Children with autism at parks

[pfp258]

I am in Disney World right now finishing a vacation with family. Yesterday my husband and I stopped at guest relations in HS to check a dinner reservation. A man was speaking with a guest relation hostess regarding his son who has autism. (His words). He was complaining about wait times and sharing that his son was unable to stand in line for two hours. The hostess suggested using a fast pass. He wanted more. He claims rides shut down when he was using the fast pass and a cast member told he would have to get in regular line (highly unlikely) his son was having meltdowns and Disney was somehow responsible because his family couldn't just get to the front of the fast pass line of every ride and attraction. He just kept repeating how Disney had failed his autistic son and deprived his family of a vacation. I wanted to turn to him and say, maybe Disney is not the right vacation for your autistic son. Disney is sensory overload and can be too much for many people. If your son has autism and you want to what is best for him don't make him wait in line for something so that he has meltdowns. Perhaps a vacation someplace calmer. Disney is not required to have "no waiting" if your child has autism. Can you even them opening that can of worms? Just be reasonable people.....bringing a child that can't wait in a line (and I actually didn't see any that had a two hour wait time while I was there) then making them wait in a line and then claiming that Disney is at fault is ludicrous! I felt bad for the cast member that had to listen to his tirade and kept calling Disney out for not being accessible to his handicapped son, clearly he was not doing what was best for his son!

 

[aimeebarb]

I'm not defending this guy (I hate it when people blow things up and make everything not their fault, usually hoping for some kind of handout or freebie) and I want to add I have never been to Disney, but we are bringing our daughter who is on the spectrum this winter.

In disabilities groups, Disney is known as one of the MOST accommodating vacation locations for children with autism. I am not sure why he did not try to get a Disability Access Card, although with all the changes to that card (again, just based on my research), I'm not sure how much it would have helped him. Maybe he had a previous experience before the DAS change and was giving feedback on the new approach to accommodate children with disabilities.

I don't really have a strategy yet for our trip in terms of DAS or tackling parks, but I do know that with three kids, one with autism and another as a very young infant, I am keeping my expectations LOW. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

 

[pfp258]

I was once with a group of families and one of them used the DAS card for their son who has Aspergers. At that time (maybe 8-10 years ago) our whole group would get to go to right to the front of the line. Our family always felt uncomfortable with this and often chose not to be included, but it was hard as our families planned this trip together. We didn't know they were going to get this card and were caught off guard. So their son was able to wait an hour for dinner at Chef Mickeys, wait in line to meet his favorite characters but not wait in a line at all. The family loved that they could use the card to move right to the front. I know Disney has had to make changes as there handicapped people renting themselves out on Craigslist. You paid them a fee for the day or week and they would use their handicapped status to avoid lines and you went along with them. I guess there always people looking to play the system and not have to follow the rules. So sad to think that this is the kind of thinking some people do.

 

[Mariep26]

Did you see if they were using DAS? Although it is not front of the line, it does help keep the wait time down.

Disney is a great vacation for those on the spectrum.. so many elements of the trip can be planned ahead and setting those expectations on schedule is big for many kids on the spectrum.

This guy sounded like he just wanted front of the line access and was using his son to get it. Ick

 

[Hope Counts]

There have been issues for people transitioning from the GAC to the DAS system.
We are taking DD who is on the spectrum in the fall, I am not sure how it is going to go and we are using all our strategies to make it a success.
DD can handle places like restaurants because she can cocoon herself between DH and I and watch the iPad, more traditional waiting is vary much a struggle for her. Add in her lower tone and standing in a line makes her very unhappy and sets us up for a melt down.
We do plan to use the DAS and are trying to plan our FP+ options with DAS use to minimize waiting time.
Her therapy team and we are working on it but it's a slow process.
WDW/DL can be amazing for kids on the spectrum, many show improvements after a visit. No one knows why but my personal suspicion is it exposes them to sensory triggers in such a positive environment that it helps them process them better.

 

[aimeebarb]

WDW/DL can be amazing for kids on the spectrum, many show improvements after a visit. No one knows why but my personal suspicion is it exposes them to sensory triggers in such a positive environment that it helps them process them better.

Cool insight! Sounds logical to me!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I was once with a group of families and one of them used the DAS card for their son who has Aspergers. At that time (maybe 8-10 years ago) our whole group would get to go to right to the front of the line. Our family always felt uncomfortable with this and often chose not to be included, but it was hard as our families planned this trip together. We didn't know they were going to get this card and were caught off guard. So their son was able to wait an hour for dinner at Chef Mickeys, wait in line to meet his favorite characters but not wait in a line at all. The family loved that they could use the card to move right to the front. I know Disney has had to make changes as there handicapped people renting themselves out on Craigslist. You paid them a fee for the day or week and they would use their handicapped status to avoid lines and you went along with them. I guess there always people looking to play the system and not have to follow the rules. So sad to think that this is the kind of thinking some people do.

