A Halloween Adventure in Autism (11/7) Prayer Request for Catie (p.129)

[irish dancer]

Ooooohhhh! Am I really first!! Yes!

We've had good and bad servers at 50sPTC too, it's so much more fun when they are good!

Uh oh, I hope Billy makes it to Fantasmic! I bet you're on your way to VOLM!

 

[MomToAp1699]

I love the picture of moms kitchen you took.. My grandmother has that exact same counter island and cabinets in her kitchen..
Sorry to see Billy wasn't feeling well.. I was the sick one on our trip..I had a cold the whole dang visit to The World..
It seems like overall the trips go pretty smooth for Billy.. Is that mostly that you are planned so well or are there meltdown moments you just deal with as part of the game? Alex had a really hard time despite the fact that he loved it.. he was very overwhelmed and cried a lot.. Part of it was the people I think ( he gets very heart racing anxious when there are lots of big people around. Since he is such a little guy being surrounded by big people means he has butts in his face a lot.. ) I felt so bad cause there where a couple times when he said he just wanted to leave and go home.. We kept him there because we know he would have been heartbroken to have left and missed the things he wanted to see.. He doesn't even remember the bad moments now but geesh.. I do worry about a repeat in October.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear Billy was getting sick... but I'm glad to hear your experience at First Aid was a good one! I always carry medicine & whatnot with us... it's good to know I don't always have to do that. We like the orange medicine too! In fact, Zach had some this morning for his loose tooth that was hurting him.

I hope Billy made it through Fantasmic!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Oh, I hope Billy was just worn down from the excitement of the day and wasn't getting sick! I know he had his heart set on seeing Fantasmic! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him!!!

 

[KathyRN137]

Ooooohhhh! Am I really first!! Yes!

We've had good and bad servers at 50sPTC too, it's so much more fun when they are good!

Uh oh, I hope Billy makes it to Fantasmic! I bet you're on your way to VOLM!

Ah-Ha... you must've caught that little clue!

It seems like overall the trips go pretty smooth for Billy.. Is that mostly that you are planned so well or are there meltdown moments you just deal with as part of the game? Alex had a really hard time despite the fact that he loved it.. he was very overwhelmed and cried a lot.. I do worry about a repeat in October.

Well, first of all, he does seem to handle things a lot better as he gets older. We would never have attempted staying all day in the parks on our first few trips... we always broke after lunch and went back to the resort for a "forced nap!" And we do still have our moments... I thought he was going to drive us crazy with his stimming at the parade... but we've learned how to cope.

There are lots of little out of the way "quiet areas" around the parks and resorts where you can retreat and regroup if going back to the resort for a break isn't do-able...including the first aid stations!

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear Billy was getting sick... but I'm glad to hear your experience at First Aid was a good one! I always carry medicine & whatnot with us... it's good to know I don't always have to do that. We like the orange medicine too...

I had some with us, but I keep it in the room because I don't want it spilling inside my bag! Just wait... I will have more to say about motrin coming soon!


Kathy

 

[KathyRN137]

Oh, I hope Billy was just worn down from the excitement of the day and wasn't getting sick! I know he had his heart set on seeing Fantasmic! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him!!!

Hey, you snuck in there!

Heart, mind, body.... everything he had was set on seeing that show!


Kathy

 

[AmandaSparks730]

Poor Billy! I hope he felt better after that.

The First Aid stations at WDW are really quite nice, aren't they? I went there once, due to a bug bite in the MK that went awry, and the nurses were nice.

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Oh I really hope the orange medicine did its thing.

Too funny about Tricia and Catie's excitement over the shared bathrooms.

 

[KathyRN137]

Poor Billy! I hope he felt better after that.

The First Aid stations at WDW are really quite nice, aren't they? I went there once, due to a bug bite in the MK that went awry, and the nurses were nice.

Eww, sounds itchy! Hope it helped...

Oh I really hope the orange medicine did its thing.

Too funny about Tricia and Catie's excitement over the shared bathrooms.

You'd think it was a regular Disney attraction or something!


Kathy

 

[WDWisOurHappyPlace]

Fun update Kathy! Sounds like Primetime was a success.

My daughter, 17, isn't diagnosed autistic, but I really think she is in the spectrum. When you mentioned Billy was fixated on seeing Spectromagic, I totally understood. We have to watch what we talk about in front of my daughter, because it sticks! She has overcome so many of her "sensory" problems at Disneyworld. It seems that every trip, she confronts something new that she had a problem with before. One of the reasons we love Disneyworld!

Now Kathy, I thought you were the perfect Diser.......until you mentioned that you do NOT carry a thermometer around with you! You've shattered my image of you!

 

[MomToAp1699]

Ah-Ha... you must've caught that little clue!




Well, first of all, he does seem to handle things a lot better as he gets older. We would never have attempted staying all day in the parks on our first few trips... we always broke after lunch and went back to the resort for a "forced nap!" And we do still have our moments... I thought he was going to drive us crazy with his stimming at the parade... but we've learned how to cope.

