Asperger's Son and room availibility

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

I know that sometimes you get to Disney Resort only to find that the room you reserved is not available. I am traveling in July (busy season) to the Contemporary and due to flight schedule we will not arrive at resort until 11pm.
Here's the problem: My 11 yo son who lives with Aspergers Syndrome will not be able to handle any change in hotel plans at the last second. He will be tired and ready to lay down when we arrive and If the room class we reserved (Tower MK view) is not available this could ruin everyone's trip.
I did not even think of it until he started asking if everything is "done" for our trip. He means DONE...no changes, no variation, show him the reservations and let it sink into his head what the room will look like when we get there DONE.
Will the Disney disability line staff be able to help with this or am I just out of luck?
Any advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated. A week full of him obsessing about "the room we were supposed to have" will not be fun for anyone.

[kdtwiss]

will he be ok with differnt photos? Perhaps explaining all the rooms look different and our room may look like this or this or this?
I understand he needs to know - will he accept any variable BEFOREHAND?
I guess I would be as vague as is humanly possible so you have a bit of wiggle room.
I also think you should call the hotel directly. You should have the room you are paying for. Though I know they did some renovations and a photo you may have now, may not be what it looks like when you go.

When we went to POR I can not tell you how many different people I spoke to about needing to have our room as close to pool as possible, as my oldest is autistic and will want to go there constantly. When we checked in there was not one note on our ressie. I say call the Cotemporary, and maybe even concierge and see if they can help be sure you get what you need for your son. Get names from everyone that assists you- then people will understand if they make a promise, and do not hold it up - you will know who they are to be accountable. It is easy to yes someone to death - but if you know they have your name - and will complain (with you named) if there is a problem, not only will you be more likely to get the help you need, but you will not be given false or unrealistically high expectations of what you will get.

[mamacass]

We will be having the same problem - my son will be obsessing about being on the top floor. Someone had suggested calling Disney's Special Services (I'm assuming it deals with special needs) and letting them know what your issues are and maybe they can block a certain room for you. I haven't tried it yet myself but its just a suggestion for you. Good luck!

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

will he be ok with differnt photos? Yes
Perhaps explaining all the rooms look different and our room may look like this or this or this? We showed renovated and not renovated rooms, he's ok with both.
I understand he needs to know - will he accept any variable BEFOREHAND? Not much.
I guess I would be as vague as is humanly possible so you have a bit of wiggle room. The only thing he is focused on is being in the tower and having the view of the magic kingdom.
We will be having the same problem - my son will be obsessing about being on the top floor. Someone had suggested calling Disney's Special Services (I'm assuming it deals with special needs) and letting them know what your issues are and maybe they can block a certain room for you. I haven't tried it yet myself but its just a suggestion for you. Good luck! Good luck to you too, I will post back for you after I call them!!! I hope they can help both of us!

[Schmeck]

Unless you contact Special Services, there's no guarantee of any room, for anyone. Disney has the policy of overbooking, expecting many to cancel plans, etc. About the only thing they guarantee is a room somewhere on property, LOL! It's usually a first come - first serve.

The phone # for Special Services is in one of the stickies at the top of the forum, I think? Call them ASAP! Although, if you are not requesting an accessible room, there might not be anything they can do. Having a certain view doesn't fall under ADA, does it?

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

I just spoke to special services, and besides telling me that I called an internal phone number ( i guess I was supposed to dial the direct 407-wdisney line) they were very nice.
They specified the non-smoking room for ds5 who has asthma.

Then regarding the tower mk view room they said: You have reserved that specific room class. You will not arrive and not have a room available in that class because it is not a request, it is a paid view. It used to be a request that could not be guaranteed but now they charge for it so they can guarantee it. I hope that is true, I am so worried about this.
I remember being 8 and getting to our Disney resort only to be told that the place yas full and they put us up at the Marriott. If I am a typically functioning adult who still remembers being disappointed (25 years later) how will I get through a week with Matt if they are wrong about this?
To schmeck: no I didn't think it was an ADA issue to guarantee a room with a view I just wanted to know if the special services line could help make sure we get the room we paid for due to the inflexible thinking of my son who has a disability.

[Schmeck]

I've seen threads on this board about people not getting the rooms they paid for, even special levels, etc, because Disney overbooked, so I'm glad that you got confirmation through Special Services! Hopefully, you'll be in the system and locked into the room style you want.