They didn't have DAS 8-10 years ago and the old GAC did not give you front of the line access. You must be remembering incorrectly.

 

[Crl1817]

It sounds like that individual father wasn't handling things very well. It's hard to know what happened in that situation, maybe he had been told one thing when he planned the vacation, but something different happened when they got there. Or maybe he was just a jerk.

I think if you don't have a child with special needs, it is very hard to know what accommodations are necessary and reasonable for them. Just as a wheel chair may be necessary for some people to enjoy disneyworld, different accommodations may be necessary for someone else. I would hope that disney would do anything reasonable to make it so everyone can enjoy the experience.

 

[Gracie09]

They didn't have DAS 8-10 years ago and the old GAC did not give you front of the line access. You must be remembering incorrectly.

May not be right to the front of the line but often put someone with the gac to the fast pass line if there was one or sent them in through the exit or alternative entrance. It may not of been the original purpose of the card but in the end it was the approach used

 

[Hope Counts]

It sounds like that individual father wasn't handling things very well. It's hard to know what happened in that situation, maybe he had been told one thing when he planned the vacation, but something different happened when they got there. Or maybe he was just a jerk.

I will also say that on difficult days with DD (I'm a SAHM right and she is 3 so with me most of the day if not in therapy or her preschool program) I can have very little patience and I'm used to it.
I've taken it out on DH a time or two unfairly because she has used up ALL my ability to deal for the day. It may be that the Dad had been dealing with the melt downs and difficulties all day and been pushed to his limit and took it out on the CM unfairly.

 

[twinboysmom]

I am in Disney World right now finishing a vacation with family. Yesterday my husband and I stopped at guest relations in HS to check a dinner reservation. A man was speaking with a guest relation hostess regarding his son who has autism. (His words). He was complaining about wait times and sharing that his son was unable to stand in line for two hours. The hostess suggested using a fast pass. He wanted more. He claims rides shut down when he was using the fast pass and a cast member told he would have to get in regular line (highly unlikely) his son was having meltdowns and Disney was somehow responsible because his family couldn't just get to the front of the fast pass line of every ride and attraction. He just kept repeating how Disney had failed his autistic son and deprived his family of a vacation. I wanted to turn to him and say, maybe Disney is not the right vacation for your autistic son. Disney is sensory overload and can be too much for many people. If your son has autism and you want to what is best for him don't make him wait in line for something so that he has meltdowns. Perhaps a vacation someplace calmer. Disney is not required to have "no waiting" if your child has autism. Can you even them opening that can of worms? Just be reasonable people.....bringing a child that can't wait in a line (and I actually didn't see any that had a two hour wait time while I was there) then making them wait in a line and then claiming that Disney is at fault is ludicrous! I felt bad for the cast member that had to listen to his tirade and kept calling Disney out for not being accessible to his handicapped son, clearly he was not doing what was best for his son!

Judge much? What makes you the authority as to whether this family should or should not have been at wdw. I have seen many families pitching a fit over things at wdw not quite going their way. Almost all of them were out of line and almost all of them didn't have a child with autism. Sometimes the heat, fatigue, and stress of a wdw vacation make people act in ways they would normally not. While it doesn't excuse this fathers tirade, a little compassion might be nice. You obviously do not have a child with autism. It's a tough job to be a special needs parent. Its a hard trip with any child at wdw but throw autism into it and it's very difficult. We have taken 8 trips with my autistic twins to wdw and tidal most time for number 9. It has been a great experience for our family. I am glad we haven't encountered anybody like you telling us it was the wrong place for our children.

 

[pfp258]

Actually I am not judging, just trying to get people to think. If your child has a sensory processing disorder or is on the range of autism I am simply suggesting that parents do what is best for their child. I was frustrated that this man kept repeating that Disney was not sensitive to handicapped people and I think that they do an excellent job. He wanted passes so his son with autism would not have to wait or else said son would have meltdowns. Autistic or not the man was clearly not thinking of what is best for his child. Disney does its best but cannot control the environment to ensure that any person doesn't experience sensory overload. Crowds of people, heat, rain, lines, smells, sounds, lights etc. can sometimes overwhelm me, why would you subject a child who has difficulty processing to it?
I think of it like this, if a person gets seasick but books a cruise, then blames the cruise line because they became sick on the ship, is it the fault of the cruise line or should the person have thought, "mmmmm maybe I should find a vacation better suited to my needs"
Don't complain because your autistic son is having meltdowns waiting in the heat in a long line with stimuli all around him. Disney can't offer passes to move to the front of the line for each and every attraction your family would like to visit. Think about your son and do what is best for him.

