Anyone have experience with schizoid-affective disorder and DAS?

[Jill&Savannah]

We are travelling with a family member next month that was diagnosed with schizoid-affective disorder two months ago. He spent a whole month in the hospital while the doctor's tried to adjust his medication, and he is doing much better but heavily medicated. He still experiences delusions and has trouble understanding, has a lot of confusion etc., but he has never acted out violently. We have to have a family member with him 24 hours a day and this seems to help. My concern with this trip is that he has to be constantly moving, he slowly paces nonstop. If he is not sleeping, he is pacing. He can't sit down, he can't be still. When put in situations where he can't pace and move about, like a car ride lasting over 30 minutes, he gets very agitated and it seems to make his delusions take hold, and it takes quite a while for him to calm down. Does anyone have experience going to WDW with someone with this type of behavior and speaking to guest services about DAS? I know I can talk to guest services about DAS, but I'm afraid once I tell them this they will ask us to leave the park. Would they hear the word delusions and just assume he's not safe and ban us? Like I said, he's never been violent, but I don't know if they will believe that considering there is such a stigma for people with mental illness.

 

[becd]

I am more than sorry for what your family is dealing with. We have experience with mental illness in our family and I know how stressful it is on everyone involved. Truly I do not think they would ban you without him actually exhibiting violent behavior while there. However, I do have a concern for you - what if he is on a ride that breaks down? This has happened to us many times, sometimes for quite a lengthy time (over 45 minutes on Space Mountain once at the top of the first down , but then got to ride with the lights on, which was a bucket list item for me so no complaints here), especially on the Dark rides. Just a thought so that you can have a plan in place or a way to soothe him if it does happen.

Good luck!

 

[lanejudy]

When requesting a DAS, you should discuss his needs as specifically related to waiting in a standard queue environment. Not his diagnosis. Not how he reacts on the ride (the DAS has no function once you are on the ride).

I agree with above PP that I highly doubt anybody would be banned without cause. They may advise that some rides or shows simply won't be feasible (Carousel of Progress, Ellen's Universe of Energy, The Great Movie Ride, etc.) simply because the ride/show is rather long itself. And that doesn't take into account having a back-up plan if a ride is stopped for any reason. The disABILITIES FAQ thread pinned near the top of this forum has some good details and information specific to some rides. You might find this helpful in planning which attractions will work best for him and your family.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[anonymousegirl]

I think you might rethink the timing of the trip until your family member is more stable and you have a baseline of expectations and behaviors to draw against. You also do not know how some of the physical aspects of the attractions will affect him and his new meds. Unfortunately, you only have a small idea of his triggers and WDW is so loud and stimulating, that a (first) violent outburst could be an outcome. You could try a smaller local theme park first to see how he does, or even take him to a hotel resort nearby to see if he can handle new surroundings.

good luck!

 

[gap2368]

I think you have been given great advice I too think maybe postponing your trip to see if your family member can be come more stable or see what he can or can not handle better ( also therapy can do wonders along with meds) you do not need to say his DX just what he needs in lines if you have a few like 4 family members ( and this can even works with 3) you can creat a buffer in line when he has some room to move ( or past) I find that most people at disney are very nice and if you say my family member needs a little more room then for the most part they give you it so like telling the family behind you in line)

with the DAS card you are still waiting in line I have waited in lines as long at 35 minute with it so it is good to have a plan B even with the DAS card

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I don't think they will ask you to leave. I do think you need to be honest about this family member's ability to handle Walt Disney World at this time. Even with a DAS the family member is going to be waiting 20-30 minutes for various things throughout the day with limited opportunities to pace. There will be waiting for food, bathrooms, entrance to the parks, transportation, and the FP line isn't instant access. If this person is as you described then I think they are going to be stressed beyond their ability to cope given the predicted crowds next month.

 

[wilkeliza]

I'm going to follow the assumption that you can not move this trip or leave this family member at home so if you can not take the advice of pp here are some questions. You do not have to answer any of these questions here but rather questions to think about before your trip so that you can be best prepare.

How much room does your family member need to pace? One of the big things you are going to have to prepare for is that there might still be a wait. If he only needs say 1 ft to pace you can use your party to create a safe zone. If a CM asks you to fill all available space let them know he needs the space. They should understand.

