A question and an intro

[Jenifer76]

Hello! This is my first post here so please go easy on me.

We are planning a family trip to Disneyland in April of this year. I thought my son (8) would be thrilled but he does not.want.to.go. He has Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD and an anxiety disorder. We vacation often including amusement parks but have never done Disney.

Any tips on hyping up the trip? His only (stated) concern was the characters in costume to which I told him we would avoid as best we could.

(Of course, my daughter (5) is THRILLED to meet Tinker Bell and the princesses. )

 

[peemagg]

If you haven't got one already, get one of the free DVD's from Disney. Maybe you could have it mailed in his name. That might get him excited about it especially if he thinks it came from Mickey to him.

 

[preschoolmom]

Ahhh, the first trip, LOL... My son sounds a lot like yours. We suffered through our first trip when he had just turned five. Now he knows what to expect (and we know some of what to avoid - It's a Small World is too loud, go figure ).

It will be easy to avoid the characters. Especially if there will be two adults to divide and conquer (how we handle my girls meeting Ariel while my son goes on the Tomorrowland Speedway three times, LOL)

I would recommend DVRing (if possible) all the Disney shows on the Travel Channel. That might help give your son an idea of what to expect at the parks. You can also look for ride videos on U-Tube, get him a planning book like the Unofficial Guide to read about the different attractions...

We talked to my son a lot about Mickey Ice Cream, and as SOON as we walked into our Resort, he asked for (and we found!) Mickey Ice Cream... I'd find one (or more) things he is excited about, and then plan for them. Give him an itinerary to look at.

Good Luck!

 

[Jenifer76]

Thank you for the great advice!

He did get excited about something at Sea World (we are going there too) so I need to find something at Disney that is equally enticing.