Autistic son

[malya2006]

Hello! New to the forum! Love disney world and can't wait to go back! We went last year in April and stayed at pop century, it was our first trip and we weren't sure how much everything would costs so we decided to budget as much as possible. We were a family of 4 and I just had a baby boy now 3 months old. Can't wait to bring him next year in April. Planning on staying at AoA. So my question is, my oldest son who will be 10 on the trip is a high functioning autistic. He had a couple of meltdowns during our last trip. I have learned that I can't plan everything. I was too adamant on squeezing all of our activities in the 6 days that we were there. We went to all the parks, water park, disney quest, and a restaurant. My family didn't have time to relax at all. This time will be different and I won't go crazy with all the plans. We plan on relaxing at the pool mostly. Oh back to my question, sorry. So my son hated the park, the lines and heat and crowds made him crazy. He was near meltdown. Has anyone gotten a disability pass to bypass the lines? Has anyone gotten mad at you for cutting the line? My son looks "normal" to a stranger but anyone that knows him knows he's autistic. What does it entail? Thanks in advance!

 

[Romamom444]

So my son hated the park, the lines and heat and crowds made him crazy. He was near meltdown. Has anyone gotten a disability pass to bypass the lines? Has anyone gotten mad at you for cutting the line? My son looks "normal" to a stranger but anyone that knows him knows he's autistic. What does it entail? Thanks in advance!

My DD (now 13) is also autistic and has very similar issues.....melts down with crowds, lines, lots of activity etc. We traveled to Disney in 2007 when she was 6 and it was a complete nightmare. I spent the majority of the vacation back in the hotel room, while DH took our boys to the parks. Not an enjoyable experience that I EVER wanted to repeat.

Fast forward to 2010....The trauma of the '07 visit had subsided and the love of everything Disney outweighed my previous declaration to never return to WDW with DD. (Much like forgetting the pain of childbirth....lol) I decided that I would research how to make this trip a success not only for my DD but for our whole family. As you know, autism is not only challenging for the child but for the entire family. Everyone needs to understand how to adapt. After much research I put a plan together that I thought would allow us to have an enjoyable vacation based on all of our needs. Based on the following tips we had a wonderfully successful Disney vacation with minimal meltdowns, lots of smiles and squeals of happiness and a lifetime of happy memories for years to come. It was such a success we are returning this October and are SUPER excited!

Obtainable GAC (guest assistance card). This allows your child to use alternate access to the attractions which does allow you to not have to wait in long lines. It allows you to take up to 6 additional guests with the disabled person. You go to guest services in any of the parks on the first day and ask for a GAC card for your DS. He must be with you at Guest services to obtain the card. We asked our doctor for a letter describing our DD disability, although many on this board say you don't need a letter as long as they can tell there is a disability. in my DD case she looks normal in appearance but is minimally verbal and not able to adequately communicate. This worked beautifully and made our waits so much more tolerable for DD.

Take mid day breaks......this will decompress everyone and allow you to be able to enjoy later in the day activities.

We always stay in the resort and take transportation. My DD enjoys riding on the buses, boats and monorail. For her this is relaxing. If the parks get too over stimulating for her I ride the monorail with her or one of the boats just for some down time. She loves this and it actually calms her and then we can return to the park.

We NEVER have a schedule. We have learned to go with the flow and this keeps us all calm and de-stressed. I try NOT to book too many scheduled events. DD loves to walk around and people watch and see shows etc. We frequently go to Down Town Disney at night.

Most of all.......I do NOT worry or care what other people think. I am very respectful of others and of course, would never stay in a show and ruin it for anyone if my DD was melting down. However, there are some people who are rude and unkind. This is as much our vacation as is theirs and if they aren't understanding of the accommodations my DD needs to have the same experiences that they are having then I am sorry for them. I would be happy to stand in line for hours on end with my child without autism but that is not the situation I have so I must adapt to my world and my DD's world.

hope this has been helpful! Best Disney Wishes your way!!!!!!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

My DD (now 13) is also autistic and has very similar issues.....melts down with crowds, lines, lots of activity etc. We traveled to Disney in 2007 when she was 6 and it was a complete nightmare. I spent the majority of the vacation back in the hotel room, while DH took our boys to the parks. Not an enjoyable experience that I EVER wanted to repeat.

Fast forward to 2010....The trauma of the '07 visit had subsided and the love of everything Disney outweighed my previous declaration to never return to WDW with DD. (Much like forgetting the pain of childbirth....lol) I decided that I would research how to make this trip a success not only for my DD but for our whole family. As you know, autism is not only challenging for the child but for the entire family. Everyone needs to understand how to adapt. After much research I put a plan together that I thought would allow us to have an enjoyable vacation based on all of our needs. Based on the following tips we had a wonderfully successful Disney vacation with minimal meltdowns, lots of smiles and squeals of happiness and a lifetime of happy memories for years to come. It was such a success we are returning this October and are SUPER excited!