I hope I didn't come across as sounding snide about ADA - that's not what I meant. It's just that I know Disney doesn't guarantee much about their rooms, unless it is covered under the ADA. Requests are met if they can, but as long as they give you a room, somewhere on property, then they are covered. I mean, if everyone has paid for that certain level, and Disney overbooks it (because it's their policy to do that) and when you get there all the MK views are filled, they just have to meet ADA requirements, which I don't think has anything to say about a certain view. I think going through Special Services will give you a better chance, but I don't think room view is high on the list of accomodations made. You will not be expected to pay more for a better room, and you should get a refund if your room is not what you reserved.

I hope you get your room, and I hope you have a great trip!

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

I hope I didn't come across as sounding snide about ADA - that's not what I meant.

Thank You for clearing that up!!! I was so worried that you thought I was trying to " use" my son to get the room I wanted. I don't think special services did anything to guarantee us the room, he just said it is guaranteed by having the reservation. I have read a few of the threads you were talking about so I am still a little nervous. He did make a notation that we are arriving late with a special child, so that may or may not help. I didn't think he could do much as far as ADA required help but I was hoping maybe they had some special notation they could make on the reservation to help the check-in CM's not give the room away. KWIM?

I am still new to having a special child so sometimes I say things wrong, I hope no one thinks I want to "get away" with something and that I am not making light of other people's far more serious needs.

[dj2]

maybe you could also call the resort directly to confirm your needs 3 days out, the day before, and even the morning you'll be arriving. it sounds really important, so i think it'd be worth the extra phone calls.

[jennw26]

Disney is awefull with early check ins. Last year I tried to get my son a room and we had to wait 90 minutes. My son spent that time at the Wilderness Lodge screaming and kicking on the floor of the lobby while I was supposed to pick up a customer service phone and say,"Is my room ready yet?".


Two days later we transferred to Embassy Suites at 11:00 am and we were shown immediately to our room.

Embassy is great because you have two rooms with two TV's. That is really nice when you and your kids want to wind down separately after the parks. Breakfast is a snap and free. You just go downstairs.

I also highly recommend L&M car rental and Fairy Godmothers babysitting.

[SueM in MN]

I couldn't get in to reply earlier - could read, but not reply for a while.

Anyway, MK view DID used to be a request, but since everyone requested it, your chance of actually geting it was pretty slim. Most of the resorts have gone to "preferred views" or "preferred location" for just that reason. The people who have paid for it have a reasonable expectation of getting and the ones who have not paid for it are not able to request it.

Since you are getting there late, I would call back and ask them to put a notation on your reservation that says you will be late. That way, they know that you are not a no show and should not give your room away to someone else.
Also, do what dj2 recommended:
maybe you could also call the resort directly to confirm your needs 3 days out, the day before, and even the morning you'll be arriving. it sounds really important, so i think it'd be worth the extra phone calls.
The rooms are actually firmly assigned only a few days before you arrive (that lets them take into account cancellations and rooms out of service for repairs). If your DS is really obsessing about it and would feel better, you can call the resort from a cell phone from the airport for a final check. (My nephew with Aspergers would probably want to do that.)

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

The rooms are actually firmly assigned only a few days before you arrive (that lets them take into account cancellations and rooms out of service for repairs). If your DS is really obsessing about it and would feel better, you can call the resort from a cell phone from the airport for a final check. (My nephew with Aspergers would probably want to do that.)

I will call them in the morning, before we leave the house, as well as 3 or 4 days before we go, That is great advice. Thank you to all of you!

[mamacass]

I finally called special services to see if they could block a room for us on the top floor but said I could only request it, like everyone else. The CM acted like I was bothering her so maybe I'll try back in a few days to see if I have any better luck.

[joanchris]

When we went in October the MK view was still only a request. I was stressing over the possibility that we would not get it, I had some ideas in case we didn't get it.....I figured, since we were checking in on a Saturday, we could take whatever room they had available, and ask if we could change to a MK room when it became available, figuring on Sunday people would be checking out.....
Luckily that didn't happen,and we ended up with the MK view DD10 (and DD6) was expecting.
Maybe that could be something you could mention to your son....that there are other good views and maybe you would have one of them for a night or two.....I know he's expecting the MK view, and since it's paid for you should get it though!
Good luck

[Hannathy]

Why were these children promised any view at all ? I don't understand why it wasn't stressed from the beginning that you couldn't promise anything.

