ADVICE Pls! 12yo DS inpatient at ped psych unit and trip coming up soon.....

[Anything]

Hi, looking for tips or advice. My 12yo DS was admitted to inpatient pediatric psychiatric hospital last Thursday for his anxiety etc. We have had a upcoming trip planned for 1 Disney Hopper day and 2 Universal Studios hopper days. He is still in hospital but should be out in a few days. Our trip is less than 2 weeks away. He is still super excited for it and the doctors see no problem with him going. In past trips we have gotten the DAS at both parks for his anxiety and it has worked out well, still a lil stressful but not as bad as with nothing. I just wanna see if there is any way to make it even less stressful. I reached out to Universal and they opened a "case" and recommended he be bumped up to the next level of accessibility assistance. They said they cannot guarantee he will get it but they recommended it, I will inquire about it cause I would hate to wait and see if I know there is more I should have asked for to help him. Disney had no advice really. Anyone have any tips to share? Anything as far as requests I should put in to help maintain his stress levels as low as possible? Thanks!!!!!!

 

[gap2368]

what kinds of thing dose he have problems with. just saying he has anxiety tells un nothing, I know some people that have anxiety about food, and making sure they know what kinds of foods there will be how they will get the foods things like that, then I know some people that have anxiety the first time they do something wether it be a ride or a show and have to know what to expect, and so on. So with out really knowing where his anxiety starts with I really can not make any recordation for you. Other people on this bard maybe able to but I can not.

But for the most part Disney the only thing they do is the DAS, depending on what his problems is the CM at the rides can somethings accomidate things like for a show like caught floor letting you wait in the handicap line even if you do not have any mobility devices. ( so at rides if you think you need something else ask ) You are more then welcomed to talk to the CM at GR about your sons needs and see what else they can do fro you all, but most of the times this is just an extra pixie dust moment that they will do.

I know I got VIP setting for the night time show a few days before the show ended, This was really and exstreamly big Pixie dust moment that really helped me see the show that would have not happened due to my disability.


I would also make good plan for your day if you think it will help your DS out.

 

[lanejudy]

At WDW, you cannot ask for any accommodations in advance; the CM at Guest Relations will assist you in determine what can be offered when you are at the parks. Depending on his needs, the most likely accommodation is the DAS. Unlike Universal, WDW does not offer varying levels of assistance pass. That said, if what is initially offered does not seem to be meeting his needs you should return to Guest Relations to explain exactly why it isn't working for him, they may be able to do something for specific situations. If he has needs at specific rides, it can be worth mentioning to the CMs through the queue and at ride loading. They may be able to assist on a case-by-case basis depending on the request. I'm thinking of things like seat location or extra attention with the safety belts/bars, that kind of thing.

Not knowing his exact anxieties or triggers, it's hard to give more concrete advice. Be prepared for the heat by using cooling towels, large brimmed hat, water breaks (free ice water at the CS locations), alternate shows and rides, take a mid-day break or plan a long table service meal at mid-day. Use ear protection to muffle some of the extra auditory stimulation, sunglasses to block bright lights, bring figits or something for distraction if necessary. Look for hidden mickeys while waiting or allow him to use a cellphone or handheld device with games. Make a general touring plan that keeps you out of the most crowded parks or sections of the park. Be sure to plan your FP+.

This Guide for Guests with Cognitive Disabilities may be helpful for you. It includes some quieter places within the park if he needs a break.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Anything]

Thanks for the great responses! It is hard to tell what "triggers" him. Not knowing what is going to happen and exactly when it will happen does set him off, sometimes having to wait for things the anticipation keys him up too. Sometimes it is a lot of people, sometimes that is ok..... Sorry, no concrete "triggers" besides those. I can tell when it begins though and start to get him to calm and away from event or situation..

 

[gap2368]

if he needs a quiet place first aid is great

maybe let him watch youtube videos of rides so he know what will happen might help.

