Austic 9 yr old girl

[ladyarcher]

My best friend and her family and my family are taking a trip in July to the Mouse. MacKenzie is a highly functioning autistic. We have ear plugs for the fireworks show and we're staying at the CBR. I think we have here prepared for the characters and the lines. Any other tips or suggestins you can think of? I started planning this trip last year with her in mind, and I want it to go well. This will be her first trip. She really wants to see the Princesses and avoid as many villians as possible (although she knows they will be there and hard to miss). I can't talk her into the Haunted Mansion or the Pirates of the Carribean. Obviously any other "scary" rides are out of the question. Thanks for any advice.

PS I've been traveling with MacKenzie since she was three, so all of us going are familiar with her strengths and abilities.

 

[SueM in MN]

There is a book called WDW For Kids by Kids (or something similar). One very good thing about it is that it has a "scariness" rating for different rides (from a kids point of view). That might help you with planning (or possibly convincing her that some of the scary things are not so scary).

You might want to look into the character breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table or at Norway in Epcot. Here's a link to the DIS page about Princess Experiences, including the breakfasts I mentioned and Princess themed rides.

And last, this website has a lot of good suggestions/information about travel to WDW with children with autism or sensory sensitivities.

Have a magical trip.

 

[s&k'smom]

I would highly recommend the princess breakfast in Norway or they now have a Cinderella breakfast at GF. We attended the one in Norway last November and really enjoyed it. It can get a bit noisy if that bothers her but it did not bother my DS. They had 5 princess' and the food was delicious. We found the interaction wonderful. Don't be afraid to mention to someone she has a special need. What I mean is my DS is not social at all. When a CM at 50's a few years ago tried to engage my son I just said quietly he has special needs, the CM immediately got the message and even went back into the kitchen to hurry my child's meal along. I don't expect any special treatment for my child but sometimes just a little more understanding and we have always been shown great respect. Ear plugs are a good idea and we always had his blankie in the back pack. You'll find a lot of good advise and suggestions on these boards.

 

[ladyarcher]

I don't expect any special treatment for my child but sometimes just a little more understanding and we have always been shown great respect.

This is true of MacKenzie. She HATES for any one to know that she's different. But she does still have some issues with interaction. It has to be on her terms. I have shown her hundreds of pictures of the characters with people to help her grasp the size difference of some of the characters. I thought about taking her to 50's, but I'm just not sure it's the best choice for her. She has a wicked sense of humor, but not sure how well that would play out with strangers that she doesn't know.

 

[s&k'smom]

ladyarcher, Chef Mickey's may be a good one too if she likes those characters. Though it's noisy my DS loved having the monorail go by our seat (he just had to look up) so DD was able to enjoy the charactors. They had Mickey, Chip, Dale, Donald, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto. Food excellent too. We also had "pool" breaks. In the middle of the afternoon take time for a swim and quiet time. Actually I don't know who it is better for me or the kids. WWW.allearsnet.com will have some great pictures of CBR for MacKenzie to see what the hotel looks like. I know it really helped my DS. Oh I'm jealous of you planning a trip. Your gonna have a blast with her.

 

[Amii]

I have a 8 year old son who has hfa. The thing that helped us most when we went to Disney was to let him help us plan. He chose the snacks, helped us pick out the 2 sit down dinners we did, and picked the days we would eat there. Once we were there we let him pick the order that we rode the rides and went at his pace. It made him feel like he had control over the vacation.

Also, it helped to make a calendar for him before we left. We wrote the park we would visit each day, the hours it was open, and where we were going to eat. (he helped with the counter service too) That way he had a schedule and knew what was coming.

Have a great time.

 

[ladyarcher]

I have a 8 year old son who has hfa. The thing that helped us most when we went to Disney was to let him help us plan. He chose the snacks, helped us pick out the 2 sit down dinners we did, and picked the days we would eat there. Once we were there we let him pick the order that we rode the rides and went at his pace. It made him feel like he had control over the vacation.

Also, it helped to make a calendar for him before we left. We wrote the park we would visit each day, the hours it was open, and where we were going to eat. (he helped with the counter service too) That way he had a schedule and knew what was coming.

Have a great time.

I hadn't thought about the scheduling tip. Thanks. She's been VERY involved in the planning. Her mom and I usually chat most nights on IM and MacKenzie has taken over when we start talking Disney. Thanks for the tips, those should help alot!

 

[Nik's Mom]

My DS is almost 6 and is high functioning also. I give a big thumbs up to the Princess Story Book Breakfast! My sons are probably in the minority for boys, but they love the princesses. I think it's the soft spoken voice that they are suckers for...
Also, try to get Cindy's if possible. It's nice to just say you got to eat in the castle. Make sure she gets an autograph book too.

 

[ladyarcher]

My DS is almost 6 and is high functioning also. I give a big thumbs up to the Princess Story Book Breakfast! My sons are probably in the minority for boys, but they love the princesses. I think it's the soft spoken voice that they are suckers for...
Also, try to get Cindy's if possible. It's nice to just say you got to eat in the castle. Make sure she gets an autograph book too.

I'm hoping for Cindy's, but got to have a back up plan. Her mother is worried that she'll be disappointed that Disney won't live up to the hype (mostly mine!). I tried to tell her that Disney is always Magic and that she won't be disappointed it.

 

[Rockhound]

We have been to disney several times with our son who has aspergerers.
We found frequent breaks in cool dark quiet places where he can absorb all the input he has seen help him alot.
Pick places like hal of presidents or admiral benbow inn in MK, Aunt pollys is good too.
MGM has sounds dangerous with drew carey that he realy likes because it uses sounds instead in visual stimulation.
Beware of the warning signs of too much input and have a contingecy plan to get her to somewhere she can settle but make it seem like a fun idea when you do it. places to rest are all over in disney, and she will have a great time