Disney with autstic son

[respmom]

I am going on a surprise trip with my 11 year old PDD and bp son....also I have a ds7 and a dd2.....does anyone have any advice? Having gone to the park with a child on the spectrum before? I really worried about his ability to tolerate long lines as he doesn't have much patience. However I know he wants to ride them...they think they are going next year and he has been looking up rides for months! Help

 

[pmaurer74]

my dd has PDD and this will be her 5th trip. She loves WDW that I think she tolerates more. She was originally tough in lines but got better with time. Bring bubbles for him to play with or snacks during long lines and take breaks. I was worried about fireworks and brought along ear plugs but she loved the fireworks.
Another thing that helps is to have him watch YouTube videos of any rides you are worried about.

 

[respmom]

my dd has PDD and this will be her 5th trip. She loves WDW that I think she tolerates more. She was originally tough in lines but got better with time. Bring bubbles for him to play with or snacks during long lines and take breaks. I was worried about fireworks and brought along ear plugs but she loved the fireworks.
Another thing that helps is to have him watch YouTube videos of any rides you are worried about.

Yes he has been obsessed with YouTube videos on Disney...he get stuck on things....I don't think going on the rides will be the problem it's just the wait...but those are excellent suggestions as he loves to eat lol!

 

[MrToad1345]

We have a son with those issues and rather than have an explosion of aggressiveness due to his frustrations, we get a handicap pass from guest services. We use the pass when we need to, not all the time, but it can be a savior when he can't cope. Have a great time, it's always great to see the fun in his eyes.

 

[Reddy]

keep a very close eye on him - know his cues for being too tired or before he works up into a temper fist.
I have 2 of them so we as a family I enter the line first followed by the 2 boys then DH enters last - he keeps enough space that the boys don't feel crowded in
I did up several autism shirts that the boys wear - no way to hide it so figure if it is in the open then you know & will go your own way instead of stare & try to figure out what is wrong with them - then again both of my boys are consider severe not mild

a good touring plan helps a lot - we do get a GAC but try not to use it - extra morning hours are great & hitting rope drop are wonderful on going thur the lines - fastpasses are good too if one person can go get them

on the going to the bathroom - at age 10 boys are no longer allowed in the women's restrooms - your son is younger so that should be fine (I didn't see if you were Mom or Dad but wanted to comment for others reading this post) - I emailed Disney and asked because I wondered about youngest going in the restroom with me on our first trip (had a character breakfast with just the one - ended up having a CM make sure no one was in the woman's & the CM stood outside the door for that breakfast since he was over the limit but had to go)

 

[ItsNotMuchofaTail]

I took my PDD, OCD DD last November. For us, the secret was to prioritize what we were doing each day. We did her headliners first, so she could stop obsessing and enjoy the rest of the day. I let her dictate breaks, but I have one child and I see you have 3. If she wanted to skip a ride because she couldn't tolerate the line, we did. And she was never sorry about that. Never wished she had waited in the line.

But we had a great trip, I actually found her to be more flexible in WDW than I expected.

ETA: I surprised her too. At 4:00 a.m. It was a terrifying thing to do, but she handled it great, even enjoyed her first plane ride. What a relief!

 

[bopper]

Also check out the DISAbilities subforum here...you can read other's experiences at WDW with autistic kids.

 

[tbia]

on the going to the bathroom - at age 10 boys are no longer allowed in the women's restrooms - your son is younger so that should be fine (I didn't see if you were Mom or Dad but wanted to comment for others reading this post) - I emailed Disney and asked because I wondered about youngest going in the restroom with me on our first trip (had a character breakfast with just the one - ended up having a CM make sure no one was in the woman's & the CM stood outside the door for that breakfast since he was over the limit but had to go)

Be aware of the baby centers at each park also. They have restrooms that can be used as "family restrooms"

 

[respmom]

We have a son with those issues and rather than have an explosion of aggressiveness due to his frustrations, we get a handicap pass from guest services. We use the pass when we need to, not all the time, but it can be a savior when he can't cope. Have a great time, it's always great to see the fun in his eyes.

Guest services in the park or resort? Did you need a dr note?

 

[respmom]

keep a very close eye on him - know his cues for being too tired or before he works up into a temper fist.
I have 2 of them so we as a family I enter the line first followed by the 2 boys then DH enters last - he keeps enough space that the boys don't feel crowded in
I did up several autism shirts that the boys wear - no way to hide it so figure if it is in the open then you know & will go your own way instead of stare & try to figure out what is wrong with them - then again both of my boys are consider severe not mild

a good touring plan helps a lot - we do get a GAC but try not to use it - extra morning hours are great & hitting rope drop are wonderful on going thur the lines - fastpasses are good too if one person can go get them

on the going to the bathroom - at age 10 boys are no longer allowed in the women's restrooms - your son is younger so that should be fine (I didn't see if you were Mom or Dad but wanted to comment for others reading this post) - I emailed Disney and asked because I wondered about youngest going in the restroom with me on our first trip (had a character breakfast with just the one - ended up having a CM make sure no one was in the woman's & the CM stood outside the door for that breakfast since he was over the limit but had to go)

Actually I have three I'm mom my son on the spectrum is 11 and looks like he is sixteen so no women's room :/ although he still needs help sometimes

 

[respmom]

I took my PDD, OCD DD last November. For us, the secret was to prioritize what we were doing each day. We did her headliners first, so she could stop obsessing and enjoy the rest of the day. I let her dictate breaks, but I have one child and I see you have 3. If she wanted to skip a ride because she couldn't tolerate the line, we did. And she was never sorry about that. Never wished she had waited in the line.

