Anyone with experiences with Sensory challenged children? or ADD?

[Tink1769]

Hey there,
We have been to WDW several times and the first few were a disaster due to my sons sensory issues and ADD. On our last trip we discovered the GAC card and it was the most enjoyable trip ever! My son cannot stand loud or sudden noises or large crowds. With the GAC card we were able to sit in the handicap section and he had his space. One day they allowed "regular" people into the handicap area after the parade started and my son freaked out and we had to leave. When we later explained the situation to a CM they tried to make it better by getting my son a special meet and greet with Jessie and Woody without him having to stand in a crowded line. He was so traumatized by the parade thing, he barely interacted with the characters at all, but when it was done and he was able to decompress it was the most wonderful thing he had ever experienced!
I know they no longer have the GAC cards and I am so worried about our trip in the fall. We bring noise cancelling headphones with us, we go in low crowd season, we try to find quiet spots for him all day, but it's still tough. Has anyone with similar issues used the new system for people with disabilities? Can anyone give me any new tips to make this trip work? we are not trying to abuse the system, like Disney said was happening, but our experiences were like night and day with the GAC card. I'm almost ready to scrap the trip if I can't work this out.
Thanks so much!

 

[Coonhound]

The only real difference is that, with the GAC you didn't really have to wait in the regular line or any line at all- standby line could be an hour but they would just let you go right to the fastpass line even though you didn't have a fastpass...the GAC was not meant to be an unlimited fastpass, but that's what people used it as, so they took it away..... With the DAS, you wait in a virtual line- you go to the ride, get a return time...return times are pretty much equal to what the standby line is so that you're waiting an equal amount of time..and then when it is your turn to ride, you go straight into the fastpass lane.

Noise canceling headphones, going during low crowd times, and things to distract him are great ideas good planning. That's really the best thing you can do.

Just out of curiosity how did he know non-disabled people were entering the disabled parade viewing area? So many disabilities are invisible. Just wondering.

 

[detarica]

With the new system, you will not have to wait in the standby lane. You will be given a time to come back. I think it is a much more fair system because so many people were abusing the GAC system. It was clogging up the Fastpass lines with kids riding over and over again on GAC with multiple family members.

We saw the group ride Everest with 3 times in a row. They were running through the aisles....no physical issues....and rode a pretty scary ride 3 times...so I am wondering how they got a GAC...what could possibly be keeping them from being able to stand in line.

My daughter has ADD and sensory issues (mostly touch and taste), we haven't gotten the GAC before because we feel like coping is something she will need to do for her whole lifetime. She doesn't have crowd anxiety and loves scary rides. But I am glad that there is something to help kids that can't deal with those things.

 

[Hoodie]

The DAS card will likely not help with waiting for the parades, but you can always try a special needs stroller or a wheelchair to at least give him his own space.

I do recommend the DAS. We only used our card a couple of times, largely on interactive lines like Toy Story Mania. It was REALLY overwhelming for my son with sensory issues. We attempted the regular line at rope drop and ended up blocking his ears and using our hands as blinders to guide him through. He completely froze up seeing everything.

 

[aaarcher86]

With the DAS, as mentioned, you wait outside the line and enter through the FP line. Since he was okay in that line with the GAC, that should still be fine.

Now instead of waiting in the handicap area, you can wait wherever you like. So finding a quiet spot will be more on you personally, but it should still be manageable.

You do have to wait the length of the stand by line - but you can also do other things. FP+ will send you directly into the FP line when your time comes, so scheduling those and using the DAS together is really the key to avoiding the long lines and crowded spaces. It's not good for anything that doesn't offer a FP, so meet and greets with certain characters may not be doable. Although, we have never waited very long for one.

That's really the best advice to give in regards to using the disability pass. Continue to use the headphones and maybe bring a DS or iPad (so helpful with my oldest) to help keep him distracted. There is a list somewhere here with quiet areas at each park. You can also go to the first aid station and let him decompress, but no guarantees there won't be kids in there who might be crying/loud. It's going to take a lot more planning on your part, but it's completely doable.

I don't know when you're going, but we arrive on 9/25 and I'll be doing a TR to show my experience with the DAS.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Just out of curiosity how did he know non-disabled people were entering the disabled parade viewing area? So many disabilities are invisible. Just wondering.

. . . I am wondering the same, as some disabilities are not outwardly visible
. . . but, if the handicap area is not full, they DO allow others into the area
. . . if there is unused space, then it is only right & fair to have guests fill it

With the DAS, as mentioned, you wait outside the line and enter through the FP line . . . You do have to wait the length of the stand by line . . .

. . . this very well might cause your child a problem
. . . the special privileges that GAC had morphed into are, fortunately, now gone
. . . of course, you can view the fireworks from the WL parking lot for far less crowds

 

[Tink1769]

Just out of curiosity how did he know non-disabled people were entering the disabled parade viewing area? So many disabilities are invisible. Just wondering.

With the above experience, after the parade started, they just pulled down the rope seperating those with a GAC card from the rest of the crowd. When the rope came down, people just flooded in and surrounded my son and even jumped in front of his stroller so he could no longer see (we left him in the stroller as a buffer).

You have all been wonderful with your suggestions! I am open to all ideas that people can give us! This trip he is definitely going to be too big for a stroller, so we are panicking on how we can handle this! Many times, even with the GAC card we opted not to go on certain rides because he was still too overwhelmed, which meant a lot of sitting around in the sun waiting for his sisters to go off and have the fun. Putting him on our shoulders to get him above the crowd is also not an option anymore. we have used the baby centers and first aid stations many times to "decompress".

We'll be going near the end of October, so I will definitely look up trip reports!

 

[bookwormde]

There are lots of places to get a good view of the parades that are not so "up front". that is where my AS child is most comfortable. A good example is the 2nd floor of the train station at the entrance to MK. Over the year he has become more tolerant and can enjoy closer for limited amounts of time