Autistic Child

[coruth4]

I am going to Disney for the first time with my three kids in July. :flower: My middle son is borderline high functioning autistic and my daughter has a yet undiagnosed metobolic disorder. Any suggestions from anyone else who has gone with children with similar disorders?
I am not concerned - but looking for some handy tips that will make the experience even better for my kids (all three)!
Thanks!

[Figment1964]

I am going to Disney for the first time with my three kids in July. :flower: My middle son is borderline high functioning autistic and my daughter has a yet undiagnosed metobolic disorder. Any suggestions from anyone else who has gone with children with similar disorders?
I am not concerned - but looking for some handy tips that will make the experience even better for my kids (all three)!
Thanks!

How old are your children? My son is 11½ with Asperger's Syndrome and we've gone numerous times. What kinds of things are you wanting to know about? I'd be happy to share my experiences!

[CarolDel]

My lads are 11, 12 & 13 - (my eldest is aspergic) - what we found was the best thing we did was having a visual schedule which they each had a copy of - with places we were doing each day - ( with a disclaimer that it did not mean that it was set in stone for reach day) & I had the names of the main attractions for each park & colour coded it so they could see if it was say a 3d, coaster, simulater ride etc. -

Then when we were driving to the park or wherever we were going for the day on the drive there I would do a little like tour guide talk of what the park had & a bit of a reminder.

This worked really well for us & took a lot of the anxiety away and meant that the only thing my aspie lad really worried about was if the characters were going to come anywhere near him so he could run a mile in the opposite direction :crazy:

hth - I know it may sound like a bit of work - but it really paid off in spades :)

Carol

[riu girl]

The only advice I can offer is:

1. Get to the parks at opening if possible (and avoid EMH mornings). We were there the week before Christmas and the first couple of hours were pretty quiet.
2. Also, have a general basic knowledge of the layout of the parks. It makes a big difference getting around. IMHO, the parks are very nicely laid out and easy to get around.

Have a Wonderful holiday.
Suzy V.

[SueM in MN]

Here's a good website (http://www.pixiedustinn.com) with information for sensitive kids or people on the autism spectrum.
Also, if you are either looking for or want to avoid the characters, you may be able to get a schedule from Guest Services telling where they will be appearing and when.

[Nik's Mom]

Welcome! You came to the right place. We have a nice group of Parents of ASD children here. My 6 year old ds has high functioning autism. I agree with riu girl. Get to the parks early, and I'd head back to the hotel for an afternoon break. I'd also avoid fireworks if your child is sensitive to loud noises. If you child is young enough, be sure to use a stroller. It's a great little hide-away when they need their own sanctuary from the crowd.
We prepared our ds for the day by letting him know what we were going to do, and gave plenty of warning when we were going to leave the park. This helped avoid meltdowns. Have a great trip! :flower:

[CarolDel]

what we found about getting to the parks early was that because of the sensory overload - my aspie lad needed a bit of time each morning before we went to "prepare" himself - he did cope when we got there - but we found that we had to go at his pace & sometimes this meant not setting off till a bit later - so where it is good to get to the parks early - it's not always possible ( well for us anyway) - I think the key thing is to be relaxed and just go with the flow

i don't know what age your middle son is - maybe this has something to do with ot getting to the parks early - ( or maybe it was just us ;)) :crazy:

hth

Carol

[coruth4]

Thanks everyone for responding! My son is 9yrs old, my daughter is 7 1/2 yrs old and my oldet will be 11 yrs old while we are there. I have made a calendar for my middle one to show him where we are each day. We are driving down from NH, so it will take a coupl eof days. I know he is going to think that once we get in the car we are going straight there.
And since I booked this trip a year ago - he has been studying the park maps for a whole year. He watches the planning videos that you can order and already is pretty aware of the ride options. I also put together an activity book for each of them and included lots and lots of pictures of the things he will be seeing since he has never been there.
My plan is to get to the parks at opening (avoiding EMH) and taking afternoon breaks to nap and/or pool. He isn't too affected by fireworks - but we have a Wishes cruise booked that I am hoping will reduce some of the louder noises? Course I have never been to Disney myself - so it will be a learning experience for all of us.
My biggest goal to relax! Not push anyone to make sure we see everything! I have a feeling that slowing myself down will be the hardest thing! I don't think I have been ever more excited about something than I am about being able to bring my kids to Disney!