But we had a great trip, I actually found her to be more flexible in WDW than I expected.

ETA: I surprised her too. At 4:00 a.m. It was a terrifying thing to do, but she handled it great, even enjoyed her first plane ride. What a relief!

Yes we leave in one week, and I was wondering about the surprise I hope he takes it well. I've been prepping him saying we was going away for a mini vacation somewhere local sometime next week...

 

[respmom]

Also check out the DISAbilities subforum here...you can read other's experiences at WDW with autistic kids.

Wow thanks I never thought of that I'm new here

 

[tobikaye]

Guest services in the park or resort? Did you need a dr note?

GACs (Guest Assistance Passes) can only be issued at the parks. No doctors note is needed. I suggest you check the Disabilities forum as suggested by a PP, especially the FAQ sticky as it has a lot of information for those traveling with various disabilities.

Here is the link to the disAbilities FAQ: disAbilitiesFAQ

 

[respmom]

GACs (Guest Assistance Passes) can only be issued at the parks. No doctors note is needed. I suggest you check the Disabilities forum as suggested by a PP, especially the FAQ sticky as it has a lot of information for those traveling with various disabilities.

Here is the link to the disAbilities FAQ: disAbilitiesFAQ

Thank you, you have been most helpful !

 

[bopper]

GACs (Guest Assistance Passes) can only be issued at the parks. No doctors note is needed. I suggest you check the Disabilities forum as suggested by a PP, especially the FAQ sticky as it has a lot of information for those traveling with various disabilities.

Here is the link to the disAbilities FAQ: disAbilitiesFAQ

And keep in mind that GACs are to assist with hidden disabilities so that the guest can have reasonable access to the park. It is not a "front of the line" pass, but a way to tell cast members what accommodations you need.

So what will your son need? Some people find that for autistic kids if they can stay in a stroller so that they can be in a "cocoon" . This would be a "stroller as wheelchair" accomodation. Some kids can't stay in the son so would need accomodation to wait in a shady spot.

 

[respmom]

And keep in mind that GACs are to assist with hidden disabilities so that the guest can have reasonable access to the park. It is not a "front of the line" pass, but a way to tell cast members what accommodations you need.

So what will your son need? Some people find that for autistic kids if they can stay in a stroller so that they can be in a "cocoon" . This would be a "stroller as wheelchair" accomodation. Some kids can't stay in the son so would need accomodation to wait in a shady spot.

He doesn't need to cut the lines but he prob couldn't wait more then 20 mins without become extremely anxious, he is verbal, just doesn't fully understand social cues.

 

[bopper]

on the going to the bathroom - at age 10 boys are no longer allowed in the women's restrooms - your son is younger so that should be fine (I didn't see if you were Mom or Dad but wanted to comment for others reading this post) - I emailed Disney and asked because I wondered about youngest going in the restroom with me on our first trip (had a character breakfast with just the one - ended up having a CM make sure no one was in the woman's & the CM stood outside the door for that breakfast since he was over the limit but had to go)

There are also Family bathrooms (Companion-assisted restrooms) that you can go in with your son regardless of age.

http://allears.net/pl/restrooms.htm

 

[bopper]

He doesn't need to cut the lines but he prob couldn't wait more then 20 mins without become extremely anxious, he is verbal, just doesn't fully understand social cues.

Consider going when lines won't be too long (not during peak times) and using the Fastpass (http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/fastpass.htm) when possible to minimize line waits. Also consider getting to the park when it opens ("Rope drop") as less people are there. Also consider "practicing" at local venues, such as the zoo or other smaller theme park near your home.

 

[respmom]

Consider going when lines won't be too long (not during peak times) and using the Fastpass (http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/fastpass.htm) when possible to minimize line waits. Also consider getting to the park when it opens ("Rope drop") as less people are there. Also consider "practicing" at local venues, such as the zoo or other smaller theme park near your home.

Thank you! And I see the gac card can be helpful in getting him a quieter less crowded places to wait that could be really helpful

 

[Disfan20]

Not sure if your child has sensory issues, but the GAC is also useful in bypassing some of the more overstimulating queues. My DD12 with Autism had a complete meltdown in the TSM queue. It was only a 20 min wait (believe it or not) and she freaked about 10 minutes in. I think there was just too much going on. Just something to think about. Good luck.