Mayne get a wheel char and a small umbrella so that he can have a safe place to be, and a favorite game iPhone/ tablet

 

[lanejudy]

Would it help to allow him to "be in charge" of the schedule for the day? Allow him to keep track of when you need to be where for FP+, ADRs, DAS return times, etc. He can do this with his or your cell phone, or print it out on a piece of paper so he can cross each item off when done.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[SMD]

Thanks for the great responses! It is hard to tell what "triggers" him. Not knowing what is going to happen and exactly when it will happen does set him off, sometimes having to wait for things the anticipation keys him up too. Sometimes it is a lot of people, sometimes that is ok..... Sorry, no concrete "triggers" besides those. I can tell when it begins though and start to get him to calm and away from event or situation..

Are you flying or driving a long distance and are those triggers? I recommend exploring all options. Get documentation that he's hospitalized right now and see if this can assist you in getting a refund of anything nonrefundable, most likely airfare, if it comes to that. The sooner you get that possible outcome sorted out, the better off you'll be if it happens.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Thanks for the great responses! It is hard to tell what "triggers" him. Not knowing what is going to happen and exactly when it will happen does set him off, sometimes having to wait for things the anticipation keys him up too. Sometimes it is a lot of people, sometimes that is ok..... Sorry, no concrete "triggers" besides those. I can tell when it begins though and start to get him to calm and away from event or situation..

My DD has autism, and it's anxiety that usually gets the best of her. All the things you listed can be triggers for her as well. Sometimes she's fine with these things and then other times it can set off a meltdown. One thing that helps with the the "not knowing" is a detailed park touring plan. She will put this together, starting almost as soon as the trip is booked, and will modify it up until the day we leave. Luckily, we've done WDW enough that she understands the touring plan is just a guideline and we might need to change it if a ride is down or the line is longer than expected. In the parks, I give her most of the control over what we do and when. If we hit a snag in the plan, we can find someplace out of the way to take a break and discuss alternatives.

Hydration and making sure she doesn't get hungry are really important as well.

 

[cobright]

This might be right out, I don't know your budget issues. But I know that in a couple weeks, school's gonna be out and those parks are going to be packed.

If it were me, I would try for a VIP tour on the day at Disney World. Disney has added some smaller tour packages to this mix including a $200 4 hour tour walking right onto the classic rides in MK and a $300 7 hour tour that includes walking onto rides in MK, Epcot, and DHS (This includes VIP transportation between the parks as well and a restaurant lunch). And yeah, I get it, if there's 3(4) of you we're talking about an extra $600($800) to $900($1200). Which is a LOT of money. On the other hand, you can conceivable get an extra 2-3 full days worth of WDW fun for that $900($1200).

If it were me, I would go this route for day 1 at Disney. Dropping the park hopper will mitigate $55 of the VIP Tour cost. Then I would drop one day at Universal, and spend it doing something chill. Time in the pool. Go to Disney Springs. Go to the beach maybe. Cutting a day at US will save another $75 per person. So the actual net cost per person is $75 or $170 for the VIP tour options. $225($300) or $390($520) for a family of 3(4). Again, that's a lot of dough. But that's 7 hours walking right onto rides during some of the busiest and often very warm days. If it were me, and I needed to make the budget work I would pitch the idea to the family and see if they would consider forgoing some souvenir money to offset the cost a bit as well, even pitch in some saved allowance, maybe have a garage sale.

Again, this is just my take on it. Anxiety is a horrible thing to live with. If a few hundred extra bucks was all it took to manage mine for a vacation I would count it well spent.

I hope you find a solution, good luck.

 

[DisneyOma]

Only one day at WDW, with hoppers? That is very stressful to begin with. What if it pours that day, lightning storm, etc? What if a favorite attraction goes down? You've got to have a plan for all of the above to occur - can he handle all that? Those are things WDW can't fix for you, even with a DAS.