[mrstbalt]

We are traveling with our 4.5yr old and our 3.5yr old, whom has PDD. We picked up an unofficial guide to Disney and also sent an email to customer service about special needs. You can get a written note from your childs doctor..the example said to mention what the child has been diagnosed with and explain a little like if there are sensory issues and please ask to make any accomodations to help this child and family. Take it to guest relations and request a Guest Assistance Card. The book is called the Unofficial Guide to WDW 2005 by Bob Sehlinger. If not go to waltdisneyworld web site and email customer service about this. I found it to be helpful, I hope it will work. We are going in September. Hope all goes well

Has anyone out there received a Guest Assistance card and if so how was it?

[Cheshire Figment]

You can get a written note from your childs doctor..the example said to mention what the child has been diagnosed with and explain a little like if there are sensory issues and please ask to make any accomodations to help this child and family.
As you said, you got this from an unofficial guide. That information is totally wrong!

First of all, a note is not required and many CMs don't even want to look at a doctor's note.

Second, a diagnoses does not say what the needs are. Different people with the same diagnoses (such as "high functioning autism") probably will have different needs.

Third, again asking to make any accomodation is vague und useless.

If you review many of the other threads concerning GACs You will find that you have to let Guest Services know what the needs are. I will not attempt to cover that here, but suggest you read several of the threads in this forum concerning autism and GACs; they should be able to answer most of your questions.

[mrstbalt]

I also got an email from WDW concering this issue and they pretty much said the same thing about how to obtain the pass. Unless I missed it, I have not read about anyone that has obtained the pass. I am going by what I have read and what Guest Relations/Customer Service emailed me!!

[Figment1964]

I also got an email from WDW concering this issue and they pretty much said the same thing about how to obtain the pass. Unless I missed it, I have not read about anyone that has obtained the pass. I am going by what I have read and what Guest Relations/Customer Service emailed me!!
There are lots of us on here that have used the GAC's many times and lots of threads about them. If a search of "Guest Assistance Card" doesn't bring them up, you can always search with "GAC". That should do it for you. :sunny:

We've gotten a GAC numerous times and have never used, or needed or been asked for, a doctors note. The ADA makes it so they cannot require one and like a previous poster mentioned people with the same diagnosis can have very different needs so it really isn't that helpful to a CM anyway.

What you'll need to do is to be able to explain to the CM at Guest Relations what your child's needs are. You must have your child with you when you make the request.

We use the pass as needed, more like insurance should he need it. It has been tremendously helpful for our son, who has Asperger's Syndrome. I won't go into the accomodations given to him here since there have been people who've used info on this site to request GAC's when they didn't need them.

I hope that helps! Have a great trip. Feel free to PM me if you have other questions, or post here and lots of us can probably give you an answer!

:flower:

[s&k'smom]

We too got a GAC but never used it the last trip, it helped the DS wouldn't go on any rides but it was nice to have. We too had a schedule and took at least two hour breaks if not longer in the afternoon. The pool was a great motivator, like after lunch we can go swimming then we go out again. We also let our plans bend when we needed to especially if we found something he liked and went back to it instead of "sticking" to the schedule. Yeah we had a melt down or two but that happens to all kinds of kids there. Have a great trip.

[SueM in MN]

The unofficial guide and allearsnet.com have the same information, but it isn't correct. The example letter that they give doesn't really have any information in it that will be helpful to let the CMs at Guest Services know what the needs are. I have actually been at Guest Services behind people who presented those sorts of letters to the CMs and then were upset when the CM asked questions about their needs. Usually (as was already mentioned), the CMs don't even want to read them. When they do look at them, the guest still needs to explain what sorts of accomidations would be helpful - for example, what sorts of sensory issues does the person have?
Is the issue with crowds or closeness and maybe you need a quieter place or is there a problem with noise and so you want to be seated far from the stage for shows that might be noisy?

