Autism -Finding a paid support person to go with family to park

[cate2]

Hi, I'm posting this on behalf of a family I know. They are a family of 2, a Mother and daughter (age 19, with mild autism and some mobility issues) who will be going to Disney sometime over this next year. The Mother was wondering if anyone here has every hired a support person for the day to come to the parks with them? or maybe there's an agency that does such a thing?
So they hoping for somebody who might like to go on rides with them and if there was a good rapport between support person and daughter might give the Mother an opportunity sit a have a quiet cup of coffee on her own.

 

[Mrsjvb]

she needs to be asking the people who work with her daughter regularly.

 

[twinmom13]

On our first trip, I was nervous about keeping up with two enthusiastic 5-year-olds by myself, so I hired helpers from a company called Extra Hands for a couple days. As far as I know, they are not particularly geared toward people with autism or any other special needs, but one of the helpers that they sent us told us that she often works with families with special needs. She was absolutely fantastic, as was the other lady they sent us. They go around the park with you, helping out as needed, including riding rides.

 

[twinmom13]

Here is their website: http://vacationsitterfl.com/services/in-park-care

 

[Maggie'sMom]

she needs to be asking the people who work with her daughter regularly.

I agree. My DD is on the high-functioning end of the spectrum, and I wouldn't dream of taking someone to the parks that doesn't interact with her on a regular basis. DD doesn't react well to some personality types, and it would be disastrous if we got someone whose personality rubbed DD the wrong way. Plus, routine is important so introducing someone new into the equation while at the parks would not be a recipe for success.

 

[Gussie Granger 1969]

I normally wouldn’t chime in but I advocate for kids who may not be able to express themselves. I know all autistic kids are different but my son wouldn’t be ok with being left with a stranger, ever. He doesn’t even feel comfortable around family that he knows but only sees on occasion. He will shut down, get upset if asked too many questions, he would be very angry with us.

 

[DisneyOma]

Also, to consider - you mentioned going on rides - most ride vehicles only hold two adults in a row, so the helper or the mother would be sitting alone or with a stranger. Not sure how great that would be?

 

[ladyjubilee]

My son is on the severe side, and we get to hang out crew of teens on the spectrum and with other needs. I think sometimes we underestimate teens with needs as just about all of the teens I know would enjoy sometime without mom in the right situation. I'm trying to convince a neighborhood teen to hangout with my son, and go with my son on some outings with the goal to be "without me" (aka. I'm close enough to intervene if needed.) I think it would be great to pay someone to go with us the parks (background checked, of course), hang out with us then on day 3 give my son of the adventure of riding some rides WITHOUT mom.

We know most of the teens from a recreation center for kids/teens with special needs. The kids get to pick what activities the child/teen wants to do and whether the parent stays. Even my son, who is on the severe side, has gestured for me to "go away" so he can be with his friends. Now for him, that pretty much means sitting near others and flapping (while I listen from the door way in case the room volunteer needs me.). He just glows, and its developmentally appropriate for a teen to not be with momma all the time.

So if she finds a program, I'd love to know about it.

 

[DisneyOma]

I'm trying to convince a neighborhood teen to hangout with my son, and go with my son on some outings with the goal to be "without me" (aka. I'm close enough to intervene if needed.)

If you have to convince someone, your kid is going to be able to pick up on that. I know all the teens with special needs I work with would pick up on a "forced friendship" or "pity friendship" (their words) in a heartbeat. Maybe do a group with the kids from the rec center at your house?

 

[lanejudy]

OP - some of the "babysitting" services also offer to accompany families into the parks. I've heard several of those "babysitters" have experience with special needs kids. I don't know if they would contract to assist an older teen/adult but you could contact to find out. The one I read about on DISboards most often is Kids Nite Out. I've also read of Extra Hands and Fairy Godmothers. I can't vouch for any of them personally, but it may be a place to start.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[ladyjubilee]

If you have to convince someone, your kid is going to be able to pick up on that. I know all the teens with special needs I work with would pick up on a "forced friendship" or "pity friendship" (their words) in a heartbeat. Maybe do a group with the kids from the rec center at your house?

Again this kind of goes back to the point. We don't always see a complete picture from a post on the internet. In this situation it isn't a matter of "forcing" anything, but reassuring a really great young man that he wouldn't do anything "wrong" and that I trust him and my son really likes him.

