? about an autistic child.......

[sarahlovesmickey]

My daughter has a very difficult time waiting in long lines. She will be 3 in December. I believe that she is autistic; however, she is not diagnosed at this point. My question is does Disney have special accomodations for this? Would we have to bring all of our paperwork regarding all of her testing and diagnosis? Thank you for your response.

 

[pokemon_master]

I haven't a clue whether Disney do accomdate for this, but my advice would be to bring lots of fun stuff to do while in line then hand over to a steward as you go onto a ride. That way she should be happy while queuing up, as I hear this works for other things too.

Definitely would research into this. It may be one to look out for.

 

[IncredibleMom]

I have 2 with HFAutism

My DD7 is "all about the RULES" and can basically occupy herself "playing movies in her head" infinatley

However...
My DS5, while not nearly as "autistically minded" (he has more understanding of other people and he makes more natural conversation), he has many more physical problems than his sister (apraxia, very overwhelmed by noise, crowds, lights, smells, etc. - he either melts down or stims his little head off) would not have been able to tolerate a day in a park without our trusty GAC -the Guest Assistance Card

You can get the card at guest relations in any of the 4 theme parks. I actually forgot our letters of diagnosis (left them in the copy machiene at home), and when I began to explain the situation to the CM in Town Hall at the MK, she took one look at my kids (stimming their heads off, of course! ) and wrote the pass!

Without that card, we wouldn't have been able to see/do 1/2 as much and we would have not lasted 1/2 the day.

We were able to do 2-3 attractions in a row then take a break at a playground/resturant and repeat.

I'm usually into "toughing it out" and I've made alot of progress pushing them to face their issues/fears just to their thresholds (without going too far and really upsetting them); but, I'd rather them just be able to have fun!

With the GAC, the trip actually IMPROVED his function (serious sensory integration therapy), whereas without GAC he would have been more stressed out than before!

I thank Disney sooooo much for this as we really wouldn't be able to go without it!

Just take whatever documentation you have and explain the situation, that your DD just doesn't have an "official" diagnosis, yet; I don't see why this wouldn't work.

Hope this helps,
IncredibleMom

 

[ducklite]

Please keep in mind that the GAC is not a "no line pass."

For rides with FP, they want you to just utlize that convenience to reduce wait times.

Rides without FP they will generally allow you to use the "back door" which is how they load those in wheelchairs. You will still be in a line behind anyone with a wheelchair, and because there are fewer accessible cars than regular ones, it could actually be an even longer wait if there are a lot of disabled people in line ahead of you.

In all honesty, for those with this type of issue the best bet is to visit WDW during the slowest times of the year, and utlize EMH and FP to the fullest advantage. With that strategy, you'll rarely need to wait in line more than a few minutes. Keep in mind that NO three year old does lines well, and all parents of toddlers need to be prepared with strategies geared towards that particular child to keep their child occupied in a line. Many parents of AS kids have found that getting a GAC that allows them to use a stroller as a wheelchair works wonders. It gives the child their space, and by throwing a blanket over the top it can help drown out a lot of stimulation.

Anne

 

[cinda-wella]

To be on the safe side , I would bring some kind of letter from the dr- even a simple script that says pdd or whatever. Just in case your dd is having a 'good' day, and it's not 'visible' your dd has a problem or whatever at the moment. I know myself personally I wouldn't want to chance it, as pp said- I NEED the stroller as a wheelchair option on my GAC or the trip just isn't going to happen.

Have Fun!

me dh ds 11 ds 8 dd 2

Less than 2 weeks before we go on our trip to WDW!!!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

To be on the safe side , I would bring some kind of letter from the dr- even a simple script that says pdd or whatever. Just in case your dd is having a 'good' day, and it's not 'visible' your dd has a problem or whatever at the moment.

I would disagree with this statement for two reasons.

One is that Guest Relations are not allowed to ask to see any sort of doctor's letter, and many of the people there will not even want to read it if offered.

The other, is that even bringing a letter having a diagnoses is useless. Especially where a child may be on the Autism "spectrum", anything you might bring or discuss should involve the needs and not the diagnoses.

And a GAC is, in a way an insurance policy, to be used only when it is actually needed. You can get one at any of the park Guest Relations offices, and it will be good for all four parks for your length of stay.