The GAC is not a PASS, it is a Guest Assistance Card, which is a tool to let CMs know what sorts/types of assistance is needed.
The GAC is not given based on the diagnosis, it's based on the needs that you explain to the CMs at Guest Services. People with the same diagnosis can have very different needs and their GACs will be different, based on those needs. I'll use my DD's main diagnosis, Cerebral Palsy (CP), and different people we know with CP as an example.
[list] Person 1 with CP might have weakness in one side that makes going up/down stairs difficult and might have difficulty with the moving walkways, but they may not need to use a wheelchair. They might need accomidation of being able to avoid stairs and be able to use the wheelchair entrance (which often doesn't make the wait any shorter) so that the moving walkway can be slowed or stopped for them or they can have more time for boarding.
Person 2 with CP has a power wheelchair and just needs to use the accessible lines because that's all that is needed. Person 2 would not need a GAC.
Person 3 with CP uses a power wheelchair and has ADD, seizures and other disabilities that make waiting in line with other people difficult. They would need different accomidations (like a quieter place to wait).
Person 4 with CP uses a power wheelchair and drives it with a head control, which makes it difficult to to make sharp turns that are found in some queues. She also has a lot of uncontrolled movements when she is excited that make her arms swing out from her body. She could be hurt by hitting the rails separating the line or hurt others when her arms swing.

If they all brought a letter from the doctor saying they have CP and to "make any accomidations to help this family", the CMs will have no idea what they need.
What you do need to do is go with the person with a disability to Guest Services in any of the parks and explain what needs there are. They can't require proof of a disability according to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). Some people DO feel more confident asking for accomidations if they have a letter, especially with invisible disabilities. Even if WDW said this was correct in an email to you, the CMs that deal with email are not the same ones who give out GACs in the parks, so their information is not necessarily correct.
The current GACs, that are specific based on needs started being used in about 1999. Before that, a lot of attractions had separate wheelchair/special needs entrances and the Special Assistance Pass was used for giving people without wheelchairs access to those entrances. The information about doctor's letters is probably "left over" from how people got the Special Assistance Passes (which were discontinued in about 1999).

[SueM in MN]

PS.
We have been getting Guest Assistance Cards since 1999 for DD. The last one we got was in April 2005.
We use it sparingly, sort of like insurance.

[Nik's Mom]

PS.
We have been getting Guest Assistance Cards since 1999 for DD. The last one we got was in April 2005.
We use it sparingly, sort of like insurance.

As usual, SueM is right on the money! We have been very fortunate that ds handled WDW pretty well and we only had to use the GAC once on each of our last 2 trips! Having the GAC is not always needed. You might be pleasantly surprised at how well your child does at WDW. I know many of us have returned from our trips, raving about how our children seemed to improve while at WDW.
I say get the GAC, but here's hoping that your family does well and doesn't even need to use it. Have a great trip! :flower:

[Princess Mommy]

I don't have any autistic children of my own, but I have been working with them for the past decade mostly as a behavior specialist.

My first suggestion is the GAC- VERY important, especially in the summer season. Grab a zillion park maps and schedules and familiarize yourself as best as you can with the parks. If you can use Tour Guide Mike to help navigate the parks and plan before you go that would helps tons as well.

Have a MAGICAL vacation!

[busykate]

What's tour guide Mike?

[SueM in MN]

What's tour guide Mike?It's kind of a "hint" service for getting the most done at WDW. Tourguide Mike was a WDW CM (Cast Member) who did VIP and individual tours.
Here's a
link to his website. (http://www.tourguidemike.com/)
You can find out more at the Theme Parks Board. If there aren't any threads about him on the first page, just go back a ways or do a search.

[Princess Mommy]

Tour Guide Mike info:
http://www.**************************/TourGuideMIKE.html

We have used his tips and thankfully if we follow them, we have minimal wait times for rides, etc... he has saved us a ton of time & worry! And in cases of traveling with children or adults with autism, your AVP contains a comprehensive collection of photo tours of the resorts, restaurants and parks -which can help familiarize the child or adult with what her or she can expect when they are there.

[have2getaway]

Our son has autism and he has MAJOR TEMPER tantrums. When we have to wait for long periods of time, it becomes EXREME. I know all children have this problem, but he becomes anxious (almost like an anxiety attack). I described the problem on the phone & they asked if I wanted our file noted and I said no. Now, I am rethinking that. I didn't realize there was such a thing available. I thought since he wasn't in a wheelchair, that they wouldn't do anything for us. Loud noises are a problem, and you never know what will scare him and what won't.