Obtainable GAC (guest assistance card). This allows your child to use alternate access to the attractions which does allow you to not have to wait in long lines. It allows you to take up to 6 additional guests with the disabled person. You go to guest services in any of the parks on the first day and ask for a GAC card for your DS. He must be with you at Guest services to obtain the card. We asked our doctor for a letter describing our DD disability, although many on this board say you don't need a letter as long as they can tell there is a disability. in my DD case she looks normal in appearance but is minimally verbal and not able to adequately communicate. This worked beautifully and made our waits so much more tolerable for DD.

Take mid day breaks......this will decompress everyone and allow you to be able to enjoy later in the day activities.

We always stay in the resort and take transportation. My DD enjoys riding on the buses, boats and monorail. For her this is relaxing. If the parks get too over stimulating for her I ride the monorail with her or one of the boats just for some down time. She loves this and it actually calms her and then we can return to the park.

We NEVER have a schedule. We have learned to go with the flow and this keeps us all calm and de-stressed. I try NOT to book too many scheduled events. DD loves to walk around and people watch and see shows etc. We frequently go to Down Town Disney at night.

Most of all.......I do NOT worry or care what other people think. I am very respectful of others and of course, would never stay in a show and ruin it for anyone if my DD was melting down. However, there are some people who are rude and unkind. This is as much our vacation as is theirs and if they aren't understanding of the accommodations my DD needs to have the same experiences that they are having then I am sorry for them. I would be happy to stand in line for hours on end with my child without autism but that is not the situation I have so I must adapt to my world and my DD's world.

hope this has been helpful! Best Disney Wishes your way!!!!!!

A couple things - the GAC doesn't necessarily shorten wait times. It can allow you to wait in alternate areas for rides that have them available. Sometimes the waits can be longer than standby.

Also, Disney can't legally ask for proof of disability (although an untrained CM might). You have to tell them specifically what accommodations you need, and sometimes a letter can help with that. That gets mistaken for "proof" quite a bit.

A GAC and a good touring plan can probably help your son have an enjoyable trip. There are a lot of people on here who can give you good tips.

 

[kuhltiffany]

I have a DS with Asperger's and ADHD. I bring his noise-cancelling headphones and an Ipod with his favourite tv shows and games to help us get through the lines/wait

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I'm a 17 (almost 18) year old with autism. I have always gotten the GAC pass and we pretty much have had no problems at all in the past 14 years (I was diagnosed at almost 4).

 

[Romamom444]

Here are a few more thoughts/recs that have worked for us:

My DD always has her iPod and headphones with her. This helps to drown out some of the noise/ loud sounds. She is easily overstimulated by certain noises and sounds. There is really no rhyme or reason so the iPod and headphones are a way she has learned to self regulate or if we see her starting to have difficulty we tell her to use her iPod and headphones. She also loves to take pictures with her iPod

My DD is also food sensitive. She is self limiting to what she eats and has allergies so we very rarely book sit down meals. Not only can they be very expensive, but she can't always sit for long periods of time. Although, I will say that if sit down meals work for you, the restaurants are very accommodating regarding allergies, gluten free etc. We tried a character breakfast but it really wasn't worth the expense as she wouldn't eat any of the food. So we leisurely see characters in the parks and that seems to work the best.

I also bring snacks with me in the parks in a a small back pack. Again, mostly because of food allergies and her pickiness.

I prepare her ahead of time. We frequent the Disney site, u-tube etc. to look at rides, the parks, shows etc. so she can visually become comfortable with what to expect. She is very visual so I will print out pictures for her and put them in a binder which she likes.

I ALWAYS take cues from DD at the park. If something is making her uncomfortable then we simply move on. Trying to get her on a ride that she is not feeling good about will ALWAYS not end good! Once a meltdown starts it is very hard to regroup.

Don't expect to see and do everything. Even with the best laid plans and perfect circumstances and No child with autism, there is simply too much to see and do and it can be exhausting when you try to squeeze everything in. We NEVER park hop. We stay in one park per day. What we don't get to on this trip, we will see next time.

Get plenty of rest/sleep.....a tired child is a cranky child......a tired child with autism is cranky quadruplets!

With the GAC you can sit in the handicapped sections for the parades. This gave us a good view and better space around us. I will sit in this section with DD while my DH and boys stay nearby outside of the handicapped section. I appreciate the GAC for her but don't feel that we all need the accommodation so I won't take space away from others simply because the GAC does allow 5 others in your group. The same goes with the rides. I consider the GAC a privilege for her because of her disability. My DH and boys do not need the accommodation.

Hope these thoughts have been helpful. I will add more as I think of them. Pixie Dust to All !!!!!

