WDW with an autistic child

[colormouse]

Hi...
We are DVC members and are taking my sisters family to WDW next June. My 11 year old nephew is autistic. I was wondering if anyone has taken an autistic child to any of the DVC resorts and which ones they recommend? We were thinking of BCV or OKW but are open to any DVC resorts. Has anyone ever had a transportation problem. He may not do too well with a really long ride on a crowded bus with many stops. The only bus he ever has taken is from his house to school and back, without many stops. He loves to swim so I think a good pool may be important, but then I think, maybe OKW is more quiet and more family oriented and may be a better choice, but I hear the transportation is not so good. I stayed at POR 2 years ago and we had many stops at the two hotels and had to sometimes wait 45 minutes for a bus. This will not be good idea for him. Any helpful advice you may have on this I greatly appreciate. This will be my sister and her familys first trip to WDW so I really want it to be the best vacation possible.

Thanks in advance

Colormouse

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.
First of all, here is a website with lots of info about touring WDW with children with autism. It's a good starting point. Feel free to ask whatever questions you can think of on this board. There are many posters who have experience that would be helpful to you.

We are members of DVC (OKW is our home resort), but we have stayed at VWL, BCV, BWV and at PO and CBR.
Transportation:One thing to think about is which park they will likely spend the most time at and how easy it will be to get to that park.
BC and BWV are walking distance (not a real short walk, but do-able) or you can take a boat to Epcot and the Studio. Anyplace else, you need to take a bus. When we stayed at BC in July, the buses to go to the other parks were packed. They were packed enough that we had to stand every time we went on one. Unless things have changed since last July, all the Epcot resorts share one bus and BC was the last stop. A longer, but less busy way to get to MK is to enter Epcot thru the WS, walk thru Epcot and then take the monorail to the TTC, then another monorail to MK.
OKW has bus transportation to all the parks, but since so many people have their own cars, the buses are not usually full. The bus does make a number of stops before getting out of OKW, but unless you stay at one of the deluxe resorts that has only one bus stop, you can't avoid that (and some of the deluxes share buses). OKW is very close to Epcot - once you leave the OKW complex, you will be getting off the bus at Epcot in about 7 minutes. MK takes longer, but is about 15 minutes from when you leave the OKW driveway. We think the transportation from OKW is some of the best of all the resorts. The only thing negative is that there is no walking to any of the parks.
WLV has boat transportation to MK. When we stayed there, it was 7-8 minutes from the time the boat left the dock at WL until it docked at MK. But, sometimes the boat is shared with FW campgrounds. If it has to stop there, that made the dock to dock trip about 15 minutes. We didn't use the buses, but to get to the other parks, there is bus service - one stop.
If you think you might be spending more time at MK, one of the monorail resorts might be a better choice (although its hard to tell if he will like the monorails or not). It is possible to walk to MK from the Contemporary or GF (a kind of far walk though from GF). Epcot is a monorail transfer away. To get to the other parks parks, you go to TTC and take a bus from there.
Pools:
OKW's main pool is being renovated, so only the Turtle Creek pool and the quiet pools will be available until New Years. The quiet pools are nice. I don't know how quiet they will be with the main pool closed, but the main pool has never been so totally busy at OKW that you couldn't find a spot to sit when we were there.
BC has a quiet pool for the BCV, but the main pool is SAB. SAB is a very busy, usually crowded, large and stimulating environment. I think it would be very easy to "lose" someone in that area. All the pool areas are connected, so it's easy to move from one pool area to another. Because it's really big, there's no place to sit and have a view of the whole pool area. Some of the feature areas, like the slide area and the lazy river area have deep water. It would not be my choice of a good pool for someone with special needs.
I don't know if BW has a quiet pool or not. The main pool has a slide where you come out of the clown's mouth. I don't know if that would be an issue for you nephew, but I know that my DD (who is not autistic, but has some issues with appearnces of things) is very much bothered by that clown.
WL has a quiet pool which was nice, but the main pool was way to busy to use when we stayed there.
Atmosphere: OKW is the quietest and has a homey, residential feeling. The rooms at OKW are significantly larger than the other resorts, which might be a big plus in your situation. The outside porch on a one or two bedroom room at OKW has a railing even on the first floor (the other resorts have a patio on the first floor). The OKW porches are large enough for a table and 4 chairs; you could eat out there if you wanted. At the other resorts, the porch is narrow and usually has room for the chairs to face out and has a small end table for the chairs to share.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I have an autistic DS (5 years old). He has been two times and has loved it. We did not stay in DVC. We had a courtyard view in WL the first time. He absolutely loved WL, espcially the boat ride to MK and the pond in the hotel lobby! Last year we stayed at Poly. He loved their pool and monorail. I don't think that's a DVC though. Whatever you decide, remember that autistic kids can get over stimulated very easy. Make sure you have plenty of breaks from the crowds!

 

[Schmeck]

If the bus ride might be too stressful, how about renting a car? Do DVC members get free parking at the parks?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Anyone staying at one of the Disney Resorts, including SoG and the Swolphin, get free parking at the parks. I'm not sure about the "independent" hotels in the DTD area. Being a DVC member as such does not get you the free parking; staying at the Resort does.

This will eliminate the crowded lines and buses. For MK you will park at the TTC, and I would suggest using the ferry boats rather than the monorail. (I have heard that water has a calming effect on many autistic children.)

 

[s&k'smom]

Hi I just wanted to say you will have a fantastic time. There are lots of past posts on taking our autistic children to WDW. My only advise is to take breaks during the day. (Of course that's good for everyone!!) we did that with our DS and spent an hour or two by the pool everyday and it made a big difference. By the way he loved it and we plan to go again in October.

 

[gritzel4]

We are going next month with our DS 6 and DD 4. DS is autistic and loves WDW. We will be staying at SSR and were concerned about the fireworks from DTD - we requested a quiet section on the 2nd floor or higher. DS will try to escape from the 1st floor patio. I will post a report here when we return. If you have a car, OKW sounds like the best choice. Less visually stimulating, much quieter resort and bigger rooms.

If your nephew is "into" trains he will love the monorail and steam train. There is also a Behind the Steam Trains tour offered at MK for people 10 and up. You enter MK before park hours and get to watch the safety checks performed on the train. DVC members receive a discount.

Best of luck planning your trip.