Autism and Garden Grill

[lucigo]

We are 3 days into our disney vacation. DS has had a really good trip so far...but....

You just can't plan for everything. Thats the first rule of dealing with a child with autism. Today we went to Garden Grill for lunch. My 4yo son with autism totally freaked out because the table was moving. It was too much like a ride. Rides make him nervous...rides consist of entertainment, with usually involves some kind of shock or climax, something scary....even the Nemo ride has sharks...and being in Garden Grill for him was scary. He wouldn't eat. We ended up walking him around the circle about 4-5 times so he could see that nothing bad was coming. He finally settled down about the time we had dessert. He even decorated a cupcake - although he wouldn't eat it. Luckily the server was nice enough not to charge us for his meal. Needless to say the pix of him with the characters aren't the best.

You just never know....

BTW the food was great LOL

 

[bookwormde]

Sounds like you handled it very well. This type of situation is what I love about DWD, it is the perfect place and time to expand your child’s experiences. You have the time to deal with the possible reactions and employ thoughtful and creative accommodations and solutions. And the staff is almost always helpful and understanding.

We took our then ds7 who is AS there, and he was a little apprehensive about the movement, after we explained how it “worked” and what to expect he was fine. The staff was great, because he is a very picky eater (including vegetarian by both tactile and for moral reasons “I do not think that an animal should have to be killed so I can eat”(the rest of the family are omnivores)) the severs asked what he did like and we told them grilled cheese but it was not part of the buffet, they said not to worry and were back with 2 grille cheese sandwiches within 10 minutes. Needless to say they got an exceptional tip.

He was a little apprehensive around the characters (this was his first close expose), they picked up on this right away and did not “push” but interacted at the level at which he was comfortable. Yes this does not make for the greatest pictures but the memories are really great.

bookwormde

 

[lucigo]

Thanks for your reply, its really good to hear I'm not alone, you know how it is sometimes you feel like your kid is the only one who is scared of something as silly as a table moving at an inch a minute LOL

And you are so right, Disney is a really good place to push their comfort zone and experience new things!!

 

[LuvsTinker]

We ate at Garden Grill a few yrs. ago when DS was 3 (before we knew about his dx of PDD-NOS). The rotating did not bother him, BUT the thunder sounds when rotating near the rainforest section did.

I didn't know at first what was going on and all of sudden, DS ducks under the table. We're trying to figure out what's scaring him and get him from under the table, when I finally realized as we got closer to the sound that it was the rain/thunder sound from the Land ride below that was scaring him.

You're right, you never know..............

 

[lucigo]

I can see where the sounds would bother him! What we think will be "fun" for the kids can really give them anxiety when they don't understand that its supposed to be fun!

Today was dinner with the princesses in Norway. My very NORMAL looking boy wanted nothing to do with them. Small vent here...what is with these disney restaurants that don't have french fries and chicken nuggets!? Don't they know my son only eats 10 things and I count on these staple foods? LOL Tomorrow I'm going to Boma prepared with Happy Meal in hand just in case!

 

[LuvsTinker]

Hope you all are having a great time!

My now 8 yo would not be impressed with Princesses either. I wish they had more boy oriented character meals.

Sounds like you have a good plan with the Happy Meal. We usually end up wasting money on our son with character buffets unless chicken nuggets, hotdogs or hamburgers are served. But he does love salad.

 

[afnaechiquita]

My family just came back from DW last week and by far our server at GG was the best in dealing with my younger brother's disability and lack of enjoyment with the food options. Unfortunately, the chef couldn't accomodate him and my father ended up running out to get a hamburger, but the server was very nice about it (as were the chef and manager who came to our table) and took him off the bill.

He, on the other hand, loved that we were moving and having the characters at our table. It was also my parents' favorite place to eat all week.

 

[modomo]

I can see where the sounds would bother him! What we think will be "fun" for the kids can really give them anxiety when they don't understand that its supposed to be fun!

Today was dinner with the princesses in Norway. My very NORMAL looking boy wanted nothing to do with them. Small vent here...what is with these disney restaurants that don't have french fries and chicken nuggets!? Don't they know my son only eats 10 things and I count on these staple foods? LOL Tomorrow I'm going to Boma prepared with Happy Meal in hand just in case!

