Kids with ASD's...which rides are a no-go?

[Ckmommy72]

When my DS was 4, we went to Vero Beach to spring training. On the way, we spent a day at MK. It was sotr of a last minute change in plans, and to say I had no clue is putting it mildly.

Well, at the time, DS, who has Asperger's Syndrome, had not been diagnosed. Well, he saw Stitch's Gret Escape, and wanted t go on it (we thought it was a ride.) As you can imagine, it didn't go well! Perhaps that is the most unfriendly experience to someone with sensory issues I can imagine. I liked it fine, he was inconsoleable.

We are going back in Jan for a week. This will be our first real trip...that one day doesn't count . So, what other rides will be likely to be too high input for him? He will be 10 at the time, and does pretty well with our local six flags park, including the in the dark coaster they have.

TIA!

 

[staceyhzoo]

I have a 5 yr old with Asperger's. She also has Sensory Perception Disorder.
Her main issues are with anxiety in the lines, once she's on the ride she's fine (usually).

Her favorites are: She's 5 so...
MK: PotC, HM, Splash Mtn, BTMR, Small World, Buzz, Astro Orbiter, Carousel, Magic Carpets. We avoid Stitch and she doesn't get the humor on Monster Scare Floor.

AK: Avoid Dinosaur (she's just now tall enough, but way to much for her)

HS: Did ToT twice last year, 1st time loved it, 2nd time she lost it. Probably wont' do it this year.

Epcot: Loves Test Track and Figment (the sensory part is very calming for some reason) will maybe try Soarin this year, but she gets vestibular when her feet are off the ground. We will avoid Mission to Mars both sides.

She does well at Disney, I hope you get the same Pixie Dust!

 

[GlendaONeill]

My son who is 5 had a real meltdown in it's tough to be a bug in Animal kingdom. It is a bit like stitch as you are blown on and there are smells and a pretend sting too.
He hated Mission Space in Epcot and refused to go on most things after Star Tours freaked him out with the 3D and moving. He does like 3D movies though.

 

[fitzpa]

My son has classic autism. He does not go on any ride that doesn't actually move. So no Stitch, Monsters Inc, Mickey's PhilharMagic..........
An often overlooked ride is Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover.
It is on of his must do's.
It's a nice "break" ride and usually has no line.
He does go on Splash Mountain, but last, because he doesn't want to wear wet cloths.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I have autism and was diagnosed 12 years ago. Here are the ones I should avoid:

Dinosaur
Stitch's Great Escape
It's Tough To Be A Bug

 

[ame]

Ihave two ASD kids and another ?. They all have different rides that they do and don't like. ToT and It's tough to be a bug are the two mosty disliked. I think it's the sense of unpredictability is greater than most other rides.

 

[buckeev]

Number One son is now 13, but still is sorta "unpredictable" when it comes to many rides and shows. One thing that helped immensely before last years trip was YouTube! He watched many user videos of dozens of different rides and shows. Many aren't great quality, but he got the idea at least.
He did Test Track, Soarin' and ToyStory numerous times, and wore us out on those, plus the parades, characters and 3D Anything!
Oh, BTW...two words-(besides YouTube)-HIDDEN MICKEYS!!!!
maybe THAT was what REALLY wore us out. hands down, Best $12 bucks I ever spent in Florida!

 

[Singledad]

Well, at the time, DS, who has Asperger's Syndrome, had not been diagnosed. Well, he saw Stitch's Gret Escape, and wanted t go on it (we thought it was a ride.) As you can imagine, it didn't go well! Perhaps that is the most unfriendly experience to someone with sensory issues I can imagine. I liked it fine, he was inconsoleable.

When DD was 4, I don't think she could have done stitch's great escape. I was warned off it by multiple people for this years trip (dd = 5), but when she saw it, she wanted to go on. I told her that it would be dark, and could be a little scarey and once we went in, we would be stuck until it was done. She still wanted to try it. She loved it and still talks about stitch licking her. She also has SPD, but she craves being smushed among other things. Different kids, different issues.

I would say that even as an adult I hated the bugs life show. that stinger HURT, I spent the rest of the day with an achy back. my little brother (he is 15 years younger than me) couldn't handle it and step-mom and him had to leave before the show was over.

Number One son is now 13, but still is sorta "unpredictable" when it comes to many rides and shows. One thing that helped immensely before last years trip was YouTube! He watched many user videos of dozens of different rides and shows. Many aren't great quality, but he got the idea at least.
He did Test Track, Soarin' and ToyStory numerous times, and wore us out on those, plus the parades, characters and 3D Anything!
Oh, BTW...two words-(besides YouTube)-HIDDEN MICKEYS!!!!
maybe THAT was what REALLY wore us out. hands down, Best $12 bucks I ever spent in Florida!

