child with Auditory Processing Disorder

[iliffbunch]

Does anyone have any tips for a parent of a child with Auditory Processing Disorder and trip to Disney?

Any info will be helpful

Denise, IL

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to both DisBoards and disABILITIES!

Could you give any specific information about the child; age, what affects the child, etc.?

 

[iliffbunch]

Thank you for responding.
First a little about auditory processing disorder. Auditory processing is a term used to describe what happens when your brain recognizes and interprets the sounds around you. Children with auditory processing difficulty typically have normal hearing and intelligence. But they may have poor listening skills and need more time to process information. These kids can't process the information they hear in the same way as others because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. Something adversely affects the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, most notably the sounds composing speech. Problems typically occur in background noise.

My daughter commonly becomes stimulated with a lot of background noise, causing less listening and overenergized, this in turn usually leads to behaviorial issues thus mood swings.

With the visual and audio stimulants at Disney, my concerns are how this will affect her and ultimately our family's experience.

My daughter is 8 1/2.
Any thoughts or ideas are most helpful.
Denise

 

[bookwormde]

Welcome
Our kids typcially have a couple of issues with auditory processing. First is being overwlemed by high levels of non discriminated input. A good pair fo hearing protectors can help a lot when it gets to be too much. On the communication end it is best just to use non auditory guidance until you can get to a place that there is not a lot on competing voices and sounds. You learn to spot the "quiet places" after a few trips.

The overstimulated manefestation you are seeing is actually often from anxiety of trying to deal with so much input.

bookwormde

 

[wlake]

Hello! I don't know much about auditory processing disorders, but I do know a couple of quiet places at MK and AK you can retreat to!

At MK, Cinderella has a wishing well to the right of the castle (as you're facing it from Main St.). It's quieter and very few people visit it. Also, if you head over to Tom Sawyer Island, some of those trails are calmer. In between Liberty Square and Frontierland, you can walk on a little boardwalk sort of an area next to the water or stay up on the main path. We found the boardwalk to be less crowded, but you could still hear all of the noise from above, but it wasn't as distinct. I'm not sure if that would help your daughter or not.

At AK, the trails around the roots of the Tree of Life were deserted last year in Aug. when we were there. Very calm!

The Open Mouse guide (by Passporters, I think) was very helpful to us in planning a trip for our son with sensory problems. You might find it worth it! Good luck!