You say he has delusions and agitated. You also state he is non-violent. How do these manifest? Does he just zone out and not move which could become a safety hazard? Does he mumble which would only be a nuisance to some but not any real harm? Does he scream and self harm?

Is this family member a grown adult or a small child?

What does it take to calm him down? When he is "zoned" would you be able to get him on a bus and back to the resort? Would being able to pace be the only need so just getting him outside would help the situation?

Are you off site or on site?

If he has to call it a day is someone willing to end their day to return to the hotel with him?

 

[Jaya]

I once took a friend with anxiety (and a slew of other problems) to Epcot. We were fine until we were riding in Spaceship Earth and the ride stopped. She freaked out and was trying to get out of the car. I was literally laying on top of her with my arms and legs wrapped around her to calm her down and keep her from jumping over the side of the car until the ride started again. It was not a good day. I think we have to face that sometimes going to a place like a Disney park isn't a good idea for everyone.

 

[DisneyOma]

Sometimes there's also a bit of a stop on Splash Mountain as you wait to go up the ramp for the last drop, and after that, when you are going back to the loading area. On Small World, there can be a big back-up at the end as well. Just giving the OP some insight as to what to expect. I wish the family luck and a smooth trip!

 

[Jill&Savannah]

I am more than sorry for what your family is dealing with. We have experience with mental illness in our family and I know how stressful it is on everyone involved. Truly I do not think they would ban you without him actually exhibiting violent behavior while there. However, I do have a concern for you - what if he is on a ride that breaks down?

Thanks for the kind words and bringing this up, it is something we hadn't considered. Will will not be riding anything that has height restrictions or dark/scary as we will have toddlers with us, mainly things like dumbo, magic carpets, ariel, peter pan, character meets, etc. But I will start looking into which rides have to most breakdowns and see if we can come up with a plan if something does happen.

I agree with above PP that I highly doubt anybody would be banned without cause. They may advise that some rides or shows simply won't be feasible (Carousel of Progress, Ellen's Universe of Energy, The Great Movie Ride, etc.) simply because the ride/show is rather long itself.

Thats another thing I will look into, the length of any rides/shows we might go to. I know we will skip fantasmic because of the long waits and crowds leaving, but I will look into what else. Thanks!

I think you might rethink the timing of the trip until your family member is more stable and you have a baseline of expectations and behaviors to draw against. You also do not know how some of the physical aspects of the attractions will affect him and his new meds. Unfortunately, you only have a small idea of his triggers and WDW is so loud and stimulating, that a (first) violent outburst could be an outcome.

We can't postpone, a family member is having major surgery the week after we return and you never know how fast life can change, so we really want to spend this time together. Worst case scenario, we just enjoy the resort and the atmosphere. And even at the height of this crisis, he was never violent. He is actually more docile than anything. When I say he gets agitated/stressed and his delusions take hold, it means he starts saying things we don't understand, not making a lot of sense, repeating phrases. I don't even think it would affect other park goers, they might not even notice, but it certainly causes him a lot of stress and us because we're witnessing someone we love experience this.

Even with a DAS the family member is going to be waiting 20-30 minutes for various things throughout the day with limited opportunities to pace. There will be waiting for food, bathrooms, entrance to the parks, transportation, and the FP line isn't instant access.

I think he will be fine with 20-30 minutes. It's anything over that, that worries me. And even at bus stops, quick service, etc if there is 5-6 feet for him to kind of walk even if in a circle, it will help.

How much room does your family member need to pace? One of the big things you are going to have to prepare for is that there might still be a wait. If he only needs say 1 ft to pace you can use your party to create a safe zone. If a CM asks you to fill all available space let them know he needs the space. They should understand.

You say he has delusions and agitated. You also state he is non-violent. How do these manifest? Does he just zone out and not move which could become a safety hazard? Does he mumble which would only be a nuisance to some but not any real harm? Does he scream and self harm?

Is this family member a grown adult or a small child?

What does it take to calm him down? When he is "zoned" would you be able to get him on a bus and back to the resort? Would being able to pace be the only need so just getting him outside would help the situation?

Are you off site or on site?

He's a young adult. He would need about 5 or 6 feet, and slowly goes in a circle. If you were witnessing it it might just appear someone was bored/antsy. He doesn't get loud or freeze, he starts repeating phrases and not making much sense. We just kinda smile and nod, go along with it. And he is fairly stable now, but stress brings it about, and I think the main stressor for him at WDW would be being confined in a 45 minute line not being able to move about. To calm him done would mean leaving, going back to the room, and hopefully after a night of sleep and medicine he would kind of restabilize.