I completely agree with this! I think this and DD finally getting the idea that the robots are just statues with computers in them, that made this last trip so magical! I was so scared we wouldn't be able to do anything but dumbo and small world.. yet she managed to do so much more! It helps that my kid is so verbal. So she could tell me after watching the video (or as much of it as she could stand, short attention span unless she likes it.) she could tell me if she was willing to try it or not.

DD's fav's where:

MK: Dumbo, magic carpets (cause the camel had spit on the grownups and not her.), small world, stitches great escape. (also splash mt. but after the first day or two I didn't let her back on it. she is allergic to something in the water, so she can't swim at disney either.)

DHS: Toy story mania, Little Mermaid show

Epcot: Test track. She and I both disliked soarin' and will not be repeating that one again. We didn't really get to do anything in the world showcase outside of a ride on the boat in mexico, which we enjoyed.

AK: we didn't do this park. I have a sun allergy and the last time I went here the sun was brutal, so it isn't on my list of parks to go to again. one year I will be forced to go again, but not of my free will. plus, there wasn't much to DO here. tuff to be a bug was horrible, outside of being hot and miserble the only thing I remember good about the park was that they played B-52's hot lava song in the dinosaur play area.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I think this varies a lot depending on the kid. My nephew (12) has Asperger's. The rides he won't go on are: Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Dinosaur. He did go on Dinosaur once and HATED it.

His absolute favorite, hands down, is Test Track. He could ride that over and over. We are trying to plan a big family trip for next year and when DS12 asked him if he wanted to come, he asked if he could ride Test Track. As soon as DS said sure, he happily agreed.

Oh, and to the PP who mentioned Hidden Mickeys, DS12 and my nephew are excited about looking for them together.

 

[CajunMomof3]

Much of this is a repeat of PPs, but here goes...

DS9 with autism HATES Splash Mountain. He won't even go on that side of MK. It is the only thing he responds with a resounding verbal "No!" when we talk about Disney.

He loves Test Track at EP. He will wait quite patiently in the 90 minute line to do that one!

ToT at HS was a miserable experience for us 2 years ago. He was scared out of his wits and wouldn't even get in the elevator at the hotel for the rest of the day.

In the AK, he got freaked out in line for EE so we didn't even get to try it...

On a side note, he loves the clown slide at the BWI. And the lifeguards were awesome with ASD kids on our last two trips.

We love the way Disney makes our family feel "normal" for a whole week. Hope your family experiences that same magic!

 

[Mikey'swife]

My son has not been diagnosed with ASD but is bipolar/adhd with many of the same behaviors as a high functioning ASD due to anxiety.

He also did not do well on Stich, TOT, Tough to be a bug. But the worst was Haunted Mansion. He does well on traditional Rollercoaster rides but the dark, slow rides like Snow white, The Great Movie Ride are harder. We skipped a lot this year once we had a better idea of what he likes. My DH tries to push him but we are getter better at accepting the limitations.

 

[awoogala]

When my DS was 4, we went to Vero Beach to spring training. On the way, we spent a day at MK. It was sotr of a last minute change in plans, and to say I had no clue is putting it mildly.

Well, at the time, DS, who has Asperger's Syndrome, had not been diagnosed. Well, he saw Stitch's Gret Escape, and wanted t go on it (we thought it was a ride.) As you can imagine, it didn't go well! Perhaps that is the most unfriendly experience to someone with sensory issues I can imagine. I liked it fine, he was inconsoleable.

We are going back in Jan for a week. This will be our first real trip...that one day doesn't count . So, what other rides will be likely to be too high input for him? He will be 10 at the time, and does pretty well with our local six flags park, including the in the dark coaster they have.

TIA!

Can't give too much advice, but I do know that Disney offers a helpful pass for those who cannot wait in line. I know several families that have gotten them for kids with sensory issues/aspergers.

 

[Singledad]

Can't give too much advice, but I do know that Disney offers a helpful pass for those who cannot wait in line. I know several families that have gotten them for kids with sensory issues/aspergers.

it is a card not a pass and it isn't for skipping the line. as a matter of fact you can end up waiting longer. For length in line issues it is much better to have a good touring plan.

for more info on the GAC (guest assistance card) please see the FAQ thread at the top of the disABLITIES forum.

just wanted to correct that info.