We are going in Jan. which should be less busy, but any tips would be appreciated.

[Nik's Mom]

Hi Have2getaway! You shouldn't have a problem with crowds in January. As insurance, get the GAC. This way, if your ds is having one of those days (I know all about that, my ds is autistic), then the GAC will be available for you. But you will probably find that you won't use it much in January. Here are some tips that really help us. We get to the park at opening (actually 30 minutes before opening). Then we make sure to head straight for the most popular rides. We use fast pass as much as possible too. And be sure to return to your hotel for a break! You are doing the right thing by going in a slower time of the year. It will make things a lot easier. Have a great time! :flower:
Edited to add about loud noises. Be sure to avoid fireworks shows, like Fantasmic. They are very loud! If your ds is sensitive to sound, maybe try ear plugs. My ds won't wear them, so this might be a problem for your ds too. Also, if he gets too over stimulated at the parks, sometimes they will enjoy a boat ride or monorail ride to relax. There's a boat that goes to Ft. Wilderness, and there's plenty to see at that resort.

[SueM in MN]

Hi Have2getaway! You shouldn't have a problem with crowds in January. As insurance, get the GAC. This way, if your ds is having one of those days (I know all about that, my ds is autistic), then the GAC will be available for you. But you will probably find that you won't use it much in January.
::yes::

[taximomfor4]

Our son has autism and he has MAJOR TEMPER tantrums. When we have to wait for long periods of time, it becomes EXREME. I know all children have this problem, but he becomes anxious (almost like an anxiety attack). I described the problem on the phone & they asked if I wanted our file noted and I said no. Now, I am rethinking that. I didn't realize there was such a thing available. I thought since he wasn't in a wheelchair, that they wouldn't do anything for us. Loud noises are a problem, and you never know what will scare him and what won't.

We are going in Jan. which should be less busy, but any tips would be appreciated.


In January, you should be pretty ok with wait times. BUT... disclaimer here...the GAC is good to havae in case you need it, but it is NOT a way to limit wait times. It can, in fact, increase the wait time sometimes. Just wanted to make sure everyone knows that.

Don't underestimate the power of Fastpass! Always have one for SOMETHING! and as soon as the window opens up to get another one, do that! One piece of advice that lots have given here, is if your son is small enough (8-yr old size or so) rent a stroller at the park. They are HUGE, and give the child a hidey place when too much stimulation, especially in lines, gets to them.

Beth

[have2getaway]

Thanks for the tips and advice. Our son will be nearly 4, but he is quite big for his age. He is nearly 42 inches and 44 lbs. He can barely fit in an umbrella stroller. Will the strollers at the park be large enough? Also, do they ever run out? I think the stroller idea is excellent. He is extremely active and hard to settle so I can see how the stroller might be helpful.

Regarding the fast pass, are you able to get an unlimited amount? For some reason I thought the number you were allowed per park was limited. I am HOPING that our son will be ok, but I thought it would be handy to have the GAC & as many FP just in case. Shortly before my son was diagnosed, I took him to an amuzement park and it was a comlete nightmare. He kept repeating "have to wait your turn" over and over. Several times he ran out of the line. We ended up not going on several rides because there was just no one to settle him. I just don't want a repeat at Disney.

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the tips and advice. Our son will be nearly 4, but he is quite big for his age. He is nearly 42 inches and 44 lbs. He can barely fit in an umbrella stroller. Will the strollers at the park be large enough? Also, do they ever run out? I think the stroller idea is excellent. He is extremely active and hard to settle so I can see how the stroller might be helpful.
The WDW strollers will fit up to a small 12 yr old. Another advantage to them is that they are a firm (not hard) plastic. A lot of children with autism like the firm pressure from sitting on those strollers and also like the high, solid sides - they just sort of form a real nice "safe haven." Here's a site that has info about the strollers:
http://allearsnet.com/pl/strol_faq.htm