I hear you! Our very N.T. looking DS(10) with Asperger's does not care for the princesses either, although he did get cozy with Snow White once! He prefers Chip and not Dale, and you can pretty much forget all of the rest.

And I am with you on the chicken nuggets! Just put them on the menu! Our son only only eats chicken nuggets, peanut butter sandwiches (no jelly), doritos, and a few other snack items. We are very limited when we go out to eat. I used to pack his lunch everywhere that we went, but restaurants kind of frown on that.
Amazingly, Rain Forest has never been an issue for our son, 50's Prime Time Cafe was a different story. They like for you to clean your plate. After a short explanation the waiter left him alone.

 

[BeckyScott]

That's really interesting.

GG is our very first day, at lunch. I hadn't thought one bit about it revolving, I mean I knew it did, but I hadn't really thought about it with DS.

Hmmm. I guess we shall see!

 

[SandrainNC]

I'm so sorry!

I cannot imagine how he felt it move. I remember staring at the wall going, is it moving???? I guess he is just more sensitive to/aware of that type of thing?? My son has Down syndrome, not autism, so I don't know a whole lot about it (even though my nephew has a form of Aspergers but with cognitive delay).

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Sandra

 

[jamesmommy]

So far, the only table service restaurant we have eaten at with our DS5 (ASD) is the Garden Grill (well, other than the Rainforest Cafes). He really likes the Boats of the Land exhibit, and begged to eat there a couple of months ago. We couldn't believe they actually had an opening, but they did, so in we went.....

He loved the fact you could look down and see the different parts of The Land, everytime we moved a bit we had to take him to the wall so he could see where we were now. While Chip and Dale were okay, the big draw for him was watching The Boats of the Land from above.

Our son is on a gluten-free, casein-free, and egg-free diet. The chef was great, our son had grilled chicken, carrots, a dinner roll, and an Itzakadoozie for dessert (he may have had butternut squash too, not sure).

We love going out to eat at Disney , it is the one place we have found where we can eat with our son and feel he is having a good meal too.

BTW, the fare for the GF/CF child at Busch Gardens is pretty much zilch, we were so disappointed, I guess we got so used to the "Disney" fare that it really paled in comparison. One employee was visibly angry when we explained to her that we didn't want her to remove the roll from the kids meal container, we wanted one that had NEVER HAD a roll. It really wasn't that hard, the containers were right beside her. And they have no dedicated fryers, which means that even their french fries are off limits. I got him chicken, but that was a no go, so he ate chips and fruit, plus the peanut butter crackers we brought from home. Its a shame, because other than that, we really enjoy Busch Gardens.

 

[disneydreamin247]

My DS LOVED it at GG. He thought it was pretty cool that we were moving. However he HATED the cup of dirt for dessert. He doesn't like dirt or bugs and he FREAKED. Our server was very helpful and took it back and brought him a cupcake which he loved. I think our worst TS experience was Rainforest Cafe. DS has issues with noise. He spent the entire meal under the table.

 

[jamesmommy]

BTW, the fare for the GF/CF child at Busch Gardens is pretty much zilch, we were so disappointed, I guess we got so used to the "Disney" fare that it really paled in comparison. One employee was visibly angry when we explained to her that we didn't want her to remove the roll from the kids meal container, we wanted one that had NEVER HAD a roll. It really wasn't that hard, the containers were right beside her. And they have no dedicated fryers, which means that even their french fries are off limits. I got him chicken, but that was a no go, so he ate chips and fruit, plus the peanut butter crackers we brought from home. Its a shame, because other than that, we really enjoy Busch Gardens.

Just wanted to add that we went back to BG today, for the opening of Jungala, and the new counter service in Jungala was able to give us GF/CF fries and a hot dog. So now we don't have to lug our own food to the park when we go.

 

[lucigo]

Hope you all are having a great time!

My now 8 yo would not be impressed with Princesses either. I wish they had more boy oriented character meals.

Sounds like you have a good plan with the Happy Meal. We usually end up wasting money on our son with character buffets unless chicken nuggets, hotdogs or hamburgers are served. But he does love salad.

Most of the places we went, even if chicken nuggets and fries weren't on the menu they were able to get the for us (Hollywood and Vine, Boma, and Ohana all got them for us). Norway seemed stuffy to me, we won't be going back there.