a stroller that will go up to 50 lbs as I know that his endurance is low and it will also help contain him. He has never been on an airplane before and we are nervous about that. We luckily do have direct flights arranged. Any advice????? He does not like crowds also.

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.
I don't have a lot of time right now to make a long post, but just wanted to get you started.
Your son would benefit ffrom a GAC (Guest Assistance Card). If you do a search on this board using either one of those terms, you will find a lot of information.
Basically, a GAC is a tool to let CMs (Cast Members) know what sorts of special assistance or accomidation you need. In your case, it would be helpful to you to be able to bring your son't stroller into lines and have it treated as a wheelchair. That way, he has a "safe haven" in line with him and he will probably be a lot more comfortable.
To get a GAC, take your son with you to Guest Services/Relations in any of the parks and explain his needs to the CM there. They will issue a GAC to him basd on his needs.

 

[SandrainNC]

Hi!! We took our son for his first trip this past November/December. He was almost 4 at the time and has Down syndrome. The stroller is definitely a must. Even though he doesn't have endurance issues, it was a life saver to keep up with him and it would have been too much walking for him anyway. Plus, he was able to nap in the stroller if he got too tired. My son also doesn't mind crowds so we didn't need the GAC. But like SueM said, if you don't get that GAC, you won't be able to take your stroller in any lines or shows, so it is probably a good idea for your son. My sweety did really well considering how much on the go you are. We had planned on going back to the room for naps if we needed to (even though we stayed off property), but he just fell asleep in the stroller. We would find a quiet spot and take turns watching him while the other adults road some things that he couldn't ride anyway.

One thing we did learn is that my son did not like 1) fake smoke, 2) fire and 3) water splashed in his face. You don't realize how many things have these effects until you are in them and your child is having a fit. A lot of the 3D shows have a little water hitting you in the face. Fantastmic has that big fire. My son freaked out! Even the Spectromagic parade has the fake smoking coming out of the float that Mickey is on. And we were right on the curb. But, now we know for our next trip to avoid these things or at least stand back where the smoke won't get near him.

We drove down, so I don't have any advice on flying.

Sorry I couldn't offer more help. Sandra

 

[SueM in MN]

I finished a project I was working on, so I have more time to reply (I was reading posts, but it was very frustrating to not have time to reply).
So, here's more advice.

He has never been on an airplane before and we are nervous about that. We luckily do have direct flights arranged. Any advice????? He does not like crowds also.

Even though he's pretty much non-verbal, even a child at a 2 year level usually does quite well with pictures. You might want to check at the library and see if they have any books about airplane travel. I doubt if it's still in print, but there was a Mr. Roger's book about travel by airplane that had a lot of pictures. If you have traveled before, you could probably come up with your own simple travel story book for your son. Just think of the process from getting to the airport on. You can probably find some pictures on the internet that you could use. Prepare him for walking thru the security scanner; they will make him walk thru alone. You can have one member of your family walk thru ahead of him and encourage him to walk thru to them.
For the plane trip, pack a small carry on with snacks, toys, books, etc, whatever it is he likes. A few small new toys helps too. If you go on the Family Board, you might be able to find some helpful hints on travel with toddlers. If you get the bulkhead seats (the ones right behind First Class), you won't have anyone right ahead of you. One thing to think about though is that the bulkhead seats often have nowhere to put anything because you don't have a seat in front of you to store anything under.

For getting ready for the parks, there are a couple of Disney sing-a-long videos that he might like which show Disney parks. One good thing about them is that they show how big the characters are. That's something kids are usually not well prepared for.
Flik's Musical Adventure shows AK
Disneyland Fun is at Disneyland, but a lot of the rides/attractions are the same.
I did check on Amazon.com and these videos are still available.

Here's a
good website with information about touring the parks with kids who have sensory issues.