Any Restaurants to Avoid w/ Mild Autistic Son?

[AckermanPartyof6]

Hi Everyone,

We are headed on our first trip in less than 50 days! We have two special needs sons. One is 8 w/mild autism and other is 4 w/ sensory processing disorder. Are there any restaurants you would avoid? Are there any that are a must?

Your help is greatly appreciated!

 

[livndisney]

Hi Everyone,

We are headed on our first trip in less than 50 days! We have two special needs sons. One is 8 w/mild autism and other is 4 w/ sensory processing disorder. Are there any restaurants you would avoid? Are there any that are a must?

Your help is greatly appreciated!

Depending on the child-but you may want to avoid T-Rex, Planet Hollywood and the Rainforest cafes due to flashing lights, dark, noise etc. The exception would be if you can be seated outsite near the water at Rainforest Cafe at DTD. (Watching the boats come in may help keep them entertained)

 

[AJKMOM]

Chef Mickeys can be crazy. My autistic son did not like it at all.

 

[MSSANDRA]

WCC can be over the top loud!

 

[krisnme]

I second the suggestion about rainforest cafe, wayyy too stimulating and the thunder and animal noises were too much for my DD. we like the restaurant in epcot, at Germany (Biergarten?) the sausages and breads are a favorite from the buffet, but be prepared for the live german music, and Mexico has a very soothing cool darkened restaurant, try to get a table where you can watch the boats go by. this is our go-to place when things are getting too overwhelming. have a great trip!

 

[Nissi]

On the other hand, my ASD son who was 3 at the time absolutely loved Rainforest Cafe when we went 2 years ago - Dining out is........not. exactly. his. strong. point. So this coming trip, our only ADR in 11 days is Rainforest...LOL. Sticking with a sure thing. Maybe.

 

[clanmcculloch]

There's a saying "if you know one autistic child then you know one autistic child". Basically that means that no two are alike. What works for one won't necessarily work for another. You need to understand your kids' issues. A child with an ASD and a child with SPD may be a sensory seeker and/or a sensory avoider. In addition, each individual sense can have seeking and/or avoidance issues.

In addition, some ASD kids have issues with proximity to other people while others don't. Some ASD kids have issues with strangers talking to them in any way, some have issues with strangers kidding around with them and others have no issues at all with strangers. This is another aspect that needs to be considered at WDW restaurants because in some restaurants, part of the atmosphere is fun antics from the staff. How will your kids handle antics? How will your kids handle tables close together?

Can your kids sit for a longer meal or do you need quicker ones? Will they sit and watch a show? Really, there are a lot of things to consider and we know nothing about your kids.

If you tell us details of your kids' issues then we'll be in a much better position to offer suggestions specific to your kids' needs.

 

[disneyobessed]

Id say Planet Hollywood.. it is loud and very stimulating..

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Here's the scoop straight from my DS15 who has Asperger's. He was 11 at the time of our WDW trip. He said Planet Hollywood was way too loud and annoying to him. Whipering Canyon was loud, but it was fun so the noise didn't bother him. He liked the Sci-Fi and didn't have any problems with the noise or the movie clips. He loved Chef Mickey's, but not because of the characters (he actually doesn't like them and tries to avoid them). He says he loved the food (he's very picky but loved the breakfast) and loved watching the Monorail even more. We didn't go to the Rainforest at WDW, but we've been to the one at Disneyland several times. He says he never wants to go there again. It's loud, he's scared of thunderstorms, they have creepy fish and the food sucks. So there you have it. The honest, unbiased opinion of a true expert!

 

[toodycat]

I can only tell you what our ASD DS used to reject for dining:
Rainforest Cafe---too much noise and too much going on
Whispering Canyon Cafe---too much yelling
Narcoosee's acoustics were a little too much for him
There's nothing on the menu at Kouzzina or Flying Fish that he likes.
House of Blues is only OK if you don't sit near the band
Spirit of Aloha was too long and Kona Cafe has too much lobby noise.
He never complained about Chef Mickey's, Cape May Cafe or the Crystal Palace. However, he didn't enjoy 1900 Park Fare because the characters were face characters, and therefore, not that interesting.

Favorites were: Pizza Planet, Chef Mickey's, Wolfgang Puck's, the GF Cafe, Jiko, Liberty Tree Tavern, Crystal Palace, Rose and Crown and the Coral Reef.

 

[oscarsmummy]

I second what other have said My DS3 , ASD, he didnt like the following

T-Rex - Loud noises
Rainforest Cafe - Sound Effects too loud
Chef Mickeys - Just too hectic

He did enjoy Crystal Palace , even though it was busy and also The Plaza. He was also really happy at The Wave

 

[Rekenna]

Hi! Our DS3 has autism and is pretty laid back, he really likes places with lots of people to watch. We have done T-Rex twice and I don't think the noise bothers him too bad, but the meteor shower worries him some. He really liked Crystal Palace, Coral Reef and 'Ohana on our last trip.

He does pretty well eating out as long as we don't have to wait too long to get a table. He does okay waiting once we have a table, I'm guessing it's a sequence thing with him. DS3 is currently non-verbal so this is all from our observations.

Coral Reef was probably the best b/c of the large fish tank, even though we didn't have a tank side table he was able to see the fish swimming around (he really likes fish), and the lighting is subdued lending to a somewhat more relaxed atmosphere. Good luck! I hope you guys have a great time!