 

[TMcDwyer]

My DS was recently diagnosed with an ASD. The last time we went to The World was in December of 2009. At the time we did not realize he had an ASD and he rode pretty much everything, well at least everything he was tall enough to ride. He loved ToT and Tough to be a Bug. His favorite rides were Space Ranger Spin, TSM, and Pirates. I think you have to really know your own child and their personal limitations.

 

[ElizabethG]

My son has ASD. On the first day of his first trip, the second thing we decided to do was 'Honey I Shrunk the Audience'. We had to leave half-way through due to inconsolable screaming. The day was ruined. Everything we sat down on started with the announcement "This ride has some loud noises that may frighten some children ...". He would start to scream and we would go.

The next day we went to MK and he refused to ride any of the "black-box" rides. Or, the ones that are inside a building and you cannot see exactly what they do. We finally convinced him to ride small world and it saved our vacation! I will be forever grateful to that ride.

I would slowly introduce anything 3D or 4D. He may love them, or hate them. You do not want it to ruin your trip. My best tip is to repeat the rides he likes. Continuing to go on one new ride after another started to make my DS more and more anxious. When I saw that, it was time to ride small world again. I could just see his whole body relax. The best thing he said to me that trip was, "Mom, that is a really good song.".

 

[tavettava]

We have been going since dd (16) was 11. The first couple years she did not ride many rides. She only rode Its a Small World. She didn't like any of the shows even with ear plugs. We went in Feb. (her 9th time) and she rode all the rides except RRC and ToT. Her favorite is Space Mtn and would ride it over again.

 

[clanmcculloch]

What it really comes down to is understanding your child's needs. DD13 has Asperger Syndrome and I'm in the process of going through evaluations to figure what letters will become DD11's diagnosis (I suspect NVLD but the neurologist is leaning more towards AS or PDD; don't you love letters?). They both have VERY different needs.

DD13 LOVES speed and movement as long as it doesn't involve spinner. She loves all roller coasters, she loves Dinosaur and she even loves TTA. She enjoys ToT as well because it moves fast plus she's into ghost stuff so it's fun to her. Stitch is the absolute worst ride for her because she is a sensory avoider when it comes to smells and sudden sounds (sounds are more constant in Dinosaur) and sudden touch. She's OK with ITTBAB but it isn't her favourite. She doesn't like to be wet when she's not "supposed" to be (swimming, showers, etc) so water rides can be upsetting for a while afterward and we'll only go on them if she's having a really day of coping because she'll be able to handle them then though I do try to make these the last thing we do before leaving the parks. For the 4D shows I had to prepare her for the fact that there would be little sprays of water and scents would fill the room or else she would have been upset by the surprise. Now that she knows, she can handle them. Not in Stitch which is a whole other level of sensory nightmares but shows like Philharmagic she's fine with it.

DD11 is a spinner so she LOVES the teacups. She gets scared sometimes even when we're driving on the highway (yes she's in the back seat) so fast forward moving rides are terrifying for her, other than Test Track which is her absolute favourite next to the teacups. I don't get it but she LOVES it. She can tollerate Stitch but she doesn't have issues with sound or touch or smell; she certainly wouldn't choose to go in though. She is scared of a lot of "things" so she doesn't like things involving ghosts or anything jumping out at you. She rides Haunted Mansion but I have to warn her when we get to a couple parts so she can close her eyes as they scare her too much (skeleton coming out of the coffin, something trying to break through the doors). Drops scare her a LOT. She'll no longer ride Splash Mountain because of the one big drop. She used to ride it but the last time she did she tensed up so much before the drop that she jarred her neck and it hurt for days afterward. If it has a drop, she won't ride it, other than POTC which only has tiny drops. The older version had a slightly bigger one that bothered her but the ones now are fine. She's terrified of all bugs so ITTBAB is not good for her. She can handle it as long as she sits on my lap to avoid the sensory inputs from the seat but it's certainly not something she'd choose. She used to hate the 3D/4D shows but that's because she had some undiagnosed visual issues where her eyes didn't coordinate properly so basically she couldn't see the images properly; I can't blame her for not liking them. Vision Therapy has corrected this issue so now she enjoys the shows.

Really, you just need to know your child. Also, watching videos of attractions on youtube and letting your child pick and choose what he can cope with is a great idea.

 

[TMcDwyer]

I am not sure how many of you listen to the DIS Unplugged podcast, but in the July 27th show there is a segment called Ben's Show. It is about going to Disney from the perspective of a 15 year old boy with Aspergers. You have to listen to this show. My son was just diagnosed two weeks ago and this is the first time I have even had the opportunity to hear someone with Aspergers talk about what it is like to live with it. It is an AMAZING show and I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone.