1 month til WDW with my 3 year old ASD boy

[khomer504]

DS (who has NLD) is now 13, but he was 3 the first time we took him down to WDW. Our first day there, we went on three rides -- Dumbo, the carousel, and It's a Small World. But we went on the horse-drawn trolley that goes up and down Main Street probably half a dozen times. It was the thing he was stuck on, and we kind of figured that if he found one thing that drew him, he'd want to come back, and we could steer him in other directions. It worked, and the next day he was ready to try out more things. (Of course we DID take four more trips on the trolley! )

So, don't be too afraid of your son's perseverations. They might actually be of use to you as you let him get used to all the sights and sounds.

DS still has rides that he insists on going on a certain number of times. (We ALWAYS have to go on Space Mountain twice, no matter what, for instance.) Rock N Roller Coaster is another two timer. Ahhh, for the simpler days when we could just ride the trolley up and down the street.

I'm so glad I posted this thread. If I hadn't I really think I might have tried too hard to rush my little guy through the things that he might love the best. I'm really trying to take to heart all the advice to cherish the things he may perseverate on and give him the time to enjoy himself. I think he's going to love the keyboard letters painted on the ground at Pop, and other such things. If I had gotten nothing else out of this thread (and I have gotten more out of it!) I'd be so grateful just for that lesson.

If we have to spend hours with the keyboard at Pop, or heaven forbid on It's a Small World... I'm good with that. We're in no hurry, we have 8 days to do the things we want to do... and we'll be back again! Thanks for helping me keep that in the forefront of my mind!

Karen

 

[khomer504]

Contact brenda bennet at brenda.bennett@disney.com

She will make sure all that when you go to adr's that the chef will come out and talk to you about what foods. With dd they even made her stuff that was no on the menu and she taught that was cool. She will aldo send you a list of foods that are gfcf in each park and every resort. She is awesome.

Thanks, I'm e-mailing her now! I was just thinking I needed to search for that name again, I'd seen in mentioned months ago.

Karen

 

[kaffinito]

Post it notes work really well.
They are inexpensive, stick well and come off easily when you need to remove them.

Thanks Sue!! I totally blanked on what they were called. Sometimes age does that to you! I use the bandanna mostly because I keep forgetting to buy sticky notes!

We've not done any video games with him at all... my daughter never liked video games, and has still never taken to them. Any suggestions of ones that might be simple enough for a 2 year old would be great! I'll go surf the Leap Frog site a bit.

I have also pretty much decided we'll ask to use the stroller as a w/c, he doesn't have any problems walking... but in lines or crowds, he's just going to do better in the stroller, and he's going to be more content than if he's walking around. Anyone know if there is a problem requesting this accomodation even though he's a perfectly fine ambulator?

I used a stroller for my then 6 year old, and we didn't have too many problems. I practiced with him on standing in lines before we left, so we didn't take it in line with us though. We also didn't get the GAC which probably would have let us take the stroller in the line, but we might this year.

I just bought John the Disney Pals game. It's really simple and makes a lot of music. You can also get the really cheap ones at Target that only have one game and two buttons. The Leapster for toddlers has videos and games that are really easy for little kids to use, and might be a good idea. See if you can try one out to see if he likes them.

I know a lot of ASD kids (including mine) like to hold little things. Mine right now is carrying around a little Wall-E and Eve. LOL In the parks they sell little packets of characters. I tried to find an example on ebay but not sure what they are called. They are about the size of monopoly pieces so only good if he doesn't put things in his mouth.

I forgot about little figures! They have Disney characters at the different parks that come in a tube, and are good for carrying. We also took John's
favorite stuffed toy with us, and that helped out a lot when he got stressed.

 

[khomer504]

After reading these threads I did some looking around at Walmart last night. I found that he LOVED looking at a viewmaster. I didn't buy it last night, but I think I'll get him one before our trip with a bunch of disney pictures to help keep him occupied. I also got a couple other little things to keep his hands occupied.

Thanks!
Karen

 

[mechurchlady]

is he on a GFCF diet for medical reasons such as celiac or just because of the autism?

The parks are great about allergy related diets. If it is just because of the autism then do not stress over the fine points. With my celiac I cannot have soy sauce but a person who is GF because of autism should go ahead and enjoy the barbecue chicken or teriyaki pork if that keeps them happy and quiet.

There are some specialty places that make great GFCF foods but most of the breads I tried was not worth the gasoline, time, and money to get them and I rather eat plain meat.

How does your kid handle crowded and noisy restaurants? Are there food we can suggest that he might like? Is he a meat lover, veggie lover, crunchy person like me, or is he very picky? There are some great things at WDW like Divvies, popcorn, and rice dream. Make a list and I am sure someone here will have experiences that can help you better fine tune your trip.
If not I am called bloodhound on another site because of my research skills. Where are the two sets of car keys? lol.

 

[toodycat]

You are going to have a great time. I took my ASD son when he was 6 and we've returned almost every year since. Here are a few things we did to make it easier on everyone.