[BCV23]

I finally called special services to see if they could block a room for us on the top floor but said I could only request it, like everyone else. The CM acted like I was bothering her so maybe I'll try back in a few days to see if I have any better luck.

The very top floor is actually California Grill. The top floor of rooms is almost all suites with I think only one regular room but even that is concierge which is lots more money.

So if you want the top floor of rooms, I think you would have to book it like anyone else. In fact, I think it is really hard to get that room from posts I've seen.

[mythreemice]

just a note to hannathy
in my experience when planning anything with a child with an autistic disorder you need to take into account that what the plan is, is what they were counting on. its not a matter of what these children were promised or not promised. the game plan (and sticking to that game plan) is a coping mechanism. it is an essential part of the way in which these children view and interact with their world.
as a parent of a 6 year old boy with an autistic disorder we learned this the hard way when we took him to wdw at age 4. we still had a magical time (it is disney after all) but we approached the trip totally differently when we went again recently.

[mamacass]

We're staying at the Beach Club and my son has autism and OCD - he's not concerned about a view but rather will obsess about numbers and being on the top floor. Thanks for the replies.

[kaytieeldr]

I finally called special services to see if they could block a room for us on the top floor but said I could only request it, like everyone else. The CM acted like I was bothering her so maybe I'll try back in a few days to see if I have any better luck.
I could easily be wrong, but I think the top (residential) floor of the Contemporary is Concierge.

Disney is awefull with early check ins. Last year I tried to get my son a room and we had to wait 90 minutes. My son spent that time at the Wilderness Lodge screaming and kicking on the floor of the lobby while I was supposed to pick up a customer service phone and say,"Is my room ready yet?".
In fairness to the hotel industry as a whole, each property sets a specific check-in time, usually 3 or 4 PM to allow Housekeeping time to clean rooms vacated that day. If being able to access one's room immediately upon arrival is as important as it appears to be in your son's case, it might be best to coordinate arrival time with check-in time. For example, when flying, book flights that arrive early- to mid-afternoon.
It's great that the Embassy Suites happened to have a room available for you when you got there, but it can't reasonably be expected every time one checks into a hotel.

[SueM in MN]

If being able to access one's room immediately upon arrival is as important as it appears to be in your son's case, it might be best to coordinate arrival time with check-in time. For example, when flying, book flights that arrive early- to mid-afternoon.
It's great that the Embassy Suites happened to have a room available for you when you got there, but it can't reasonably be expected every time one checks into a hotel.
I would have to agree with that, especially if you have any other requests that are important to you.....if it is even possible to get an early checkin, you may have to take whatever is available.
If the flight time can't work out to arrive when a room is likely to be available, you might need to work something else out to use up the time.

[BCV23]

I agree. I think WDW is actually much better than a lot of hotels about getting you into your room as soon as it is ready. It's great that you were lucky at the other hotel but it might not happen next time.

I think it works best to not count on your room until checkin time. Arrive later or explain to your child that you will be stopping at the hotel but then going to MK or whatever.

You can call from any park guest service to see if your room is ready or by cell phone of course.

If I had to wait in a lobby for 90 minutes, I'd probably be fussing too. :rotfl:

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Why were these children promised any view at all ? I don't understand why it wasn't stressed from the beginning that you couldn't promise anything.

Hannathy- He is being promised a MK view room beacuse WE PAID FOR THE VIEW!!! We paid for it because it was important to him and we want this trip to be special. Like someone posted above, we have been before and did a lot of things that made his trip difficult, So, we learned from our mistakes.

FYI-I feel like your response was rude, and I am irritated.

To all the helpful respondants- THANK YOU!!!!

[SueM in MN]

Hannathy- He is being promised a MK view room beacuse WE PAID FOR THE VIEW!!! We paid for it because it was important to him and we want this trip to be special. Like someone posted above, we have been before and did a lot of things that made his trip difficult, So, we learned from our mistakes.

FYI-I feel like your response was rude, and I am irritated.

To all the helpful respondants- THANK YOU!!!!
I just want to point out that some posters may not be aware that view is a category that is paid extra for. I know in the past, it was just a request and some people may not be aware that it is not still just a request.

