Autistic Nephew

[Goofy22]

HI! I have a few questions for those of you who have autistic children and have done this numerous times or even once! We are going on an extended family vaca over easter of 2007! My sister n law along w/ 2 nephews 1 being 6 almost 7 and autistic and neice and my MIL and Me my husband my dd and ds and my niece and a 6 month old daughter will all be together! I'm sure not at all times but will try anyway since it is my sister n laws first trip along with her children! My main concern is my Nephew Wyatt who is Autistic he likes to jump around and doesn't like alot of noise he is a lil better with the noise now! I guess I'm looking for ideas on making this as smooth as possible for us so that he also gets to enjoy this experience I think he will love alot of it!! Any ideas please feel free to give them!! And what if any things is he being autistic entitled to at disney I know they have special things for people or children with disabilities I'm just not up to par on them! So any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[JenJen]

Hi am welcome. I am not sure of his needs because every child with autism is differant. If he needs a special place to wait outside of the line there is a card for that. They way it is used is differant on each ride. You need to go to guest realations and explain his needs they really don't care about the diagnoses. The card will have a stamp that will inform the cast member what his needs are. Some of the stamps allow you to use a stroller for a wheelchair in line which is helpful for kids with ASD because they can have a secure area to feel safe...There are stamps to allow people to wait out of the sun so on and so on. There are several stamps and the person at guest relations will help you with which stamp you need. As you can see it is based on the needs of each person. I hope you have a great time!!!!!
(((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))))
Jen

 

[jasperdd]

We took our son 2 years ago- he's also sensitive to sounds and unexpected action.
Most of Disneyworld was ok- Pooh, PPan, Dunbo, Jungle Cruise, Loved the Hoedown with Jessie etc., Tom Sawyer, Philharmagic, and such. Thrill rides were too intense, at any park.
Loved animal kingdom- didn't try dinosaur!
Loved epcot and DIsney studios- he loves tv.

One thing- sit in the back near an exit in case things get too intense. Just being there walking around was worth taking our son. Food can be an issue, just be prepared with some snacks.

 

[KathyRN137]

Hi!

First, please scroll up to sticky#3 Disabilities FAQs to get info on the GAC card.

Every autistic child is different, so its hard to give specific advice.

I have an autistic son who is now 8 yrs old. We have taken him to WDW every year for the past 3 yrs and have another trip planned in November. Please read my pre-trip report on the Trip Reports board to see how I am planning our trip around his special needs.

Feel free to PM me with questions; I am happy to help!

Kathy

 

[tacomaranch]

I think we are all on the spectrum at some point.

Do go the guest services and tell them the needs. Make sure to use the GAC that they give you. Some folks stared at us for using our card but just because you can't see something wrong doesn't mean there isn't.

Hunter loved having his sensory issues finally address, visual, auditory, movement! He started to add new words because his brain was finally happy.

Good luck, KathyRn is wonderful and can help. She has helped us!

 

[Ambassador]

If possible...have one adult with your nephew, possibly apart from the group. We have sometimes found the sensory overload at the Parks overwhelming, and just hanging out at a fountain, or something that our littlest delegate is interested in, makes a big difference.

Bring a bathing suit for the fountains at Epcot and Ariel's Grotto in MK. Catch the storytime at the castle. Ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority.

Take it slow, really slow, and enjoy the most sublime moments.

 

[disneygal66]

We took our Austistic son in Nov (he was 5) and he loved it!! We got him a stroller so he didn't have to walk as much. The only thing that upset him were some loud noises. He finally let me put ear plugs in and he was ok. Try to sit on the ends and/or the back of shows so that if you need to leave quickly, you can. I was a nervous wreck but it turned out much better than I thought! We just took it slow and relaxed and it was the best week of our lives!!!!!!!

I think you and your family will have a Magical Time!

 

[sameyeyam]

My autistic/severely learning disabled nephew (16) absolutely loves WDW. He loves the characters and getting their autographs in his book. He would rather do that than ride anything. So keep in mind that your autistic nephew might not want to ride the rides and have alternatives in mind. He also enjoys watching the shows, but usually refuses to ride the rides, they just make him to nervous.

Besides meeting the characters, my nephew also loves trading Disney pins. You can purchase a lanyard and pins before you go. The Disney Stores sell pins and we have also gotten some real good deals on Ebay. He enjoys going up to the CM's and pointing to their pins with a big smile on his face and then trading.

Enjoy your trip!