Added Pic-this is DS3 at our Coral Reef lunch in November, he really liked this place!

 

[Nissi]

My ASD then 3 at Rainforest Cafe. Couldn't have smiled any wider This was also at a time when noise was not his favorite thing, just the sound of the kitchen faucet would cause him to scream and run away. He has gotten much better with noise, in fact he craves it. So if your child doesn't care for loud sounds or unexpected noises, I would go with the rest of the posters and avoid RFC.

 

[christymarie]

Honestly, just be ready to be flexible. We tried to do sit down with our moderate autistic son and it was a train wreck. We learned and now if we want to do a sit down meal we make other arrangements for him or just do CS.

 

[ElizabethG]

There's a saying "if you know one autistic child then you know one autistic child". Basically that means that no two are alike. What works for one won't necessarily work for another.

I love that quote and use it all the time! I agree with this post. I am part of an ASD mom's group where I live and everyone knows I'm a Disney nut, so I help to plan trips if they are going. Some of the kids hate the characters, some love them. My DS loves them. He hates places like Rainforest and wouldn't go into T-Rex last time.

Our favorite character meal was Garden Grill. It is the quietest character meal and you are the most isolated from the other tables. My son loves it now, but I must say he was a little nervous about what he was going to see next (the restaurant rotates around the 'living with the land' ride). I wish I would have brought him on the ride first.

I found it helped to prep him with what was going to happen at each restaurant.

 

[lucigo]

The first time we went to Garden Grill my son, then 5, completely freaked out that the restaurant was moving. I didn't even realize it was moving until he pointed it out! He also didn't like rides, which should have been an indication that he wouldn't like it.

 

[lucigo]

I was just reminded, we stay away from Prime Time. The "fun" antics are great for typical kids but I remember we went when my son was younger. We get through meals with a gameboy, ipod, etc. because he isn't an eater and I had to explain to the waitress that the fun and games weren't for him. Of course she was fine with it, but since then we have just not gone back. I don't think he would get the jokes at all and with the yelling, discipline jokes etc he would want to leave.

 

[Singledad]

Our favorite character meal was Garden Grill. It is the quietest character meal and you are the most isolated from the other tables. My son loves it now, but I must say he was a little nervous about what he was going to see next (the restaurant rotates around the 'living with the land' ride). I wish I would have brought him on the ride first..

oh, awesome tip! I shall have to ride the ride before our garden grill meal if possible. I had planned to skip the ride, but now, I see a reason for it! Thanks!

I was just reminded, we stay away from Prime Time. ... I don't think he would get the jokes at all and with the yelling, discipline jokes etc he would want to leave.

and going with the every kid is different theme, I have read trip reports of others with kids on the spectrum who LOVE 50's prime time. So, of course each child is different.

OP: Both of your children seem old enough to help you with the planning. I used youtube ALOT for my planning. If I saw a place that would be good for us menu wise, I would pull up a video shot inside the restaurant (with actual sound, not some music tossed over it. This is harder for some locations), and after watching it myself, I could throw a few out before bothering my DD about it. (like t-rex, much too noisey and that 'robot' t-rex would leave her a mess.) and then ones I was on the fence about, I showed DD. First I would start talking about our trip to disney, and how we are going to try new places and things, and I would ask her about what would she think about watching a video of a place to eat I am thinking about us trying. if she agreed we would watch it (if she didn't I'd ask again later.) and if it was something she couldn't handle she showed it pretty quickly. if I didn't see any of her normal I am scared/freaked out by this signs, and even if I did sometimes, I would ask her, so do you think you would like to go eat there? do you think you would be okay with xxxx, etc.

I guess I am lucky she is so verbal.

 

[Stellaluna]

I was just reminded, we stay away from Prime Time. The "fun" antics are great for typical kids but I remember we went when my son was younger. We get through meals with a gameboy, ipod, etc. because he isn't an eater and I had to explain to the waitress that the fun and games weren't for him. Of course she was fine with it, but since then we have just not gone back. I don't think he would get the jokes at all and with the yelling, discipline jokes etc he would want to leave.

We had issues with 50s primetime and my Aspie. He knew what to expect going in and we thought he would enjoy it but he didn't even make it to the table before the meltdown started.

I would suggest looking through dining reviews as much as you can to get a feel for the different restaurants. You know your child best and are a much better judge of what might set them off than we could ever be. Will you maybe make a wrong guess or two? Possibly, but it's not the end of the world. You'll still be at Disney!

 

[lilwhiterabbit]

I'm in agreement that it really depends on the kid. My son is mildly autistic and I know he wouldn't be able to handle Rainforest, T-Rex or 50's Prime Time, but that's because I know his issues and what he can tolerate. He loved Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, however, and kept asking if we were going to eat there again. He was fine at Tony's, and Rose & Crown, and most counter-service places, but hated Sunshine Seasons for no discernible reason.

He's also weirded out by "mascot" style characters and wouldn't get anywhere near them, so any sort of character meal (that wasn't face character-related... he was fine with Mary Poppins and Snow White) was right out. However, I'm fairly sure he would have been fine at a dinner show like the Luau or Hoop-de-Doo, despite the noise, because he loves music and dancing.

Like another poster said, you know your children best, so you'll know what they can and can not tolerate.