Also (as moderator), I have to point out that sometimes something that wouldn't sound rude in person, might sound rude on the internet because all that is available is the words - not the tone of voice or look on the face that might change the meaning of the words.

[ducklite]

There are 15 floors at the contemporary. The 15th is the California Grill. No guest rooms on that floor.

The 12th & 14th are both concierge levels. There are five or six non-suite rooms on the 14th floor.

(There is no 13th floor)

The 5th-11th floors contain the remainder of the tower guest rooms. Unless you've booked a concierge level room, this is where your room will be, so you might want to ease your son into understanding this now. Perhaps book dinner at the California Grill so he can see the 15th floor.

Floors 1-4 are filled with public areas, shops, restaurants, and meeting rooms.

Anne

[Schmeck]

What I think the OP is worrying about is that they might not get the room they payed for because of a late check-in. At WDW there are all kinds of levels of rooms - at any resort there are preferred buildings, etc. She reserved/paid for a special level of room that they offer at the Contemporary. Her son is fixating on getting that room with a certain view.

What she wants to know is how to make sure that they get the room, and because WDW has the policy of overbooking there is a chance that a late arrival will not get the level or room that they reserved. From what I know of Disney policy, all they have to offer is a refund, or a comparable room. Most people get upgraded to a better room, but not necessarily at the same resort. So there is a chance that they will not get what her son is expecting/fixating on.

Hopefully Special services can help, or making phone calls to the resort a few days and a few hours before arrival will be enough.

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Sue- Thank you for reminding me to be polite. I was really irritated at the insinuation that I am trying to "get" something special. I think that you are right that some do not realize the MK view is now a paid upgrade now and not just a request. I hope you are right about my mis-interpreting "tone" on the posts, because I feel really fired upon by several posts in response to my question. I would love to be wrong on this. :)

Schmeck- WOW, You nailed it exactly. Thank you for clearly stating what I obvioulsy jumbled!!! I am going to be calling and reminding that we are a late arrival and asking them to please hold our room for us.

As I suspected, Special services can not help make sure they hold our room but even they suggested calling closer to arrival, so I will be calling from home the day of our arrival, all I want is the room category I paid in advance for. No free upgrades, no special treatment, no expedited or early check in; we just need the room we booked to be not given away to someone else because of the late evening arrival. That's all. :)

[SueM in MN]

Here's a healthy dusting of pixie dust to help you get the view that you paid for (a pixie dust wish that they not be overbooked).

[Hannathy]

I am sorry you thought I was being rude. My point was I don't think promises should be made to any child that you cannot 100% guarantee. I agree with what the second poster said work on building in some wiggle room.

I also feel that Disney should give you what you paid for not just because you have a special need, I think anyone who pays for a certain room should get it.
I didn't know it was more than a request(now I do)

Good luck on your view I think I would do what others have said about calling a few days early and then I would call several times that day around check in time to keep reminding them.

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Hannathy, thank you for taking the time to respond, sorry I was snappy earlier. The reason Matt knows about the plans for the room is because he needs to know all plans in advance or he can not enjoy himself. Surprises are awful for him. It is part of his disability to obsess about the details.
He has been an integral part of the planning process for this trip and honestly it has been fun seeing him get excited about this trip. I booked the room with him at my side, never thinking that there was a chance we might not get it. The next day Matt was in my room before sunrise asking if we were "really" going (he thought he dreamed it.) Then he asked if we were really going to be able to see the Castle out our window like the picture he saw.
I instantly thought of being 8 years old and getting to the disney hotel we were booked at only to be turned away and sent to the Marriot. They comp'd my parents one night and gave them a great rate but I remember it to this day.
Matt is unable to adjust to big changes in plans, heck- some days he is unable to adjust to different colored underwear. If I had thought it would be such a worry for him I would have just promised the tower, not the view, but that is 20-20 hindsight. Now I have to look forward. I have told him that they will "try" to give us that room but that sometimes things change. He dropped to the floor in the kitchen and just sat there saying "Why? Why if you paid for it? Why woiuld they change it?" This continued for 1/2 an hour.
Matt is not a "normal" child but I love him dearly. I will do my best to get Disney to honor my reservation as booked. Until I get there I will just keep thinking *pixie dust* thoughts and try to keep Matt's obsession from becoming my obsession. KWIM?