There are lots of little out of the way "quiet areas" around the parks and resorts where you can retreat and regroup if going back to the resort for a break isn't do-able...including the first aid stations!

Kathy

I am hoping age will be a factor for increased calm in the park for us this year.. Alex is 11 now but he will be 3 months shy of 12 when we get to Orlando. He was just over 8 when we went last time.. Which puts his emotional age at about 5. So that could have been a lot of the problem. Which means his emotional age should be around 8-9 this time so maybe I am worrying myself too much.
We did attempt to go back to the room and do a calm down period at least 2 of the days but I think it actually wound him more cause he had to go back into the experience after calming down from it.. he has little things to keep his hands busy when we are waiting and we will def be using them this trip.

 

[Poolrat]

Fun update Kathy! Sounds like Primetime was a success.

My daughter, 17, isn't diagnosed autistic, but I really think she is in the spectrum. When you mentioned Billy was fixated on seeing Spectromagic, I totally understood. We have to watch what we talk about in front of my daughter, because it sticks! She has overcome so many of her "sensory" problems at Disneyworld. It seems that every trip, she confronts something new that she had a problem with before. One of the reasons we love Disneyworld!

My daughter now 19 is the same way. Mostly she is called stubborn but it fixation. This is also the child who could catch a lizard in a split second. Quickest reaction time around. Sometimes it is good to fixate. We are trying to use it for good and not evil. Now if could only convince the neurologist this is not ADD we can move forward successfully.

 

[KathyRN137]

My daughter, 17, isn't diagnosed autistic, but I really think she is in the spectrum. When you mentioned Billy was fixated on seeing Spectromagic, I totally understood. We have to watch what we talk about in front of my daughter, because it sticks....

It seems that every trip Billy "fixates" on a few things... one year it was Hall of Presidents, last year it was Fantasmic! At least he wasn't as rigid as the year he wanted to do every attraction in a certain order!

Now Kathy, I thought you were the perfect Diser.......until you mentioned that you do NOT carry a thermometer around with you! You've shattered my image of you!

I know, I know.

I am hoping age will be a factor for increased calm in the park for us this year... We did attempt to go back to the room and do a calm down period at least 2 of the days but I think it actually wound him more cause he had to go back into the experience after calming down from it.. he has little things to keep his hands busy when we are waiting and we will def be using them this trip.

I'm actually considering bringing along Billy's ipod next time... it has been a big help to him on the schoolbus.

My daughter now 19 is the same way. Mostly she is called stubborn but it fixation. This is also the child who could catch a lizard in a split second. Quickest reaction time around. Sometimes it is good to fixate....

I tease Ed that Billy (and Tricia) get their "stubborness" from him!

One of the funniest things Billy does is to try to put words in my mouth when I tell him he cannot have something...

Mom, I want a cookie, please!

No, Billy, you can't have a cookie now.

Yes, you can have a cookie!

I said, no, Billy. You can't have a cookie.

I have an idea! You can have a cookie!


(Just try not to laugh when your child is saying this...I'll bet you can't!)


Kathy

 

[Mickey_Mom]

I have an idea! You can have a cookie!


(Just try not to laugh when your child is saying this...I'll bet you can't!)

Ariana would say, "Rescue the cookie!"

 

[Poolrat]

I tease Ed that Billy (and Tricia) get their "stubborness" from him!

One of the funniest things Billy does is to try to put words in my mouth when I tell him he cannot have something...

Mom, I want a cookie, please!

No, Billy, you can't have a cookie now.

Yes, you can have a cookie!

I said, no, Billy. You can't have a cookie.

I have an idea! You can have a cookie!


(Just try not to laugh when your child is saying this...I'll bet you can't!)


Kathy

I used to get the cold stare and then I had to wait for the repeated attempts I know where she got her stubborness from. i used to tell her " you may be stubborn but you got it from me and you only got half. I got the whole thing"

 

[MaryAz]

Good updates! Rude people make me mad! Sorry the food at 50's was not all that great. Hope Billy makes it through Fantasmic!

 

[MomToAp1699]

I'm actually considering bringing along Billy's ipod next time... it has been a big help to him on the schoolbus.

I plan on bringing mine with games loaded up for him.. we plan to get him one for Christmas or his birthday but those of course fall after Disney and I don't want to get him such a costly gift for no occasion.

 

[MEK]

Great update Kathy. I am sorry to hear that Billy was not feeling so great after dinner. I hope he starts to feel better soon! At least he knows just what to ask for when he is feeling under the weather.

Sorry your pot roast was less than stellar. I agree that it is hard to eat at PTC when you are not really hungry. I hope you get to see Fantasmic!

 

[All7OfUs]

Loved your update, as usual. Always something fun going on in your touring! Too funny that the girls thought the shared bathroom was the most interesting thing since the Fantasyland expansion announcement.

Hope this little 99 doesn't turn into anything more!!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Hey, you snuck in there!
Kathy

I can be pretty sneaky sometimes.......