We tend to forget that being a caregiver is a little scary (again we'd be right there) I've had adults admit they are too afraid of doing something wrong and "causing" a siezure or a behavior or some other unknown. We forget that our loved one may be hard to read and what we see a like great interaction may look to others like avoidance. Plus, well, frankly, I have trouble getting trained professionals to work with Mr. Pinchy Fingers.

While not at my house (which wouldn't accommodate the wide range of need) we do hang out we quite of few of his friends. We go to baseball games, concerts, parks....

So yeah, I'd love to do this.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I have a daughter with Down syndrome. She is high functioning and very social. But she would hate a stranger hanging out with her because they got paid. We always bring my daughters best friend with us on almost every trip we take. They have a blast together. I’d suggest this mom consider bringing a friend or hire someone from whatever program he attends at home to come along for the whole trip.
As for finding friends at home we got so lucky that our daughter found a best friend. But there are typically programs in most communities that provide Best Buddies or other programs for special needs and adults to find friends to hang with. Special Olympics is another great resource. My daughter participates in several sports and has made many friends to go to dinner with, attend parties, movies etc.
Unless you get very lucky and find a teenager who isn’t disabled but is wonderful and willingly wants to hang out with your special kid, it can be a disaster.

 

[bookwormde]

While I do not know of a specific sources in Orlando, siblings of individuals on the spectrum similar to the area where your daughter is are far more likely to "get it" and to adapt seamlessly to any unexpected occurrences.

We always used WDW as a chance to stretch our aspie's range of skills so I would looks at this a an opportunity

 

[DisneyOma]

While I do not know of a specific sources in Orlando, siblings of individuals on the spectrum similar to the area where your daughter is are far more likely to "get it" and to adapt seamlessly to any unexpected occurrences.

We always used WDW as a chance to stretch our aspie's range of skills so I would looks at this a an opportunity

Not sure what you mean by specific sources - are you saying there are organizations that have volunteers or employees who are siblings of disabled people who go to places with other disabled people?

 

[bookwormde]

Correct, while typically informal, autism communities that are facilitated by autism support organizations in local areas are how these connections are often made.

At a distance, just asking for the the individual's experience with ASD is likely the most practical route. If part of the information includes that the person has a close relation with ASD that they are involved with for me that would be a big plus

 

[Willow1213]

The group Autism on the Seas does group resort stays to Disney and Universal where respite workers are available to assist. https://autismontheseas.com/

 

[cate2]

On our first trip, I was nervous about keeping up with two enthusiastic 5-year-olds by myself, so I hired helpers from a company called Extra Hands for a couple days. As far as I know, they are not particularly geared toward people with autism or any other special needs, but one of the helpers that they sent us told us that she often works with families with special needs. She was absolutely fantastic, as was the other lady they sent us. They go around the park with you, helping out as needed, including riding rides.

A VERY delayed thank you for your helpful response. They of course had to delay their trip due to covid but they're now back to happily planning together again. The daughter actually enjoys meeting and talking with new people (friendly people) and this 'helping' type of service might be a great fit for two ladies who have never been to Disney world before. Help with finding rides, navigating lines, helping to carry a food tray or finding quiet rest areas.
Other posters mentioned bringing a worker from home, that would be amazing!, but very costly. I know Mom is exploring the possibility of bringing a friend but if that doesn't work they'll still have a great time and a service like this (for the first day or two) might be just the thing.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

What about doing VIP? It’s also insanely expensive, but the right guide will go out of his/her way to make the day magical. Also they will have access to rides and now how to navigate the parks in a way that you can’t really replicate on your own, even with DAS.

We absolutely adore our guide. We consider him part of the family. One of the most amazing things about him is that he has figured out how to engage with all of the different personality types and needs across my entire extended family. I think that he would be fantastic in your friend’s situation.

 

[*Nessa*]

A VERY delayed thank you for your helpful response. They of course had to delay their trip due to covid but they're now back to happily planning together again. The daughter actually enjoys meeting and talking with new people (friendly people) and this 'helping' type of service might be a great fit for two ladies who have never been to Disney world before. Help with finding rides, navigating lines, helping to carry a food tray or finding quiet rest areas.
Other posters mentioned bringing a worker from home, that would be amazing!, but very costly. I know Mom is exploring the possibility of bringing a friend but if that doesn't work they'll still have a great time and a service like this (for the first day or two) might be just the thing.

I would be so interested to know how she goes and if she does end up getting local FL support, how that worked.

We are coming to WDW with our special needs child and have been desperately looking for local support options and haven't found much.