 

[malya2006]

My DD (now 13) is also autistic and has very similar issues.....melts down with crowds, lines, lots of activity etc. We traveled to Disney in 2007 when she was 6 and it was a complete nightmare. I spent the majority of the vacation back in the hotel room, while DH took our boys to the parks. Not an enjoyable experience that I EVER wanted to repeat.

Fast forward to 2010....The trauma of the '07 visit had subsided and the love of everything Disney outweighed my previous declaration to never return to WDW with DD. (Much like forgetting the pain of childbirth....lol) I decided that I would research how to make this trip a success not only for my DD but for our whole family. As you know, autism is not only challenging for the child but for the entire family. Everyone needs to understand how to adapt. After much research I put a plan together that I thought would allow us to have an enjoyable vacation based on all of our needs. Based on the following tips we had a wonderfully successful Disney vacation with minimal meltdowns, lots of smiles and squeals of happiness and a lifetime of happy memories for years to come. It was such a success we are returning this October and are SUPER excited!

Obtainable GAC (guest assistance card). This allows your child to use alternate access to the attractions which does allow you to not have to wait in long lines. It allows you to take up to 6 additional guests with the disabled person. You go to guest services in any of the parks on the first day and ask for a GAC card for your DS. He must be with you at Guest services to obtain the card. We asked our doctor for a letter describing our DD disability, although many on this board say you don't need a letter as long as they can tell there is a disability. in my DD case she looks normal in appearance but is minimally verbal and not able to adequately communicate. This worked beautifully and made our waits so much more tolerable for DD.

Take mid day breaks......this will decompress everyone and allow you to be able to enjoy later in the day activities.

We always stay in the resort and take transportation. My DD enjoys riding on the buses, boats and monorail. For her this is relaxing. If the parks get too over stimulating for her I ride the monorail with her or one of the boats just for some down time. She loves this and it actually calms her and then we can return to the park.

We NEVER have a schedule. We have learned to go with the flow and this keeps us all calm and de-stressed. I try NOT to book too many scheduled events. DD loves to walk around and people watch and see shows etc. We frequently go to Down Town Disney at night.

Most of all.......I do NOT worry or care what other people think. I am very respectful of others and of course, would never stay in a show and ruin it for anyone if my DD was melting down. However, there are some people who are rude and unkind. This is as much our vacation as is theirs and if they aren't understanding of the accommodations my DD needs to have the same experiences that they are having then I am sorry for them. I would be happy to stand in line for hours on end with my child without autism but that is not the situation I have so I must adapt to my world and my DD's world.

hope this has been helpful! Best Disney Wishes your way!!!!!!

Thank you thank you! Lots of great info here! U r absolutely right about not planning too much. I wish I had talked to u before we went last year. We definitely need to just relax and go with the flow next year. In fact I plan on only going to the parks 2-3 days. Btw do u have more than one children? Here's what I find difficult. We have my oldest son. Who has asd, my 7 year old daughter and a baby. I find it hard to make them all happy. My daughter tends to feel like we cater to my son because of his disability. If she's having fun but he's having a meltdown, we have to leave and she finds it unfair. How do u deal with that? It's so hard to do something they both enjoy unless we split up but we really want to stay together as much as possible. As far as restaurants my son hates them. The lines, the smell, the people drives him mad. He doesn't like to eat at any public places and if he sees a mess he will freak out. He's thrown up so many times at restaurants that we try to limit it as much as possible. Last year my nephew wanted to go to trex so we all went together. My daughter and I love dining out. I guess the hardest part for me is making sure my daughter and husband enjoys themselves as we'll as my son. I'm happy as long as everyone's happy. The iPod thing is a great idea however my son has an issue with things on his ears. He freaks out if anyone or anything touches it. He won't wear hats, ear muffs, headphones etc. what I did find useful was apps on our phones. He just got an iPad so I will allow him to bring that so he can wait patiently in lines. I just have to keep an eye out on him because he loses things constantly!

 

[malya2006]

Here are a few more thoughts/recs that have worked for us:

My DD always has her iPod and headphones with her. This helps to drown out some of the noise/ loud sounds. She is easily overstimulated by certain noises and sounds. There is really no rhyme or reason so the iPod and headphones are a way she has learned to self regulate or if we see her starting to have difficulty we tell her to use her iPod and headphones. She also loves to take pictures with her iPod

My DD is also food sensitive. She is self limiting to what she eats and has allergies so we very rarely book sit down meals. Not only can they be very expensive, but she can't always sit for long periods of time. Although, I will say that if sit down meals work for you, the restaurants are very accommodating regarding allergies, gluten free etc. We tried a character breakfast but it really wasn't worth the expense as she wouldn't eat any of the food. So we leisurely see characters in the parks and that seems to work the best.