Regarding the fast pass, are you able to get an unlimited amount? For some reason I thought the number you were allowed per park was limited. I am HOPING that our son will be ok, but I thought it would be handy to have the GAC & as many FP just in case. Shortly before my son was diagnosed, I took him to an amuzement park and it was a comlete nightmare. He kept repeating "have to wait your turn" over and over. Several times he ran out of the line. We ended up not going on several rides because there was just no one to settle him. I just don't want a repeat at Disney.
Here's a
link to information about how Fastpass works. (http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/fastpass.htm) One thing to keep in mind is that you can send someone else in your party to pick up fastpasses for your whole party. All they need is everyone's park tickets. That way, you son doesn't need to get to the attraction until it's time to get on.
With Fastpass, your wait will usually 10-15 minutes or less (often less). That is the most predicatable way to go. The GAC is not intended to shorten or eliminate your wait in line, and you are never quite sure how they will handle it, evven on the same attraction. What they do exactly depends on how busy the attraction is, how many other people with special needs there are and the staffing.

[magic kingdom park]

I am going to Disney for the first time with my three kids in July. :flower: My middle son is borderline high functioning autistic and my daughter has a yet undiagnosed metobolic disorder. Any suggestions from anyone else who has gone with children with similar disorders?
I am not concerned - but looking for some handy tips that will make the experience even better for my kids (all three)!
Thanks!

Take your kids and have a ball, I have an 8 year old high function autism, we first took him when he was five, he was very hyper at the time, didn't have a big vocabulary, tantrumed alot, got very upset easy, did not understand patience, I really didn't know what to expect, I read and read on these boards and allears.net, I packed as much info in as I could. I took all advice here including getting the GAC which if you are going in July you will need, we decided to go in Oct., when the weather was cooler, and less crowded just to decrease meltdowns. I made sure that I was educated on all things disney so that I would know what to expect when we got there, don't go to disney without a plan your total trip will be miserable. Our first trip was wonderful, we didn't have to to use the GAC all the time, our son was so thrilled by all things there that he was truly a different child, he came back home with so many new words. The crowds and loud noises did not even bother him, as some loud noises he will cover his ears. Also our first year we did rent a stroller because he would get tired of walking and to keep him from getting ill and frustrated we had the stroller there and he would climb in when he would get tired. The only problem we had was when it came lunch time, he didn't want to wait in line or at the table and then he didn't want to eat, but I am use to that, he only snacks most of the day anyway due to his adhd medication, he don't really start eating till around 4, but as for me that place makes me hungry all the time. Hope you have a wonderful and magical time. :flower3:

[JenJen]

You have been given some wonderful information here ;) I can not believe how friendly this board is compaired to others I have been too. I wanted to add one thing. I noticed a lot of you have suggested ear plugs for those children that are sensitive to loud sounds and I realized very early on my kids would not wear them so we came up with our own solution that works very well. I am not too sure what they are called so I will try to explain what it is best I can. I went to a sporting goods store and they have what look like ear muffs for people that shoot loud guns in the shooting section. They are a bit pricey but were a life saver when the kids were younger. the sort of look like a head set for music. They fit very comfortabley and help reduce the noise on the high volume attractions like 3D shows and fireworks. I am not sure if anyone has used these or suggested these here but I thought I would throw it out there.
coruth4 you will have a great time with your kids it sounds like you are doing all the right things!!!!
JenJen

[sherry66]

PLAN PLAN PLAN
Our DS 8 is autistic (high function) .Our last trip in 2004 he watched the WDW planning DVD about 200 times. He visited the WDW web site many times and planned what things he wanted to see. He didn't like any of the 3-D shows. We didn't get the GAC because he is not bad in the waiting department. Thank God for the person who invented gameboy :rotfl2: He in sensitive to noises and became aprehensive about some shows. If he became stressed I would get him to listen to music on his discman. By the end of our trip he would only listen to music for awhile and then watch the show. I was really proud of him for learning this good coping mechanism :goodvibes

[SueM in MN]

I am not too sure what they are called so I will try to explain what it is best I can. I went to a sporting goods store and they have what look like ear muffs for people that shoot loud guns in the shooting section. They are a bit pricey but were a life saver when the kids were younger. the sort of look like a head set for music. They fit very comfortabley and help reduce the noise on the high volume attractions like 3D shows and fireworks. I am not sure if anyone has used these or suggested these here but I thought I would throw it out there.
coruth4 you will have a great time with your kids it sounds like you are doing all the right things!!!!
JenJen
I'm glad you found our site helpful and friendly.
You did a good job of explaining.
If you go to yahoo.com , the shopping part and enter ear protection you will come up with a lot of choices that I think are similar to what you are talking about. Hopefully,
this link to yahoo shopping will work. (http://shopping.yahoo.com/search;_ylc=X3oDMTFkdXYwZ2VxBF9TAzk2MDc5MjYwBGsDZW FyIHByb3RlY3Rpb24Ec2VjA2tiBHNsawN0aXRsZQ--?p=ear+protection)

[robin09]

As you said, you got this from an unofficial guide. That information is totally wrong!