I once took a friend with anxiety (and a slew of other problems) to Epcot. We were fine until we were riding in Spaceship Earth and the ride stopped. She freaked out and was trying to get out of the car.

We dont plan on riding any majors rides, just kiddie stuff and character meets, but that would be very scary.

Sometimes there's also a bit of a stop on Splash Mountain as you wait to go up the ramp for the last drop, and after that, when you are going back to the loading area. On Small World, there can be a big back-up at the end as well. Just giving the OP some insight as to what to expect. I wish the family luck and a smooth trip!

Thanks so much!

 

[wilkeliza]

I think you are on the right path. As you said he is not violent and that is the key. When you go to GS just say what you have said here about his needs. You have done a good job here. No one can guarantee he will get a DAS but it does sound like it would help even with the "kiddie" rides which can have long waits.

Unfortunately even the dark easy kiddie rides due tend to break down or have stops. Haunted Mansion and Little Mermaid often stop to load people who have wheelchairs or need more time to load. These can be brief or they can be long depending on how much time the other guest needs.

What may also work for you guys is getting fast-passes for rides he may not be able to do and use the toddler to your advantage if they are smaller. That way you can get child swap tickets and the person who stayed behind with the family member and the toddler can then ride with 3 other people. It would allow you all to experience and attraction and not have to miss out but still allow the one family member to be accommodated if you don't think he would be able to handle that attraction.

 

[gap2368]

since you say he can be in line for up to 30 minutes and be ok if he had room to move around I would have at lest one person in your party go first in line then have the disabled person go and have about 6 or so feet between the first person in your party and the person in the pack with the disabled person in the middle that way there is room to move around for the disabled person I have a lot of problems in crowded area and I go to disney alone and I find that sometimes telling the people behind me that I need more room works great there was a car accident right when the MK was closing and for 30 minute no busses could get through you want to take about crowded I was waiting for the buss back to all star sports and I let the group behind me know that I have problems in crowds and they were so helpful giving me more room to move talking to me some it was great.

any ways I think you can have a great trip make a bubble around the person let them know what will happen like we are going to meet mickey we are going on this ride, use the DAS card if you have one plan some fast passes and take breaks you can even go in first aid if you relative need some quiet time there are also places around the park just ask a CM if you are in line and you need to leave then leave and tell a CM what happened often times they will let the person calm down and let them come back latter and as one PP said rides do stop break down so you need to be prepared to have to wait up to an hour if that happens all though that is unlikely

 

[SueM in MN]

You've gotten a lot of good advice already.
Here's a link to another resource that might be helpful - Disney's guide for Guests with Cognitive Disabilities:
https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...bilities-services/wdw_cognitive_guide_rev.pdf

That title may not fit him, but the guide has a lot of helpful information for anyone with any type of disability. It includes the actual time length of attractions and shows.
It also includes information about some of the things you might experience on the attraction, such as bright flashes or drops. It's not totally complete - I know there are some they missed - but at least it is a start.

Also, as was already mentioned, check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread. One post on that thread includes information about attractions where all guests need to stand for a time period. They are mainly shows, but also include some attractions that load in 'batches'.

Also, even though pacing is apparently his main calming/grounding strategy, there may be some other things that would be useful. For some people, 'fidget' devices that they can manipulate can also be helpful. Fidgets are usually small items that can be moved from hand to hand or manipulated. They would not always take the place of pacing, but may be helpful when pacing is not possible.
Here's a website with some examples of fidgets:
http://www.therapro.com/Silent-Fidgets-C308177.aspx

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Since several of you will be taking the trip together, perhaps you could plan shorter park days for the family member with the disability? You could take turns taking him back to the resort room to relax. We took a really nice break one afternoon at the Contemporary. My son who has Asperger's can get overwhelmed and anxious with crowds, noise, and heat. We took the Monorail to the Contemporary, had lunch at the quick service restaurant, browsed the shops, used the uncrowded restrooms, and relaxed in the air conditioning before heading back to the park. It was a nice, quiet, cool break for all of us and it worked wonders to recharge my son. Perhaps you could take turns leaving the parks with the family member and taking him to quieter, less crowded places. This would also give other members of the party the chance to try attractions that may be too long or too intense for him. Have a great trip!