I also bring snacks with me in the parks in a a small back pack. Again, mostly because of food allergies and her pickiness.

I prepare her ahead of time. We frequent the Disney site, u-tube etc. to look at rides, the parks, shows etc. so she can visually become comfortable with what to expect. She is very visual so I will print out pictures for her and put them in a binder which she likes.

I ALWAYS take cues from DD at the park. If something is making her uncomfortable then we simply move on. Trying to get her on a ride that she is not feeling good about will ALWAYS not end good! Once a meltdown starts it is very hard to regroup.

Don't expect to see and do everything. Even with the best laid plans and perfect circumstances and No child with autism, there is simply too much to see and do and it can be exhausting when you try to squeeze everything in. We NEVER park hop. We stay in one park per day. What we don't get to on this trip, we will see next time.

Get plenty of rest/sleep.....a tired child is a cranky child......a tired child with autism is cranky quadruplets!

With the GAC you can sit in the handicapped sections for the parades. This gave us a good view and better space around us. I will sit in this section with DD while my DH and boys stay nearby outside of the handicapped section. I appreciate the GAC for her but don't feel that we all need the accommodation so I won't take space away from others simply because the GAC does allow 5 others in your group. The same goes with the rides. I consider the GAC a privilege for her because of her disability. My DH and boys do not need the accommodation.

Hope these thoughts have been helpful. I will add more as I think of them. Pixie Dust to All !!!!!

Btw did u find the gac useful? Is it worth getting it?

 

[malya2006]

Here are a few more thoughts/recs that have worked for us:

My DD always has her iPod and headphones with her. This helps to drown out some of the noise/ loud sounds. She is easily overstimulated by certain noises and sounds. There is really no rhyme or reason so the iPod and headphones are a way she has learned to self regulate or if we see her starting to have difficulty we tell her to use her iPod and headphones. She also loves to take pictures with her iPod

My DD is also food sensitive. She is self limiting to what she eats and has allergies so we very rarely book sit down meals. Not only can they be very expensive, but she can't always sit for long periods of time. Although, I will say that if sit down meals work for you, the restaurants are very accommodating regarding allergies, gluten free etc. We tried a character breakfast but it really wasn't worth the expense as she wouldn't eat any of the food. So we leisurely see characters in the parks and that seems to work the best.

I also bring snacks with me in the parks in a a small back pack. Again, mostly because of food allergies and her pickiness.

I prepare her ahead of time. We frequent the Disney site, u-tube etc. to look at rides, the parks, shows etc. so she can visually become comfortable with what to expect. She is very visual so I will print out pictures for her and put them in a binder which she likes.

I ALWAYS take cues from DD at the park. If something is making her uncomfortable then we simply move on. Trying to get her on a ride that she is not feeling good about will ALWAYS not end good! Once a meltdown starts it is very hard to regroup.

Don't expect to see and do everything. Even with the best laid plans and perfect circumstances and No child with autism, there is simply too much to see and do and it can be exhausting when you try to squeeze everything in. We NEVER park hop. We stay in one park per day. What we don't get to on this trip, we will see next time.

Get plenty of rest/sleep.....a tired child is a cranky child......a tired child with autism is cranky quadruplets!

With the GAC you can sit in the handicapped sections for the parades. This gave us a good view and better space around us. I will sit in this section with DD while my DH and boys stay nearby outside of the handicapped section. I appreciate the GAC for her but don't feel that we all need the accommodation so I won't take space away from others simply because the GAC does allow 5 others in your group. The same goes with the rides. I consider the GAC a privilege for her because of her disability. My DH and boys do not need the accommodation.

Hope these thoughts have been helpful. I will add more as I think of them. Pixie Dust to All !!!!!

Oh and what time of the year do u go? We went in April. He hates the heat and crowd so summer is out of the question. I'm so jealous about ur trip in oct!

 

[livndisney]

H
With the GAC you can sit in the handicapped sections for the parades. This gave us a good view and better space around us. I will sit in this section with DD while my DH and boys stay nearby outside of the handicapped section. I appreciate the GAC for her but don't feel that we all need the accommodation so I won't take space away from others simply because the GAC does allow 5 others in your group. The same goes with the rides. I consider the GAC a privilege for her because of her disability. My DH and boys do not need the accommodation.

This is not always the case. The handicapped sections for the parades are usually packed with wheelchairs, with family standing behind. The CMs direct wheelchairs to park wheel to wheel in most cases in order to fit more people in.

Others have reported not being allowed to use the area without a wheelchair.

Op- I would strongly encourage you to view the posts lower on this board (those directly dealing with planning a trip to WDW). Posts by Clanmucloch may be particularly useful as I think her dd has some similar needs.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I've definitely learned a few things from our trips with our autistic 15yo.