1. Just as you said, we found very bright T-shirts that he could wear so that we couldn't lose him in a crowd. Also, I would advise that you pack your son's own rain coat or poncho. If it pours and you buy him the one from the Disney shop, he will be dressed the same ways as 5000 other Disney fans and you won't be able to pick him out if he gets separated. I know he will be in a stroller, but you might have let him out for a second for some reason.

2. We had my mom, who is a nurse, snag a hospital bracelet for us. We had Jake wear it with his name and our hotel and cell phone numbers on it, so that in case he was lost and couldn't explain things sufficiently, he still had all his info with him.

3. We started early in the day and went back to the resort at lunch time for a swim and a nap. (The fact that you are staying at the Pop will facilitate this.) This will avoid any sort of sensory overload.

4. We are all worried about meltdowns at WDW, but remember the whole general public goes there and some of their non-ASD kids will melt down as badly or worse than yours. You don't owe anyone an explanation or an apology.

5. My son has trouble with loud noises. We always try to avoid attractions that are really noisy. He has earplugs in case something is too noisy. On the other hand, he loves vestibular stuff, so we do "Soarin' " over and over again.

6. Eight days is a nice long time for your son to feel comfortable in the park and to have the opportunities to re-visit his favorite attractions. You won't have to cram things in to see everything. The suggestion that you make a schedule is a great one. Check online to make sure you know which attractions are closed for refurbishment so that you don' t promise something that isn't available.

7. Bring something familiar from home. Jake always had a stuffed animal waiting for him back at the resort.

You are going to have a great time. Just let your son be who he is and enjoy what he likes and don't worry about people you don't know. Hugs, Jane

 

[disneydeb]

i always bring bubbles. they are great while waiting in line, and if a meltdown is coming we just go to the side and play with bubbles to we get composed again.

the next thing i pack is glow sticks, they give off enough light if your little one is afraid of the dark, but not enough to disturb anyone else.

i also bring a change of clothes, because we have to play in every fountain and those things that squirt water up at the kids. trust me on this one!

we only eat at counter service restaurants, we tried alfredos one time and couldnt even order because right after we got in there dgs started yelling and screaming, so we quickly apoligized to everyone around us and left.

I remember when our little boy was diagnosed in sept, it was afawl hard at first, i cried many nights, but i also learned how to handle most meltdowns, there are still times when we cannot go into a restaurant, applebees is a big no, but olive garden is usually alright. i remember at first, we would order and when our food got there , i would ask for a doggy bag and the check in case we needed to leave in a hurry.

we have been back to wdw and on dcl numerous times and every time just seems to get better!

my favorite disney moment was when we went to mnsshp nd dgs just stood there and stared at the castle and said , look theres tinkerbells castle

 

[disneydeb]

oh i forgot, if you can get on jetblue airlines, thats the best! they have tv sets in the back of each seat, with real channels not some pre programmed junk, and you buy your own headsets for a dollar, i watched food network going down dgs had on cartoon network and satillite radio. if your on a different airline we always brought a dvd player with his favorite dvds, for many a long flight and in the airport too.

 

[khomer504]

You all have awesome ideas and suggestions! We have 26 days til our trip.. and I'm getting so excited!! I wish I'd known that about JetBlue, we're flying United. But even if I'd known, we're flying on miles, so we probably still would have needed to choose United.

Ds has to wear one of those tyvek/hospital type bracelets at our pool (to deliniate how adept the kids are at swimming) and he rips it off everytime. I'm not sure he would keep one on. I found temporary tatoos that can be ordered with a phone number on them in case he is lost, and we've made an emergency ID to wear on his lanyard. I'm hoping that he'll wear the lanyard when he sees all the other kids doing it. He's such a little sheep... he'll follow along with what he thinks he's supposed to be doing, even though he doesn't understand it. He's very rigid in this way, but it works to our advantage more often than not.

And he's totally going to play in every fountain! I still remember going to epcot and playing in the fountain where the water jumps from one to another... it was a fabulous memory!

Thanks ladies, I appreciate all the support and advice!

Karen

 

[khomer504]

How does your kid handle crowded and noisy restaurants? Are there food we can suggest that he might like? Is he a meat lover, veggie lover, crunchy person like me, or is he very picky? There are some great things at WDW like Divvies, popcorn, and rice dream. Make a list and I am sure someone here will have experiences that can help you better fine tune your trip.
If not I am called bloodhound on another site because of my research skills. Where are the two sets of car keys? lol.

Andy has been dairy (CF) since February, but we've struggled with the gluten free and haven't converted 100%, at this point I'm seriously considering waiting til we get back for sanity sake. It's hard enough depriving him of dole whips and mickey head ice cream bars.

He's not terribly picky, but he likes what he knows, and I have to finnagle a bit to introduce a new food. We LOVE hot dogs, chicken tenders/nuggets, spaghetti, broccoli, breakfast sausage, eggs, toast, pancakes, waffles. All in all I'm hoping we have enough choices to make it relatively easy. And he LIVES for sweets! I give them to him pretty rarely, but he'll take his sugar anyway he can get it. He tried to get a cough drop from my mom today, she finally gave it to him figuring he would spit it out. NOPE, he ate it! Poor guy, he thinks he's so deprived.