 

[Crl1817]

Actually I am not judging, just trying to get people to think. If your child has a sensory processing disorder or is on the range of autism I am simply suggesting that parents do what is best for their child. I was frustrated that this man kept repeating that Disney was not sensitive to handicapped people and I think that they do an excellent job. He wanted passes so his son with autism would not have to wait or else said son would have meltdowns. Autistic or not the man was clearly not thinking of what is best for his child. Disney does its best but cannot control the environment to ensure that any person doesn't experience sensory overload. Crowds of people, heat, rain, lines, smells, sounds, lights etc. can sometimes overwhelm me, why would you subject a child who has difficulty processing to it?
I think of it like this, if a person gets seasick but books a cruise, then blames the cruise line because they became sick on the ship, is it the fault of the cruise line or should the person have thought, "mmmmm maybe I should find a vacation better suited to my needs"
Don't complain because your autistic son is having meltdowns waiting in the heat in a long line with stimuli all around him. Disney can't offer passes to move to the front of the line for each and every attraction your family would like to visit. Think about your son and do what is best for him.

I think it is wrong to assume you know more about what is right for someone else's child than they do. Particularly a child you have never even met.

 

[pfp258]

Sorry if I have offended any one.....definitely not my intention ......just been frustrated with people this trip and this guy just wouldn't let it go.....just kept complaining about how bad Disney is for people with special needs. I disagree and think Disney does the best they can to accommodate every guest!

 

[Burnedout]

Sorry if I have offended any one.....definitely not my intention ......just been frustrated with people this trip and this guy just wouldn't let it go.....just kept complaining about how bad Disney is for people with special needs. I disagree and think Disney does the best they can to accommodate every guest!

Trying to "get people to think" is pretty darn insulting. Because people who make these choices haven't "thought?" Give me a break.

This guy was a jerk.

Disney has a reputation for working with people who have extra needs. This includes people with mobility issues, as well as neurological issues. Maybe all the people with needs and their siblings, kids and grand kids should all just stay home so that you don't have to deal with them.

Or people with food issues...no wait you probably don't want to stay home...

 

[pfp258]

Again, no where in my post did I say that that people with any kind of need be that dietary, physical, emotional, neurological, not vacation in Disney. I am not insulting anyone with any of these needs. As an educator that has worked with young children that have those needs I was simply stating that the father was out of place complaining that Disney was not friendly to those with disabilities, THEY ARE!

 

[connie1042]

We are going in Sept with our grandson who is Autistic. Not sure how he will respond, but we will tour accordingly. He actually does pretty well in these types of environments, so we will see. Unless you have a child with Autism, you have no idea what goes on with these kids. Everyone of them is different. Is Disney at fault. NO The guy was wrong in taking it out on the CM. But NO ONE that has no knowledge of a child with Autism, is going to tell me not to take my child to a place that can over stimulate. Most parents of ANY child does not know if their child is going to have a melt down, they don't need to be Autistic. Kids are kids, and very unpredictable.

 

[twinboysmom]

Again, no where in my post did I say that that people with any kind of need be that dietary, physical, emotional, neurological, not vacation in Disney. I am not insulting anyone with any of these needs. As an educator that has worked with young children that have those needs I was simply stating that the father was out of place complaining that Disney was not friendly to those with disabilities, THEY ARE!

While you may not have found your posts insulting, I sure did as did others. You had a lot more to say than just complaining about the father and his inappropriate comments. Perhaps you should retread your original post and your comments about sensory overload, autism, and vacationing someplace calmer.

 

[livndisney]

Again, no where in my post did I say that that people with any kind of need be that dietary, physical, emotional, neurological, not vacation in Disney. I am not insulting anyone with any of these needs. As an educator that has worked with young children that have those needs I was simply stating that the father was out of place complaining that Disney was not friendly to those with disabilities, THEY ARE!

In YOUR opinion.
Clearly the man you posted about did not share your opinion.

You "work" with children with needs-you don't live with them. Enjoy your vacation and focus on YOUR family.

 

[KaylaR]

Not all Children with Autism have sensory issues, or they are sensory seeking. Not all meltdowns are related to being overly stimulated.
I will be taking my son on his first Disney vacation in November, I think it's sad you think that a child shouldn't get to experience the happiest place on earth, due to their disability.