• We can not accomplish nearly as much as a family without a special needs child. Like every WDW guest, we have to pick and choose which activities we want to do most but unlike most WDW guests our final list has to be a lot shorter. It is what it is. Accepting this will make you a LOT happier. If you look at my signature you'll see we've been to WDW a lot of times. We only just made it to DQ this past February and still have never been to a water park or mini golfing or even touring the Boardwalk. There are attractions in the parks we've never been to either. I see these as opportunities for something new to try in the next trip (there's always a next trip for us LOL). Every trip I make sure to include at least one thing we've never tried before to keep things more interesting.
• We can not go to parks more than 2 days in a row without taking a full day where we don't leave our resort. I've tried. It doesn't work. When I say not leaving the resort I mean it. No water park, DQ, resort hopping, mini golf, anything. She desperately needs that day. Many people have trouble with the idea of being at WDW and not going to parks every day. The way I look at it is that we spend a lot of money on our resorts so this forces us to really take advantage of everything our resort has to offer. How many people can honestly say they've read all the signs around the perimiter of Pop Century or have participated in all of the pool games at their resort?
• On days we do leave our resort (park, water park, DTD, anything) we can't stay away from our resort for the full day. We're early risers so it's easy for us to be at parks for their opening but we never stay beyond the end of our lunch. We're usually finishing lunch around 2:00 (our meals take a long time because of our laundry list of allergies) and we do not attempt to do anything after eating other than leave the park. We spend the rest of the day at our resort swimming or otherwise enjoying our resort. Now that DD15 is such a WDW pro we can get back to a park maybe once in a week+ long trip for an evening activity but typically we have to stay back at our resort for the rest of the night once we get there. When we're leaving the park she's still typically in a really good mood. It's tempting to try to stay longer and do just a few more things. This never goes well. I strongly advise you to fight the urge. Leaving while everybody is still happy means a whole lot of great memories and maintaining that overall positive feel to the trip. Waiting for the inevitable meltdown that will happen when pushing too much means a lot of frustration for everybody (the autistic child as well as the rest of the family), sore feelings and mixed memories. It's worth getting in a few less attractions to keep the tone of the trip really positive.
• Watch for early warning signs that mood is going downhill and coping abilities are tanking. Leave the park immediately when this happens unless you know the cause (like with my DD15 whose mood can be turned around by getting a snack into her if it's past a normal eating time).
• Keeping our at home schedule while at WDW is VERY important. At WDW we get up and go to bed at our normal times and eat at our normal times.
• If DD15 gets at all outside of her normal time schedule we are pretty much guaranteed of a meltdown. Food at the right time is especially important for her. She doesn't see the change that happens in her when she needs food but boy is it like somebody flips a switch. As soon as we get her fed she's back to her normal self as long as we get her fed fairly quickly after her mood begins to tank. I have managed to fit lunches in our schedule a bit later than normal but I make sure that I'm buying her a snack around half an hour before we'd normally be eating lunch so that she won't get over hungry. I never would have tried this in one of our earlier trips because it would be too much of a variance from her normal schedule.
• I know I've read a lot of people say on various sites that with an autistic child you can't plan in much detail because you don't know what to expect. My experience is the exact opposite. By planning in detail she (1) knows what to expect at every step of the day (2) we've had the opportunity to think through which attractions are most important to us to be sure that we make it to those (3) we've taken the time to rule out attractions that she can't cope with (4) I've learned how to tour without crowds or lines (5) by having a detailed plan I have it in writing at what point we should leave the park meaning we're out of there before we've hit the too long away from our resort mark.
• With a good touring plan (I like easywdw.com) and understanding of the reasons why of the touring plans, you honestly can avoid having to wait any real time in lines and you can avoid the crowds between attractions, in restaurants and even bus crowds (not after fireworks but most of the time). With the understanding of why the touring plans are ordered as they are it also gives me the ability to change things up on the fly if we need to. That's where the flexibility comes in. Yes you do need to be prepared to change things up with a plan B because of maybe getting scared last minute or a ride being close or the day before having to leave early without making it to an attraction but you can still follow some consistent touring strategies to avoid the lines and crowds.
• We don't go to a lot of parades. The handicap waiting areas are just as crowded if not more crowded than along the rest of the parade route and the rest of the parade route gets too crouded for the most part. There are a few spots where it's impossible for crowds to fill in very deep making them much better places to watch from. Sites like easywdw.com can help you figure out which spot(s) will work best for you.
• Know your child's triggers. There are some attractions that we just can not do because DD15 would be guaranteed a meltdown. When we participated in a YES class, the class went into Stitch's Great Escape but we waited in the gift shop because she just would not have been able to handle it. That's just about the worst attraction for her in all of WDW. Avoiding known triggers makes for a much smoother and happier and meltdown free experience.
• GAC do not allow us to cut lines. They allow us to wait in a quieter, less crowded area so that DD15 can cope with the wait. It is invaluable to us. The touring plan though is what helps us avoid lines and crowds.