His biggest issue is cheese, and I have to make sure not to have something too tempting on my plate, or he'll grab for it. His daddy had a salad with shredded cheese a month or so ago, and Andy refused to eat anything except for salad from his dads plate. I had some soy cheese (AWFUL stuff!) and made him his own salad and then he finally started eating.

Just between us DIS'ers, I'm going to have to find a quiet moment to get a dole whip when he's not around... awful mom that I am

 

[Ohio Disney Girl]

Our son was diagnosed with mild PDD at 2 and we were there 3 months after his diagnosis and will be going back this fall. We were not prepared for auditory overstimulation as he had had NONE before and has had NONE since, so that caught us off-guard! FYI- there are free foamy ear plugs at the first aid stations in every park. This time, we are taking sound cancelling headphones just in case! MGM was the worst for this as there were many more "shows" or movie-style attractions. MK and Animal Kingdom were the best for him as they both have lots of options and lots of gross motor activities! Disney brings out the BEST in him and sometimes, sadly, the worst as Disney is hyper-overstimulation-on-speed interaction levels that can't truly be completely prepared for anywhere else. That being said, it is also joy like never before!

We did have to give up on fireworks as they completely freaked him out- they never have before or since either- who knows what we'll get this time!?! But, we had dinner at Ohana's and he delighted in watching the colors of the fireworks at night behind the glass and far away!

He did fine everywhere but shows, which he hated. We child swapped for example, with the older daughter and one parent rode Dumbo six times with our son using the Guest Assistance Card while the other waited in line for Snow White with the older child, and then we would "trade" kids. Our son rode most of the rides happily with the family, but we induldge his "favorites" as often as possible. He still asks at least once a week, "I go to Mickey's House today?" or "I ride the elephants today?" He LOVED it and that's what he remembers, which is priceless!

It was his first airplane ride also. Did great in his car seat with the DVD player by a window. (He was in love with Elmo at the time and thought the window shade would open to Mr. Noodle if he tried hard enough- too cute!) Did super on ME and at the hotel.

We brought lots of snack for the park and our GAC allowed us to use his stroller as a wheelchair also, which was perfect when he was getting a little crazy with the crowds as once in his stroller, all snuggled in, he would calm down and just chill out.

This time, we are watching YouTube vidoes of the rides he might like and "field testing" them that way as well as "practicing" for shows by seeing more parades, movies, etc... and almost social story-ing the processs. He's been great with all of that.

Disney is still our favorite place for a family vacation everyone enjoys! I go with the understanding that HE will find magic in places I never would, so I follow his lead and give up my "agenda" and we all have a wonderful time. Honestly, I've never left feeling like, "Darn it! If it weren't for _______, I'd have gotten to do_______.", which I secretly feared. It actually makes us feel largely like a "normal" family when we're there and I just chuckle when I see the "typical" kids melting down as mine looks like an angel then!

 

[mechurchlady]

Breakfast loving kid means eating a hearty breakfast before hitting the park. I love melted cheese but not too found of regular cheese. If you have the dole whip remember that kids seem to know when you are sneaking food, lol. Eat onions afterwards. GF is hard but you can do it in the parks. Be thankfull it is not corn or nuts. eek. Chicken nuggets are on most kids menus so he should be happy. Don't worry be happy and soon it will be all over with and you will be amazed at what you accomplished and got to see and do.

 

[pilgrimr]

First I am excited for you. Our trip is not until December, but our first trip to WDW was when DS was 3 going on 4. The only thing that we had to help us was the Passporter book on Special Needs at WDW and the section on WWW.allearsnet.com. I wished I had known about Disboard section on disAbilities. These are the things we learned that could help.
1. We bought Pal Mickey and it did nothing for DS. In the end we left him in hotel room because it was one more thing to carry.
2. He like to carry little toys like the disney cars and the little action figures they sell in a set (You can actually buy them on disneyshopping.com).
3. For his favorite rides (depending on the lines) he would ride them twice and he was done. There were some rides he liked and some he didn't. Sometimes it was not until we were up front did we find out. We also learned not to force him even if we thought he would like it.
4. GAC is a livesaver. We don't use all the times but nice when we need it. We go at rope drop when it less crowded to ride the ride we want and go back to the resort.
5. We have a PSP for him when he has to wait. It plays movies, games, music, and you can put pictures on it. You might take a look at it. They even have a couple of pixar movies for it.
6. We watch the promotional video and youtube videos on disney.
7. One other thing we do now is take him to the local ammusement park to keep him use to riding rides and waiting in lines.
8. Be prepared for special events. Since we have brought him we see something special happen with him on everyt trip.
Sorry, I have written to much. I hope this gives you some additional ideas to the many great ones so far. Like I said earlier, I wished I had known about the Disboards. Enjoy your trip.