[Poohnatic]

I am sorry you thought I was being rude. My point was I don't think promises should be made to any child that you cannot 100% guarantee. I agree with what the second poster said work on building in some wiggle room.



May I say, that as a parent of a 9yo with Asperger's, many times we parents do not promise anything other than a vacation to WDW. Our children tend to fixate and obsess on the most arcane and unusual things and it is not due to anything we as parents have said or promised.

My son will fixate on a certain resort. Which resort can vary, but tell him the Pop is booked, or the Poly is booked when he's insistant that we are staying THERE is not fun.

I completely understand the OPs dilemma and fretting about whether she's going to have a child go through a meltdown to end all meltdowns. When you spend your days wondering what is going to set your child off, when investing so much in a trip, you want to minimize the issues that WILL occur.

Suzanne

[kdtwiss]

Since this is so important - I can not stress enough to call the hotel directly - ask to speak to a manager - ask the manager's name! Write it down. Call again another day - see if there is a different manager- speak to that manager. I spent so much time and energy calling special services, discussing our needs (granted these were not paid for requests- simple location things) and when we arrived there was not ONE thing documented in the resort's computer. Nothing - I was talking to myself!
Getting names and making the person aware you are writing down their name (thank you so much for your help Mr. Smith, we are so looking forward to our trip) will let them know they will be accountable (not just some nameless manager you spoke to on the phone) if something goes wrong. Let them know you will be checking in late. Call the morning of your check in as well, ask who will be on duty that evening as manager. Always be thankful and courteous of course - but call untill you feel comfortable!

[D'AngelosdoDisney]

Tinker Shell Bell... when i read your origional post, i stopped everything and read it to my husband. I also have an Aspergers son who is 7 and can relate all too well to what you mean about ruining everyones vacation. Once my son is told something, he cant let go of it and if it is wrong, then is someones fault and we will all pay. Please ingnore all the ignorrant posts about why he was told the plans because i truly understand your life. What I try to do is avoid saying anything until the very last min. so that we can have some peace.. Bless you and your family... Eileen ;)

[tmli]

No advice just some well wishes and Pixie Dust. My ds (9) is ASD as well...I understand exactly why you are concerned.

[wannabe]

Hi Tinker: Our DS with Asperger's is 17 so we know exactly where your coming from. I found your post because I started a thread about our upcoming vacation at BW which we booked in August but didn't tell my DS until x-mas (his present). We have the room and flight but now are having a hard time coming up with his theme park passes. Oil prices have drained us this winter. I know what you mean about the obsessing. He is so afraid he can't go to the theme parks every day that it is interferring with school. I just wanted to let you know that we are thinking about you and hoping everything works out. Fortunately, our son is on meds that control his anger (he used to get very abusive towards me), now if only there was something for the obsessing. He is totally mobile and speaks very clearly but lacks in social and communication skills with peers. He loves WDW because there can tell he has difficulities. Every morning he asks how many more days. We'll be there 3/5/06 to 3/13/06!!!

We are also from Maine; outside of Bangor. What part are you from?

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Thank you for your supportive posts and for sharing your childrens stories. I am touched that you posted and the support was at just the right time. We just found out that DHS made a paperwork error and Matt's insurance is cancelled. Of course it "couldn't" be their fault so there is nothing to do but reapply, which takes months. Coming on and finding others experience similar difficulties with their children and that I am not crazy (ok, maybe a little) was a really good feeling.

Wannabe- Have you checked the budget boards for any discount ideas? AAA saved me $350 which will be $50 to the AAA annual fee and $300 to my trip budget. There are some discounts available on tickets too. I have a military ticket rate but there are others out there. Check out www.mousesavers.com and www.allearsnet.com to see if any discounts are for your time. I would be glad to help you look, PM me if I can help. I spend too many hours at a computer and would be glad to help you "find" the money for the tickets. Is it just the 3 of you traveling?

Oh, and we are in Bath, Maine. Just two hours south of you. We'll be up closer in July, we have a week at a camp in the Messalonske lake area.

