Autistic 6 yo and MNSSHP???

[rebecca06261]

My dbf's 6 yo son is autistic and I'm wanting to take all of us to MNSSHP this year. It'll be my 4th year going but their first- I'm not well versed in how an autistic child would handle the parade and fireworks- What are your experiences and would you think this would be a good idea??? Thanks!

~Rebecca

 

[ireland_nicole]

Hi- and "watcha doin?"(sorry, couldn't resist the avatar)

Every kiddo is different, so I can't predict what your little one will do, but for us last year, we kept to a Tuesday (there were only 8000 people total, so not crowded at all) we watched the first parade from Fronteirland (that way we could back up the bridge toward Splash if they hated it; and sat DD in my lap; they wore their ear protectors, and actually loved the parade. It's nice, because it's fairly short and therefore kept their attention- plus, they loved the candy. We also gave each of the kids a map and highlighted our route. As far as the fireworks, we were pleasantly surprised; normally they hate them (way too loud and unpredictable) but they both loved Hallowishes. I have the cutest picture of DD spinning around in her princess dress, her tiara over her ear protectors, with a huge smile on her face under the fireworks. Again, there's a lot of upbeat music, which my kids like. They also loved the dance party in fantasyland, and my son went nuts over the trick or treat trails (we had to do all of them.) So we enjoyed it much more than we expected. We won't be doing it this year, unfortunately, but that's a cost issue as opposed to a fun issue.

 

[1stluvispooh]

I agree with Nicole. Every kid is different. What does your your boyfriend think? How is your relationship with the mom? You might want to ask her what her thoughts on it are. Have your boyfriend and his son been to Disney before? How does he hand Halloween it self? My DD didn't want to go trick or treating until she was 6 and then when she was 7 opted out of it because she had a stomach ache. Another thought is he on a GF/CF diet? If she there is going to be some candy that he will get but can't have and will that cause a problem? If you do go you have to remember that you have to be flexible when you go if you have a fantasy of how it is going to go before you hit the gate and he has a meltdown before you get down Main Street, will you be disappointed?

 

[bookwormde]

WDW is a magical place for our children but is does take significant planning, this includes understanding the child’s sensory issues, general social anxiety issues, reactions to new situations and ability to make transitions etc. It sounds like you may have some “research” to do even before trying to make specific plans.

bookwormde

 

[NMK62303]

I will agree with bookwormde in that many factors will play into how any given child reacts to the experience at WDW, whether or not they have autism! Some parents are really surprised when their child reacts in ways that they could never predict. For our son who was 5 at the time, with autism, in some ways he reacted better to given situations than his two triplet sisters!! (ex not being scared of certain characters).

We knew going in that waiting situations such as waiting for fireworks and parades to start would be an issue for our son, so we brought along some amusements in his diaper bag, or somebody would take him for a walk while the others got our spot, or we would hold him, bounce him, do flips with him, etc. to give him the sensory feedback that he needed. In many ways he excelled while at WDW and that is why we are going back twice this year. He loved the rides, the fireworks, the characters, the dining experiences, just all of it! (He actually potty trained while there too which was fabulous!) In terms of MNSSHP, he loved that too, the parade and fireworks, the trick or treating, etc. However, not knowing exactly how he would do, we kind of just had to take a chance and book it, and have some backup plans in place if you know what I mean.

I hope that helps -- feel free to PM me if you have any other questions that I can answer -- and I hope that you have a great trip!

 

[andee515]

Hi,
we were at MNSSHP last year and my 2 year old son who is autistic was not bothered at all. He is not generally disturbed by loud noises though. He loved the parade and all the characters. My 3 and 7 yr old daughters however were a little frightened by the noise from the fireworks so we ducked into Minnie Mouses house which dampened the noise significantly.

 

[jersue96]

We have a 6.5 year old daughter with mild autism, we took her last september to Disney world and we did the party. She loved it, the parade was wonderful, she loved to watch all the different floats in the parade and just loved the fireworks, she loved to trick or treat also. We too were hesitant but since this was her 3rd trip to disney, and she just loves it there, we decided to throw in the party, and we were glad we did. Also they sell the spinnning light up toys that glow in the dark, my daughter loves motion and glowing toys. WE also went to our dollar store and bought the neckaces and bracelets and took those with us, we took her light up toy we had bought at the christmas party the year before, she amused herself and amazed us. I hope you decide to go to the party and I hope you and your family have a wonderful magical time!

 

[SueM in MN]

Also, keep in mind that there will be lots of people in costumes. That might not be too popular with some kids.

And another thing I thought of - for a child who is overwhelmed by all the stimulation, sometimes the darkness kind of cuts some of the stimulation way down. Yes, there are lights, but the dimness masks a lot of colors and things.

One of the other things people have mentioned before about the special Halloween parade is that the song is the same thru the parade and is primarily the same phrase repeated over and over "Boo to you and you and you."
Here's a link to the DIS site page about MNSSHP to help you decide.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I will echo what others have said, every child is different. If he does not like loud noises or you are unsure of how he will handle them, try to find a quiet place for him to watch. Toontown if it is still open is a good option (you may not see them well.) The end of mainstreet away from the Castle or anywhere in Tomorrowland, Liberty Square, or Frontierland. I would avoid Fantasyland and right in front of hte castle. The fireworks are shot from behind the castle and the top of two of the Fantasyland rides as well as behind Fantasyland. This means Fantasyland is the loudest place to see them (and you are surrounded by them). I have seen many a kid freak out there. Castle front is also fairly loud and has the disadvantage of being packed like sardines so a quick escape may not be feasible.

Parades can also be overwhelming for some kids due to the noise, crowds, and costumed characters. Some kids just don't do well with the characters, but then some absolutely love them! Part of it is knowing the child and what s/he does and does not like. Some of it will be trial and error. Good luck!

Oh, I will make on request: If you see characters and this child has a tendency to hit, please warn them! I always appreciated it when parents would tell the characters in advance so that we could keep an eye on their hands. It just made it much easier and helped the characters to gauge the body language and not to overwhelm the child.