3 Year Old With Autism; WDW May 28-June 3 A Bad Idea?

[Disneylvr]

My dd, who just turned 3 on Sunday, was diagnosed with Autistic Disorder in January. She will start school next Monday and will be attending Extended School Year this summer. The only week we have available for vacation is the week of Memorial Day. Would this be a bad week to take her to Disney World? New places, sights and sounds don't bother her but she would have trouble waiting in long attraction/bus lines. We would rent a car. We have been to WDW many many times, even Madelyn has been once but she was only 1 year old at that time and hadn't been diagnosed. Any advice you might have would be very helpful! Thank you.

 

[spotdog]

Just wanted to bump up your post.

This is a good board for connecting with parents of children struggling with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. All of us here love Disney.

 

[Tissa]

I think it would be ok especially if this is the only time for a family vacation. I took my autistic ds for his first trip back in 04 during spring break. It was a little overwhelming for him at first. He was nervous about getting on the busses,monorail etc. We made the mistake of taking him on Buzz Lightyear and he tried to jump out several times.

The rental strollers were great because they are kind of enclosed and he felt safe in there so that's where he stayed most of the time. He also slept a lot more than he usually does, I guess it took a lot out of him. I really thought he had a terrible time so I didn't take him with us on our last trip and when we got back all he did was look at the pictures and notice he wasn't in them. He can't talk but the look on his face told me he really wanted to go so were are all going back in October.

Just take it slow and look into getting a GAC for helping with the wait issue.
Good Luck!

 

[Disneylvr]

Madelyn is so good about sitting down on rides, as long as they keep moving. I think her only issue would be waiting in long lines without anything to keep her interest. Of course that would be an issue for anyone her age but it is worse with an autistic child. We plan to bring small toys, snacks etc... And make use of Fast Pass as much as possible. I need to learn more about the GAC. Can it really cut down on the wait issue?

 

[rlovew]

I would also suggest stopping by guest services and seeing if they can do anything for you, sometimes they can do things about the oines I believe and they may allow you to do something like the baby swap while 1 parent stands in line the other can stay with her and then she could join you later. I know they do their best to help.

On the other hand I just heard a very touching story about a child with autism. She was visiting the Turtle Talk attraction and was severely autistic but she tlked with crush. A CM saw her mother with tears streaming doiwn her cheeks on the way out and asked if she had gotten hurt or something (he was wondering if she had tripped) and she said that her daughter was serverely autistic and that talking with crush was one of the only times her mother had heard her communicate. The CM closed doiwn the attraction and gave the family a private 20 minutes with Crush. That's just one example of Disney doing what they can to make the majic happen for everyone.

 

[Disneylvr]

I would also suggest stopping by guest services and seeing if they can do anything for you, sometimes they can do things about the oines I believe and they may allow you to do something like the baby swap while 1 parent stands in line the other can stay with her and then she could join you later. I know they do their best to help.

On the other hand I just heard a very touching story about a child with autism. She was visiting the Turtle Talk attraction and was severely autistic but she tlked with crush. A CM saw her mother with tears streaming doiwn her cheeks on the way out and asked if she had gotten hurt or something (he was wondering if she had tripped) and she said that her daughter was serverely autistic and that talking with crush was one of the only times her mother had heard her communicate. The CM closed doiwn the attraction and gave the family a private 20 minutes with Crush. That's just one example of Disney doing what they can to make the majic happen for everyone.

I have heard so many wonderful stories just like this one about children on the spectrum in WDW. That is why we really want to make this trip happen. It has been a rough year for all of us. Thank you for sharing.

 

[flynnmnstr]

Each vacation was a new experience. Definitely take is slow and easy and she what she tolerates and what she can't. For example, Alex is a roller coaster junkie at home (my parents have a place on the Jersey shore two minutes away from the boardwalk), but has a tough time with the coasters at Disney because of the theming. There were some trips, especially when he was younger, that he did pretty much did anything and everything (yes lines were always tough, especially when we didn't know about GACs) as he's gotten older he'e gotten more aware and therefore more scared of certain things. We've realized that its not so much the line and waiting its the transition from the stroller to the line, he gets tired easily (low tone) and sensory overload from the people and theming in the lines. We now get the GAC so that we can use his stroller in the line and it is a much better experience.

If she has difficulty witht the rides remember there is so much more to do at Disney. One of our favorite afternoons during our trip last March was Alex playing with another little boy at the water playground in Epcot while my 5 month old slept in the stroller and my husband had run over to the Margueritta stand. We sat on the bench and relaxed for over an hour. Unheard of in our household.

 

[DisneyDreams4P&B]

We have taken our autistic son 6 and our Sensory Intergration Disorder Son 3, I cannot begin to tell you what wonderful experiences we had. From beginning to end the kids surprised us, the CM's were wonderful and the week was filled with Magic. Our GAC was gold to us and I am sure prevented many meltdowns. The best advice I can give you is do you homework, buy the Unoffical Guide to WDW and study it, learn the parks, the best way to avoid crowds and where bathrooms, etc. are. A bit of planning before hand will help you have the trip of your dreams like we did. Our son's made HUGE strides from talking more, to swimming across the pool by the end of our last trip (still had vests on but we no longer afraid of the water). Don't be afraid to take a break in the middle of the day to rest and relax. It gives the kids a time to "desensitize". Please let me know if there is any advice I can give you to help make your trip less stressful for you..remember it is your vacation too.

 

[Disneylvr]

All of your answers have convinced me to go ahead and book a trip! We are staying at Port Orleans Riverside. I hope they will let us have a Bayou room with a trundle bed. DD has issues with big beds.

 

[AJKMOM]

Our autistic DS, age 17, has been to WDW 11 times. Are we nuts? you might ask. He loves it there, would go in a heartbeat, and shows improvement with every visit. Use the FastPass, and Guest Assistance Card to the best of your ability, and ignore anyone who might give you a dirty look because you aren't waiting in line or your child has a melt down. It will be crowded, so maybe try a hand-holder. Pin your name and cell phone number to her back where she can't see it, but in case she gets away from you. If you get a chance, scroll thru the DIS because there are a lot of posts about autism and how to have a great vacation with an autistic child.

 

[Nik's Mom]

We have an autistic ds (will be 7 in May) who has been to WDW 3 times, and a ds with Sensory Integration Disorder (will be 4 in May) who has been 2 times. I can't stress enought how important the stroller will be. It was my son's safety zone when the crowds were too much for him. For us, the hotel is extremely important too. When the parks were getting to ds, we could go to our nice, relaxing hotel.

I believe you are picking a great hotel in POR. We stayed there for our honeymoon and found the grounds to be beautiful! We ON our last trip in May, we took the kids on a carriage ride there. It was only $30 a 30 minute ride and the kids loved it!

On a side note, DisneyDreams4P&B I can relate to you. My youngest ds was just diagnosed with SID. We just had his IEP on Wednesday and of course we are heart-broken to now have 2 special needs children.
DH is being very supportive and is encouraging me to plan our next WDW trip to keep my mind busy instead of sitting around feeling sorry for us.