I will not attempt to cover that here, but suggest you read several of the threads in this forum concerning autism and GACs; they should be able to answer most of your questions.

Hi, I hope you will be able to help me. My daughter is 6 1/2 has aspergers, OCD, adhd and has an allergy to color dye. I noticed that you said you won't attempt to cover the help your son received with the GAC because of people abusing the system, but I really can use your advice.

We are going to Disney on the 21st of AUgust to All Star Movies. Jenn Can't deal with alot of noise, alot of waiting, or stimulation. She will literally spin and spin and spin, eat her hands and her clothes. As of now, she is petrified of costumed characters, with the only exception of Dora the Explorer, With knowing that, what kind of help can I ask for.

I have been told I can make the chef aware of her dye allergies.
Thankyhou!

[kdtwiss]

HI ! First of all - relax - Disney is nothing like thetypical amusement park up here. I am in Ma. and have been to Six Flags, Water Country, Canobie Lake Park etc, with not so great results. We have four children - our oldest is autistic, he is 11. We found Disney to be incredibly helpful with any issue we had. The GAC was literally a life saver! We never would have made it to half the things we did without it. You just need to explain your child's trouble when you first enter MK. Go right to City Hall, get a GAC- Hold onto that thing like gold!! Most rides you will be entering the fast pass line, some you will be going in the exit.

I was so worried about our trip before we went - now I can not wait to go back!

I picked up headphones (like the hunting ones) at Walmart for less than $10. I also picked up these neat little battery operated glo sticks in the camping dept there as well. Less annoying for others than flashlights, but a great comfort for little ones afraid of the dark - and some rides are VERY dark!

One night we ended up near the carousel and Small World for the fireworks ( not planned) what a big mistake. Not only were the fireworks tremendously loud - but you could actually feel the boom in your chest. two of my children were beside themselves. The Wishes cruise however was perfect and fantastic! You are really in your own little world!
I will say the biggest problem was one I had NOT anticipated- food. I do not know how your son is, but mine is extremely picky/limited - and can I say - Disney has HORRIBLE pizza! Spaghetti is very hard to find even! If your son does not like chicken nuggets - be prepared to bring alot of his favorites yourself. Do NOT go to Cosmic RAY'S in MK. There are 3 separate lines for food. One for chicken, one for burgers, onefor salds/rollups. We were there for nearly 2 hours! If you will have anyone helping you, I would seriously suggest leaving the kids with him /her in the morning and going to scope out what you feel will be the best way to tackle the park. Look at the different restaurants to see which you think will be best for everyone. I would also try to do at least one sit down meal a day, to be sure everyone is getting the food they need.My poor ds was so hungry a few times we had some meltdowns. Not that we were not stopping to eat - just that he liked NOTHING at most restaurants we went to.
Also - have you considered flying? We were going to drive on our last trip #1 - because I am petrified of flying, and was not sure how my kids would react either/ We ended up flying for a number of reasons and I was soooo happy we did! You could probably fly for the same as it will cost you to drive. We flew to Tampa because it saved enough to practically cover the car rental.
I would also suggest if it is in your budget and your guys like water slides - try the NICK HOTEL. We stayed there one night and it blew us away! Everyone loved it! What a great place!! PM ME if ytou like! I really researched the heck out of Disney (thanks to the disboards) and our trip is quite fresh in my memory!

[s&k'smom]

My DS is very picky eater too, so what we did was pack one bag with all his favorites and it was easier to do a load of laundry and try to get him to eat. Plus we made a grocery stop and picked up juice and water. This made it so much easier and it was really helpful to have his things in the room, DD liked it too! I use those zip lock bags and just filled them in the morning and we headed out!