Thanks for the nod livndisney! Haven't seen you around much. I hope everything's going ok with you and your cutie pie.

 

[malya2006]

I've definitely learned a few things from our trips with our autistic 15yo.


[*]We can not accomplish nearly as much as a family without a special needs child. Like every WDW guest, we have to pick and choose which activities we want to do most but unlike most WDW guests our final list has to be a lot shorter. It is what it is. Accepting this will make you a LOT happier. If you look at my signature you'll see we've been to WDW a lot of times. We only just made it to DQ this past February and still have never been to a water park or mini golfing or even touring the Boardwalk. There are attractions in the parks we've never been to either. I see these as opportunities for something new to try in the next trip (there's always a next trip for us LOL). Every trip I make sure to include at least one thing we've never tried before to keep things more interesting.
[*]We can not go to parks more than 2 days in a row without taking a full day where we don't leave our resort. I've tried. It doesn't work. When I say not leaving the resort I mean it. No water park, DQ, resort hopping, mini golf, anything. She desperately needs that day. Many people have trouble with the idea of being at WDW and not going to parks every day. The way I look at it is that we spend a lot of money on our resorts so this forces us to really take advantage of everything our resort has to offer. How many people can honestly say they've read all the signs around the perimiter of Pop Century or have participated in all of the pool games at their resort?
[*]On days we do leave our resort (park, water park, DTD, anything) we can't stay away from our resort for the full day. We're early risers so it's easy for us to be at parks for their opening but we never stay beyond the end of our lunch. We're usually finishing lunch around 2:00 (our meals take a long time because of our laundry list of allergies) and we do not attempt to do anything after eating other than leave the park. We spend the rest of the day at our resort swimming or otherwise enjoying our resort. Now that DD15 is such a WDW pro we can get back to a park maybe once in a week+ long trip for an evening activity but typically we have to stay back at our resort for the rest of the night once we get there. When we're leaving the park she's still typically in a really good mood. It's tempting to try to stay longer and do just a few more things. This never goes well. I strongly advise you to fight the urge. Leaving while everybody is still happy means a whole lot of great memories and maintaining that overall positive feel to the trip. Waiting for the inevitable meltdown that will happen when pushing too much means a lot of frustration for everybody (the autistic child as well as the rest of the family), sore feelings and mixed memories. It's worth getting in a few less attractions to keep the tone of the trip really positive.
[*]Watch for early warning signs that mood is going downhill and coping abilities are tanking. Leave the park immediately when this happens unless you know the cause (like with my DD15 whose mood can be turned around by getting a snack into her if it's past a normal eating time).
[*]Keeping our at home schedule while at WDW is VERY important. At WDW we get up and go to bed at our normal times and eat at our normal times.
[*]If DD15 gets at all outside of her normal time schedule we are pretty much guaranteed of a meltdown. Food at the right time is especially important for her. She doesn't see the change that happens in her when she needs food but boy is it like somebody flips a switch. As soon as we get her fed she's back to her normal self as long as we get her fed fairly quickly after her mood begins to tank. I have managed to fit lunches in our schedule a bit later than normal but I make sure that I'm buying her a snack around half an hour before we'd normally be eating lunch so that she won't get over hungry. I never would have tried this in one of our earlier trips because it would be too much of a variance from her normal schedule.
[*]I know I've read a lot of people say on various sites that with an autistic child you can't plan in much detail because you don't know what to expect. My experience is the exact opposite. By planning in detail she (1) knows what to expect at every step of the day (2) we've had the opportunity to think through which attractions are most important to us to be sure that we make it to those (3) we've taken the time to rule out attractions that she can't cope with (4) I've learned how to tour without crowds or lines (5) by having a detailed plan I have it in writing at what point we should leave the park meaning we're out of there before we've hit the too long away from our resort mark.
[*]With a good touring plan (I like easywdw.com) and understanding of the reasons why of the touring plans, you honestly can avoid having to wait any real time in lines and you can avoid the crowds between attractions, in restaurants and even bus crowds (not after fireworks but most of the time). With the understanding of why the touring plans are ordered as they are it also gives me the ability to change things up on the fly if we need to. That's where the flexibility comes in. Yes you do need to be prepared to change things up with a plan B because of maybe getting scared last minute or a ride being close or the day before having to leave early without making it to an attraction but you can still follow some consistent touring strategies to avoid the lines and crowds.
[*]We don't go to a lot of parades. The handicap waiting areas are just as crowded if not more crowded than along the rest of the parade route and the rest of the parade route gets too crouded for the most part. There are a few spots where it's impossible for crowds to fill in very deep making them much better places to watch from. Sites like easywdw.com can help you figure out which spot(s) will work best for you.
[*]Know your child's triggers. There are some attractions that we just can not do because DD15 would be guaranteed a meltdown. When we participated in a YES class, the class went into Stitch's Great Escape but we waited in the gift shop because she just would not have been able to handle it. That's just about the worst attraction for her in all of WDW. Avoiding known triggers makes for a much smoother and happier and meltdown free experience.
[*]GAC do not allow us to cut lines. They allow us to wait in a quieter, less crowded area so that DD15 can cope with the wait. It is invaluable to us. The touring plan though is what helps us avoid lines and crowds.