 

[hawkjoel]

My 4 year old daughter is Autistic. Her problem is with crowds and people, noises don't seem to bother her. When there are too many people she tells me that "it's too busy", and starts to shut down. With the rides she responds well because she enjoys the motion they offer.

Because he also has a severe peanut allergy and a mild case of asthma, we have to take medication with us everywhere. We obtained a letter from our doctor to cover the medicine for taking it on the plane. With that she also explained, in the letter, about the autism. When we arrived at the MK, I went to guest relations with letter in hand and asked if they do anything to accomodate her. I was given a Guest Assistance Card that had stamped on it that we could go into an alternative entrance if one was available. I never had a problem with Guest Relations. I showed them the letter because my daughter was outside with my wife and son. They were cordial and polite.

The card was a god send. We went in September and the crowds were less, but it allowed us to keep moving rather than move, wait, move, wait, move, wait. My son wanted to go on some rides two or three times (He's 6), but we told him that it wasn't fair to everyone else that we do that, and there are a lot of other rides to go on.

We only had two incidents with the card and other guests. One was a group from Mexico who's chaperon keep telling me that the line for "regular" guests was on the other side. I politely said to him each time, "Yes, I know."

The other was at Test Track when a 10 year and his brother attempted to cut in line. I looked at him, and before I could look for his parents, his mother and father were dragging him back to there family. The boy was yelling that he was sick and he had the card that he deserved to go to the head of the line. (He had a Make a Wish t-shirt on) His mother informed him that everyone in that line had one of those cards and he wasn't anything special in this line.

If there isn't a special entrance the Cast Member will put you in a secluded area for you to wait while they load riders. This was great as well. The ride that does this is Peter Pan. You still have a little bit of a line, but it is not bad. For Playhouse Disney at MGM it was a totally different entrance that had no one else there. Most of the other rides put you in the Fast Pass Lane. Expect some waits regardless of being in a Fast Pass line. Splash Mountain and Soaring were two that I remember that we waited, and coincidentally they were the two my daughter liked the best.

I hope this helps.

 

[cinda-wella]

I would disagree with this statement for two reasons.

One is that Guest Relations are not allowed to ask to see any sort of doctor's letter, and many of the people there will not even want to read it if offered.

The other, is that even bringing a letter having a diagnoses is useless. Especially where a child may be on the Autism "spectrum", anything you might bring or discuss should involve the needs and not the diagnoses.



I was just trying to help. By all means, bring a letter that discusses your NEEDS , instead of a dx. WHATever. My point was - if your trip depends on having special help , its a good idea to bring SOMETHING to back you up.

Geez.

 

[phillybeth]

I was just trying to help. By all means, bring a letter that discusses your NEEDS , instead of a dx. WHATever. My point was - if your trip depends on having special help , its a good idea to bring SOMETHING to back you up.

Geez.

What you are not understanding is they WON'T look at a letter. You as the parent need to be able to CLEARLY state what accomodation your child needs. People with autism vary in their needs- so a letter from a doctor saying "Austism" means nothing to Guest Services. One child with autism may need a quiet place to wait, another might need to use a stroller as a wheelchair. It's not the diagnosis, it's the accomodation.

 

[hawkjoel]

The letter I brought had the diagnosis as well as the needs.

I brought it to help with the process. If they didn't read the letter, they sure fooled me.

 

[cinda-wella]

What you are not understanding is they WON'T look at a letter. You as the parent need to be able to CLEARLY state what accomodation your child needs. People with autism vary in their needs- so a letter from a doctor saying "Austism" means nothing to Guest Services. One child with autism may need a quiet place to wait, another might need to use a stroller as a wheelchair. It's not the diagnosis, it's the accomodation.

They looked at my letter .
I am very pleased Disney ACCOMADATED my son's needs , NOT the diagnosis.

Feel better?

 

[bopper]

Don't most 3 year olds have a tough time waiting in a long line?
Plan your trips during non-busy times as they are still young and use those Fast Passes!

 

[IncredibleMom]

Don't most 3 year olds have a tough time waiting in a long line?
Plan your trips during non-busy times as they are still young and use those Fast Passes!

Obviously this person does NOT have a child with autism...

Here's an idea:

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CHILD WITH AUTISM YOU HAVE NO PLACE REPLYING TO THE OP...
MYOB!

Geez

-IncredibleMom

 

[SueM in MN]

Disagreeing with someone is one thing - being rude, disrespectful of others or ridiculing their experience is another.