[D'AngelosdoDisney]

Hi, just wanted to share that my son is currently in his first hopitalization this week. Monday is his birthday and he was off the wall last night. When we got there, the kids at the hospital got to go to the gym and he cried for another half hour how he missed the gym because his family was there to visit him. Today I gave him the option of me coming to visit or going to the gym, called him this morning and he told me to visit him over the weekend because he wanted to go to the gym... I guess this is good progress because he was in great spirits when i spoke to him. Will be there all weekend with the exception of gym time. On Monday I will be bringing his favorite game... Disney Trivia so that he can beat us all... and he really does.. the adult catagory!.....Listening to parents of older Aspergers kids, I see where our life is heading... still having a hard time dealing with this...He is so smart, outgoing and affectionate... when he doesn't hate me, want to kill everyone and "get mad". Can you relate? :(

[Dina]

Tinker Shell Bell, I have no advice-- but I can so relate. My 5yo has Aspergers, and focuses on the Star Wars Arcade game in the Arcade (it was in Caribbean Beach last time we are there). This time we are going to stay at Wilderness Lodge-- and I am so worried they won't have the Star Wars game. Good Luck. I bet if you called the Contemporary and explained your situation they would make sure you got the view you paid for. Tell them you'll have a late arrival. Good Luck!!

[Tinkwantabe]

Was wondering if there are ways to prepare for the long days at the parks. HOw about the long lines - how do you deal with that. I have read about the flexpass but I am concerned that he will become upset if we dont go on a ride he is planning to go on?

I too am having concerns as I booked the poly as was told could have a microwave in the room - now told that can only WL for it. My son will not eat anything at the park so I have to bring his meals and need to prepare them... This is really frustrating and when you call the hotel they act like your asking for the moon.



thanks in advance

barb

[disneyelaine]

To Tinker Shell.... I would hope you get your MK view as you reserved it and paid for that view. As others said, call that day to verify. We just returned with our 2 boys, 9 yr old has ASD and had the MK view. We were on floor 11 and it was not the renovated room, but we did not mind as we had never stayed there. We were able to get in our room at 11am, so that was way early and we were very thankful! Also on our last day, we were able to get a late check out, but had to pay for half a day. Expensive, but with our son & a late flight we felt it best.

DangelosdoDisney....I CAN relate & my heart goes out to you re your son & hospitalization. I hate to pry, but can you elaborate on how bad his behaviors are/were? We are having a huge bad time right now with rages, tempers, throwing things at school, etc....My 9 yr old is not hurting himself, but I can see him hurting others if given the chance. It is going downhill fast it seems & even though we tried to escape to Disney last week, you can't escape the behaviors, if you know what I mean. We are in the process of starting medication, but as he has never been on any, I am scared. How is your son handling it now? Being away from home? How long will he be in? Again I am sorry if I am prying. I just worry this is my son's path.

[Tinkwantabe]

I dont mean to pry into your conversation but as mother of a Aspie child who has been on medication now for 2 years - oh my what a difference...

We just upped the medication since he is growing and gaining weight and the dosage he was on was not doing anything anymore but now he is great..

My son is on Fluoxitine... generic prozac and I have had no problems at all...

Give it about a month and you will start to see changes in your sons behavior - problems still occur but the outburts and all have so much improved. Biggest challanges now are changes and social skills..

Much luck to you... In my prayers

barb
:love:

[beckmrk04]

I have no advice, or experience.... I just wanted to say I happened upon this thread and I knew nothing about Asperger's, but now I feel a little more educated, at any rate. Thanks for teaching me something today! I sincerely hope that the Magic of Disney pulls through and everything works out!!

For every other parent who is struggling- :grouphug: Your kids are lucky!

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

D'AngelosdoDisney- I am sorry you are going through a rough spot with your son and hope that they are able to help him work through some of the anger. I did get a smile from the Trivia he always wins. Matt is a walking trivia game, who needs Trivial Persuit? I just say I have my own - Matthew.

Dina- I soooooo get what you said about the video game. Matt was freaking out last night at the restaurant because they didn't have the ice creal he always eats. He felt like they should have posted a big sign on the door so he could not eat there if he couldn't have HIS flavor.