Thanks for the nod livndisney! Haven't seen you around much. I hope everything's going ok with you and your cutie pie.

So much good info! Thank you so much! It always helps to take advice from someone who has experienced it. I think it's a great idea to go half a day. We usually go with my sisters family so it's hard to make everyone happy. And thanks for the info on the gac. My son has sensory issues so the heat really bothers him. What time of year do u go? My son is also extremely picky, he barely ate at all during the trip. Being Ina strange place makes him loss his appetite. He wouldn't even eat his favorite foods that I brought from home. How does it daughter deal with the plan ride? My son has motion sickness and threw up throughout the whole ride.

 

[clanmcculloch]

We typically go in February and August. February is obviously not bad for heat though we've been really lucky to get temperatures as high as low 90s. August requires different planning. The touring plans ensure that we get a good mixture of indoor and outdoor attractions to help with the heat plus with a nice air conditioned TS lunch we're inside for the worst part of the day that we're actually in the park. We also have mister fans that we bring with us for our August trips plus I insist on stopping on a regular basis to drink water. The mister fan serves the dual purpose of cooling us off as well as providing her with a tool with which to give herself some sensory inputs that are under her control (she's both a seeker and avoider so controlled inputs help sooth while she has to avoid other types of inputs). We're indoors or in the pool once we leave the park after lunch and on resort days DD15 typically likes to stay in the room mid day to relax and read or write stories (she's an avid writer) while I take her sister to the pool.

Remember that your sister and her family don't need to stick with you all the time. They're free to stay in the park after you leave. Also keep in mind that GACs are only for up to 6 people (the person with the disability plus 5 others) so you'll have to split up whenever you use it anyway.

Will your DS drink stuff like Boost? Since you need to make sure he's hydrated more than you need to make sure he eats a lot, if he'll drink things like Boost or Ensure then that'll help with the lack of appetite. As long as he's getting some nutrients from drinks like that and maybe fruit then let him get some high calorie stuff like milkshakes. Maybe he'll even agree to some fun shaped foods like Mickey waffles or Mickey ravioli. It's amazing just what kids will suddenly try or do at WDW. When my DD15 wasn't allowing anybody other than me to touch her, she hugged princess Tiana. I was near tears I was so shocked and happy. Never underestimate the power of Disney magic on our special needs kids.

My DD does pretty well with flying. She does sometimes have to stop reading or else she'll feel sick but usually that's the worst she'll experience. She does have OCD with one of her triggers being foodsd she's allergic to (she has no contact allergies) touching her or her possessions or in the case of planes her seat or the floor where her bag will sit. I have to make sure there's no visible sign of her allergens before she'll sit. I don't do a full cleaning like some people with more severe allergies; it's more to sooth her OCD so as I said I just make sure there's nothing visible. Have you asked his doctor about something that might help with the motion sickness? There are medications and even motion sickness bracelets that might help. If anxiety is part of the reason for his nausea then check your local airport to see if they have an autism program where they let you go through a trial run of going through the airport with this trial run including explanations of what's going on. If this is part of his issue then maybe an anxiety medication would help though I'd strongly advise against trying any medication for the first time when away from home. DD15 takes Abilify when her anxiety is increasing. She takes it only for a few days at a time because her increases in anxiety are cyclical if you get my drift. Meds like this don't have to build up in the system so they're good options for situational anxiety.

 

[AJKMOM]

Since your son is only 10, I would recommend your family going at what is considered a slower time, maybe in early November, early December, or in January, not around MLK. February except for the time around Presidents Day. It makes such a difference to go when the weather is cooler and the crowds are smaller.

don't go in the summer, or Christmas or Easter unless you have no choice.

 

[Romamom444]

We travel during quieter periods.....generally late September or October. We don't worry so much about our DD missing a week of school. She gains so much from the experience of travel we consider it part of her education. She learns best through experience. Also, her birthday is in October so we always incorporate that into our trip. Also, she loves to swim so we need to make sure the weather is warm enough for the pools.

The GAC is one of the most important parts of our successful experience. Without that it would be impossible for DD to experience Disney. We could not even consider standing in a crowded line for extended periods of time with our DD. She becomes so overwhelmed by the number of people and does not like anyone too near her. just to have the ability to wait in a quieter spot helps tremendously.