I hate to close a thread just because people are being rude, but I will if I need to. Most people are trying to be helpful. Even though some of you may not agree with the advice they are giving, it may be helpful to someone else. A rude reply does not help anyone and rude replies are not welcome here.

Now, regarding the original question:
If you check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread, you will find one section of it that talks about GACs (Guest Assistance Cards).

It is true that you don't need a letter. The CMs are not allowed to ask for or require one and many of the CMs will not want to read it if you do show it to them.
Some people do feel more confident though asking for a GAC if they have a letter. If you do, that's fine, as long as you are aware that the CM may not read it. As some of you mentioned, the CM did read your letter, but not all CMs do.

People have posted in the past that they have made a special visit to the doctor to get a letter (and paid for the visit) and the CM did not even look at it. That is the reason that people have posted on this thread that you don't need a letter. They are trying to save you some time and money.

The advice about the parent being able to state the child's needs also came from experience that posters have written and things some of us have experienced. Some people have also posted in the past that they took a letter from the doctor that basically said "My patient, _______, has autism. Please extend him every courtesy to avoid waiting in lines." The parents showed the letter to the CM and then were upset because the CM asked what needs the child had and the parent wasn't prepared to discuss needs.

Last, a 3 yr old child with autism is still a 3 yr old child. Many of the things that parents with small children do to avoid long waits in line are just as helpful for children with autism as for children without autism.
Sometimes very small things, like the time you go to the park makes a big difference. Even during busy times like Easter, going to MK right away when the park opens means short lines. If you go at the right time, you can go on most of the rides in Fantasyland with less than 10 minute wait.
At AK, going late in the day means you might be able to walk right on.

 

[ducklite]

Obviously this person does NOT have a child with autism...

Here's an idea:

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CHILD WITH AUTISM YOU HAVE NO PLACE REPLYING TO THE OP...
MYOB!

Geez

-IncredibleMom

You are very out of line. I don't have a child with autism and I replied, and I think offered some really good advice.

And for what it's worth, it is absolutely a fact that most three year olds--disabled or not--have problems with lines, and being nasty with someone for stating facts is pretty rude.

It seems that the person who should MYOB is you. If the OP has a problem with someone's reply on their thread, I'm sure they will either respond to that person, or ask a mod to intervene.

Anne

 

[SueM in MN]

Please, no more comments about the rude comments that were made by some rude posters on this thread. I agree with what ducklite posted, but this could just go on and on if people start going down this road.

Now the warning: If your idea of 'fun on the internet' is trying to think up the perfect 'zinger' to ridicule, belittle, make fun or whatever other negative word you can think of, go have fun somewhere else. Those kinds of comments and behavior are not welcome here.
I usually don't edit them out because they say much more about the person who posted them than they say about the person/advice they were posted about.
Before you hit the 'submit' button, think "would I want someone posting this about me?" If the answer is no, then don't post it.
Even if you don't care what people post about you, if it's rude, snarky or otherwise questionable, don't post it.

I have never banned or suspended anyone, but remember when you post, you are a guest in our virtual living room and if you are annoying or abusing the other guests, you will be asked to leave.

 

[IncredibleMom]

Don't most 3 year olds have a tough time waiting in a long line?

Obviously this person does NOT have a child with autism...

Here's an idea:

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CHILD WITH AUTISM YOU HAVE NO PLACE REPLYING TO THE OP...
MYOB!

Geez

-IncredibleMom

UGH...

My intensions were to DEFEND not to OFFEND.
To whomever was offended by my comment, I apologize.

I admit that statement should have been "If you don't have anything positive to contribute OR you dont have a child with autism..."

My I took the liberty of "defending" the OP (and other parents of children with Autism) because the feeling I got from the 1st quote I quoted is the same feeling I get from the looks/comments I've personally experienced while using the Guest Assistance Card with my autistic children.

-IncredibleMom

 

[Schmeck]

The other was at Test Track when a 10 year and his brother attempted to cut in line. I looked at him, and before I could look for his parents, his mother and father were dragging him back to there family. The boy was yelling that he was sick and he had the card that he deserved to go to the head of the line. (He had a Make a Wish t-shirt on) His mother informed him that everyone in that line had one of those cards and he wasn't anything special in this line.

I thought MAW kids did get a 'front of the line pass' - that they're the only ones who do pass by those with a GAC? Or perhaps the t-shirt was from a different trip?