Tinkwantabe- My son has been to quite a few smaller amusement parks in his life so he is good about lines and waiting until later for a ride. If not I would be in a total PANIC! Thankfully we did ADR's for dinner...that's the one thing he won't wait for. This is my son who likes to go to the grocery store with me because "It smells good." (yes, he said that to me.)

beckmrk04- I am so glad you found us! Aspies (people with Aspergers) are fun and amazing people. Difficult on the best of days but what's life without challenge? Matt makes me smile. It's a simple sentence but it's complete to me, I just "GET" him. I wish more people would learn a little more and get to know the Matt under the issues. You just made me think that there is hope!! THANK YOU!!! (Can you seen the tears in my eyes? I'm such a sap!)

Wow, I babble.... :) I'm so excited to be going to Disney again!!!

[TandyR]

Thank you for your supportive posts and for sharing your childrens stories. I am touched that you posted and the support was at just the right time. We just found out that DHS made a paperwork error and Matt's insurance is cancelled. Of course it "couldn't" be their fault so there is nothing to do but reapply, which takes months. Coming on and finding others experience similar difficulties with their children and that I am not crazy (ok, maybe a little) was a really good feeling.


I don't have any help for the room or anything like that. I just wanted to say that I am from Maine also and I have heard horror stories about DHS "losing" paperwork and cancelling insurance. (I work for the Bruce Roberts Toy Fund so I hear a lot about DHS.) They never admit that they made the error. I hope that it is taken care of quickly and I will keep your family in my thoughts for your insurance and so you get the perfect room at Disney. :)

[Poohnatic]

I had no idea there were so many Aspie parents on the DIS!

We're waiting for a social skills group to have an opening. It's such a struggle right now with my son. He's gained 15 pounds and 5 inches in the past six months and I am reaching the point that I can not physically restrain him in meltdown mode.

We're heading for a med change or increase. He's been on the same doses for almost 2 years and we can see the efficacy dropping with each passing month. Poor guy-he's inherited my quirky medication reactions.

Suzanne

[D'AngelosdoDisney]

Hi all, sorry I haven't gotten back to all of you in a few days. As you can imagine it has been very hetitic around here. My son is still in the hospital and is still having a hard time. He was placed on seraquel?? sp.. and his dose has been doubled since he has been there. He was given thorozin for the first three days just because his outburst were so bad, hurting himself, throwing things, going after other kids. At this point, he is having a very hard time being away from home and is crying every nite over the phone. He does well as long as we are there and when he thinks we are going to leave he cry about wanting to come home. This morning I called to speak with him and he was in the time out room. He had punched another kid in the face because he got blood tests and he was mad.

disneyelaine: How you speak about your child is exactly what my son does. He is violent, throws things, goes after kids and will hurt himself if he does not get his way. He gets very stuck on things and cant get past them. He needs to have control and be first at all times. God bless you and your family. If there is anything that I can help you with please let me know. I understand how you feel.. Gio was suspended twice in kindergarten ... he is now in first grade and can not go back to main stream school... Eileen

[D'AngelosdoDisney]

Hi again, have i mentioned that if you look at my son, talk to him or hang with him for a short period of time...... he looks and acts normal.. my friends are all amazed at what he is going through... just alittle fyi. . Eileen

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Hi again, have i mentioned that if you look at my son, talk to him or hang with him for a short period of time...... he looks and acts normal.. my friends are all amazed at what he is going through... just alittle fyi. . Eileen

That is what makes Asperger's so hard for many people to understand. Even my mom has a hard time understanding Matthew's varied needs. He just looks so NORMAL. (whatever normal means) He is so smart in about some things but struggles so much in other ways. He's an amazing kid most of the time, but then he melts down and it is awful!
:crazy2: <~me when he's having a bad day

[Earstou]

Yes, these kids can look normal! I had two friends argue with me and tell me my son was NOT Aspergers. One was a teacher (reading specialist) and one was an aide to an aspie child! I never did convince the teacher friend (she has since moved). My other friend started asking me questions every time I saw her (such as does he remove his shoes as soon as he walks in the door after school? YES! I hadn't realized the connection!!) She was finally convinced, but it was only because of her experience with another aspie child.

[D'AngelosdoDisney]

:crazy2: :eek: :sick: this is how i feel when this goes on........... Hi again, Gio is still in the hospital. May get out sometime next week. pixiedust: But not looking forward to dealing with this life again. He was so wonderful today when I was there.. so calm, so collected... punched someone in the face yesterday and had a melt down today because he wants to go home... School is giving me a hard time because they want to send him to boces. I want them to send him to a private special school.. why does he look so normal and have such problems???? This is so hard and im glad that I found others who can relate to my frustration and pain... Eileen :wave:

[mamacass]

My son too is on fluoxetine and it has made such a huge difference. Its been three years now and he continues to thrive. Puberty is just around the corner so I wonder if that will throw a wrench in the works?

