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ADHD help

Payne family

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 1, 2003
I am new to this, so be patient, please. I have a 7yo with ADHD. He is mostly controlled w/ concerta. We are going to WDW in June, and I am wondering if he is eligable for the guest with disabilities pass? It would sure help as I am sure lines will be long and his patience short. Please give advice. :confused: :confused:
 
Hi! Welcome to the DIS!
I have not had any personal experience with this yet, but I saw a thread about it a while back. Be prepared for the possiblity of negative comments,as many people do not understand that living with an ADHD child does change what you are able to do.
That said, I have heard that you can get a pass if you have a doctors note. I have a 7yo that has severe ADHD and a few other problems including PTSD and ODD (results of a tumultuous childhood in an abusive home and the foster care system. We have had him for about 4 months and are adopting him) I spoke to his psychiatrist about this very situation today and he told me that it is very likely he will not be able to handle lines and he wrote me a note for him. I am planning on using it only if necessary.
Don't let people tell you it is not a real disability, because it does impair the child's ability to participate in normal life activities. Including a typical trip to WDW. You might want to call WDW to find out for sure. I know that a lot of people feel differently about this, but this is my opinion on the matter and the only info I have about it.
 
For planes ,lines, long car drives, one thing that seems to help are Gameboys. It focus's their attention to the game and makes waiting easier. Gameboys seem to have a calming affect on ADHD children as it can stimulate their minds in a way that TV can't.

I'm a parent who has watched several young boys with ADHD grow to Adulthood. The ones allowed to play video game seemed to be able to better handle everyday life. The games help to teach them to focus and learn problem solving in a way teachers and parents aren't able to reach.

I have a ADD Dd. Which is a whole different set of problems. But don't dispare these kids grow up to be hard workers and own their own busness's.

Tyr to keep home life as calm as possible. Pick your battles carefully only the thing that you can not life with. Advacate as Strongly as you can for them at school. Use all your communities resources to get Education for them.

I hope this helps.
 
We are going to WDW in June, and I am wondering if he is eligable for the guest with disabilities pass?
What you are asking about is a Guest Assistance Card (we abbreviate it here as GAC, to save on typing all that). It used to be called a Guest Assistance Pass, but they changed the name a few years ago because people thought a Pass meant they would get instant access to rides without waiting. It is not meant to (and often won't) shorten your wait in line, but it will give you a more appropriate place to wait (like somewhere out of the regular line with less distraction). Someone who has a wheelchair may not not a GAC because most of the lines are accessible and the CMs can see the wheelchair and know what to do. The GAC is a way to let CMs know what sorts of assistance someone needs if they have invisible disabilities (or more than just needing wheelchair accessible access).
You request the card from Guest Services at any of the parks. Bring your child with you and be prepared to explain what difficulties you need assistance with. Not all GACs have the same wording; they are individualized to what the person's needs are. A doctor note is not necessary, but can be helpful with invisible disabilities. The CMs are not medical people though, so have the doctor keep the note short and in English, not medical terms (I am a nurse, so I am fluent in "Medical", but the CMs are lay people and really won't understand or need to have 2 pages of medical diagnosis - I have seen people who have a big enough file with them to be their entire medical record). GACs are issued for your entire length of stay and the same GAC is valid for all parks. The GAC will usually be issued for the person with a disability plus up to 5 members of their party.

To use the GAC, show it to the first CM that you come to at a ride. You will be asked to use the GAC sparingly - using fastpass if available and just waiting in the line as usual if the line is short or your child is in a really mellow period. We do get a GAC for our DD, but even when we have gone during Easter/Spring break, some days we don't need the GAC at all. Just having it though does help (sort of like insurance - even if you don't use it, it gives you peace of mind to have it).
The CMs at the status board (where they list show times and wait times for each attraction at each park) can be very helpful in knowing when to go to a specific area to avoid a wait. Sometimes the ride that has an hour wait in the early morning is a 5-10 minute wait later in the day. Even if you do use the GAC earlier in the day, the area will be much more over-stimulating and more hectic at the time when the wait is longer.
This website has a lot of helpful information - especially for touring with kids with autism or ADHD.
 
Thanks to all for your input. We will definitely be taking the gameboy. Strange thing is he has had it for 2 years and is just now interested(more like obsessed) with it. I am not expecting miracles, just hoping we can all have fun. We have 4 children. 11,7,4,2. It should be interesting to see how they all react. It will be their first time(even my DH 1st). I still seem to be the most excited. I can just see them all covering their eyes when I skip into MK! LOL! Thanks again.:smooth:
 
One thing I would recommend and it works very well for our son who takes Concerta.

Ask the doctor for a small prescription of Ritalin for the trip to give your son at 6pm in the evenings.

We don't do this on a regular basis, but do it for special evening activities or when we go on vacation to WDW.

Concerta is only effective for our son for about 11 hours so the evenings can be miserable.

Since your children are younger, being out in the evenings may not be a factor, but my son is 15, so his days are long.
 
Best wishes on your upcoming vacation at WDW. I like the suggestion above of adding a smaller dose of meds .. if needed..
also the game boy is amazing.



I hope you don't mind if I ask another ? on your thread.. please excuse me...

I was wondering about concerta as a med for adhd, I noticed that several of you have experience with it.

DD-13 has severe adhd..dx'd at 3. Has used ritalin and sr ritalin
well for many years.. however we are at the MAX dosages for her size and age.. she currently takes.. 20 sr and10 reg in am, 20 reg at noon and if there is alot of homework another 10 reg in the late afternoon... I know that may seem like alot but she still is starting to " break thru" at about 11am and at 3 or 4pm if she does not take the extra 10 in the afternoon.. she does not "veg'
but does have decreased appetite.. we let her eat when she is hungry..

We did a trial with adderrall a few years ago.. she had terrible episodes with that med.. depression, anxiety and some other wierd things... so back on the ritalin she went..

Please understand we are fortunate as she is not aggressive or compulsive with her ADHD.. however she is EXTREMELY hyperkinetic and unable to focus at all without meds..

So anyone who can tell me the good, the bad and the ugly about their experiences with concerta will sure ly be appreciated!

Thanks!
 


Our 11 year old son has ADHD (and some other issues) and we have attended WDW yearly since he was 6. The waiting in lines was never an issue for us. There is so much activity taking place at the parks between the crowds and sites that waiting in line was not a problem. The line ques usually have plenty of stimulation and we filled in the gaps with other distractions i.e. I Spy game, hand clapping games. Our biggest problem was sometimes he became over stimulated which prompted very undesireable behavior. We knew during those times we needed down time. My best advise is be flexible and don't count on keeping to a strict schedule. Use fast pass when available. Have a wonderful trip!
 

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