Also, in our experience, we have always been able to use the GAC to sit in the disable viewing area for parades. As long as you arrive early enough for a spot we have always been able to sit right up front. our DD LOVES parades and shows and smiles ear to ear and giggles for the duration of the entire event.

The bottom line is that you know your child best and know what they will or will not tolerate. Because the autism spectrum is so broad what might work for one person (or family) with autism might or might not work for another. The suggestions I have made are unique to my child and have served us well. I have learned over the years that it is an evolving process with my DD and approaches can change over time. In our experience, while at WDW or other new vacation spots we take our cues from our daughter's needs/reactions and plan accordingly.

While structure for children with autism is very important, for us, while at WDW we have found just the opposite. A structured touring plan puts such pressure on not only DD, but also on the rest of the family. Even more so, if the plans collapse because of DD's need to regroup or take a break. Then we have several disappointed unhappy stressed people. For us, we have adopted an attitude of leisurely making our way to and around the parks. This has worked the best for us. what we see or do.....great. What we don't see or do....we will get to next time.

While it can be more challenging navigating WDW as a family, you will find what works best for your special kiddo and the rest of your family. I can promise that you WILL build special memories for years to come!

Magical wishes to everyone in your family!

 

[malya2006]

Z

 

[wilkeliza]

Just as a CM who works the guests with wheelchair viewing areas it is just that. Technically the official rule is only guest with wheelchairs, EVC, and strollers as wheelchair tags and their guest (3 to 6 depending on time of year and park) are allowed in the area. If you have been allowed in with a GAC then that is a CM making an exception to the official policy and should not always be expected.

Also please note the GAC system is always evolving and you may not be sent into a shorter quieter line. Also you may wait much longer, case in point TSMM if you use the actual GAC loading area and not just use it as a FP there are only 2, maybe 3 cars, that load in that area and the game takes a while. So just with the fact of limited cars and long cycle time you could wait longer than just grabbing a fast pass and using the fast pass entrance with that. Some CMs do follow the rules to a T and may just send you through the regular line if you have alternate entrance because alternate entrance is simply suppose to be for rides when he standard queue does not allow a wheelchair. I only stress this because sometimes (not saying anyone here would) guests will yell at us for following policy because it is not how their friend was treated or how it was last time they were there or even on occasion I got we'll that's not what I read online. In short respect he rescission of the CM and alter your plans based on that. If they send you through FP great but if they send you into a waiting area or give you a had written fast pass to rerun later be ready for that as well.

You will want to mention that waiting around large crowds is hard for him (not the wait itself you will be told to use a fast pass if that is the car). Also mention how over stimulation is hard in him so a quieter area to wait would help.

Remember you need to tell the guest relations CM what will help your son and travel companions not what his disability is.

 

[malya2006]

Thanks for this info it was very valuable! Sounds a lil complicated tan its worth tho...we will just go a lesser busy time of year lol

 

[wilkeliza]

Thanks for this info it was very valuable! Sounds a lil complicated tan its worth tho...we will just go a lesser busy time of year lol

Sorry if I made it sound complicated. The pass really isn't complicated but as I pointed out they are not meant to shorten wait times. They are meant to provide you service to meet your needs so waiting in a quieter place or in an area with less stimulation. They also are not suppose to work like fast passes.

If the wait is the big issue then fast passes are the best option especially if using and iPod or other device to keep him focused on something besides the noise of the parks works to keep melt downs at bay.

The most important thing is to have a plan for the what ifs. Even with a GAC melt downs are possible so knowing what you are going to do if one happens is the best plan.

First aid and Baby Care are your friends. If he needs to rest and get out of the stimulating environment instead if going to the hotel you can go to baby care or even first aid. Just let them know you just need a quite moment to help reset and then you'll be about your day. Each park has one and the staff has always been super friendly when ever I go in.

 

[Romamom444]

Thanks for this info it was very valuable! Sounds a lil complicated tan its worth tho...we will just go a lesser busy time of year lol

Malya2006
Your right on with this! I feel the same. As a parent of a beautiful DD with autism simple details always work best for us. My best advice would be to try and go when it is less crowded and take cues from your child as to what rides, events etc they will enjoy. I know it can be much more complicated when you have other children and you all want to enjoy everything together as a family. Sometimes it makes sense to split up for short periods of time or switch off to keep all the kiddos entertained and happy. We found that there were some events such as parades, shows, fireworks, meals that we could attend together. However, certain rides that we way to over stimulating for DD meant that DH or I would take the boys on those and the other would take DD for an ice cream or just relax a bit etc. Some days I would return back to the resort mid afternoon, so DD could swim in the pool. To be honest, I enjoyed the break as much as she did. I just play it by ear. Hope I've been helpful.