[SueM in MN]

I don't know if any of you saw this episode of the PBS show called Nova (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3204/01.html) when it aired in January 2005, but I thought it was very interesting. You can watch a 14 minute clip about the "mirror neurons" in the brain.
Kind of the short explanation is that the mirror neurons are connected with learning from what we see others do and understanding facial expressions in others. One theory is that people on the autism spectrum have a mirror neuron system that works differently than people without autism and that they are not able to effectively interpret and use what they see.

There was also a program about how the brain works a few years ago that was hosted by Alan Alda. It had one really interesting sequence where he talked with a college age man with autism who talked about his difficulty with reading facial cues and how he watches other people in social situations to figure out how to act and what emotion the other people were probably experiencing. He talked about how he was working to correctly identify facial expressions. Alan Alda did some facial expressions for him and the young man guessed the emotion and explained how he had gotten to his guess. That part was really interesting.

[Earstou]

Puberty is just around the corner so I wonder if that will throw a wrench in the works?I'm wondering if puberty is causing the problems we've been having lately :scared: DS took off in a store tonight because he was mad at us. DH had to walk the store to find him, he was hiding behind the shelves avoiding DH. Jesh, I thought we were done with that type of behavior years ago!
He also has had problems in school lately, behavior wise and homework wise.

[4aspies]

We have a child with Asperger's that has similar issues. We have taken him to WDW many times, because it is one place where he can have many positive experiences. That being said, it can also be completely overwhelming, and not one of our trips have been "meltdown" free. Over the years we have gotten better at the pre-trip planning and preparation. We use storyboards, lots of pictures, daily schedules, etc to let him know what to expect. He looks forward to the trips. We ,as the family, try to get all the details nailed down. Rides, he was expecting, closed for renovation at the time of a visit, can be a big disappoinment. So, we check and double check, hope for the best, prepare for the worst (a meltdown) and have a crisis plan in place that the adults agree to before hand. We have found that with our guy, if we, as the adults, remain in control of the situation and calm, it helps to keep his anxiety in check. We have found that a DVD player with his favorites movies, a set of earphones, etc. can keep him in a "bubble" during transitions and check-in times, especially when he is tired. He uses these things to "destress". It might be useful for you to have available the calming strategies prior to checkin in case the process is prolonged.

[msklcassidy]

I came across this thread and read it from beginning to end. I have a 7 (nearly 8) year old son who has a few mild health issues; certainly none as serious as what you all are dealing with (and dealing with so effectively)! It is truly humbling to this mom. You all speak glowingly of your special children - focusing on the positive and planning so well - your kids are so very lucky to have you.

Thanks for letting me take a peek. Wishing you all the best,

Karen

[SueM in MN]

I came across this thread and read it from beginning to end. I have a 7 (nearly 8) year old son who has a few mild health issues; certainly none as serious as what you all are dealing with (and dealing with so effectively)! It is truly humbling to this mom. You all speak glowingly of your special children - focusing on the positive and planning so well - your kids are so very lucky to have you.

Thanks for letting me take a peek. Wishing you all the best,

Karen
Thank you for your kind words.
We always like to have people visit our little corner of the world and hope that their trip is pleasant.

[joycmc]

Hello all,
I have not posted in quite while but this thread caught my eye!
I have a soon to be 14 yr old Aspie!He has now developed Epilepsy and Tic disorder,so I understand and feel for all posters.

If you already have this info please disregard but nobody has mentioned it-
On all our trips since 1999-we have gotten a special assistance pass-
we ask the Md or school to give us letter stating K's issues and needs,bring it to guest services in First park we go to an they give us a pass to show cast members to help with line waits.Since fast pass, they usually direct us to that line-It considerably reduces wait time also in shows we have gotten some good seats.Helps so much-K is a pacer-so this way we avoid him banging into people-K doesn't rage but breaks down with huge tears it breaks my heart!!

Again if you have info sory for repeat!
have a great time !
we will be there in 6weeks and 3 days but who is counting.Lol

joy