currently at disney....wanted to share!

[essom71]

We are travelling on what is our 8th trip to disney but our first that we allowed our boys to take a friend. That makes my husband and I and 4 teen boys aged 13 and 14!

When we left we knew one of the boys had ADHD however it wasn't until we got here that we realized how bad it would affect the trip. He became very disruptive in lines and my husband and I were convinced he would ride very few as he could only handle one line on the first day. I talked to the front and was told to talk to customer service in the park. I was given a Guest Assistance Card for all of our party that really helped us.

They really went the extra distance for us.

 

[SueM in MN]

Glad to hear you are having a good time, despite the challenges.

Curious about one thing - is the boy on any medication to treat his ADHD?
I know people who have their children take a ‘medication vacation’ during the summer, so even if he is on during the school year, he may not be now.
When we took my nephew who has ADHD to WDW on the second trip he came with us, he was older and in charge of taking his own medications. Sometimes he forgot to take it and we could tell by mid-morning which days those were.
After a day like that, we made sure he had taken it before leaving the room. It made for a much more pleasant day.

 

[essom71]

Glad to hear you are having a good time, despite the challenges.

Curious about one thing - is the boy on any medication to treat his ADHD?
I know people who have their children take a ‘medication vacation’ during the summer, so even if he is on during the school year, he may not be now.
When we took my nephew who has ADHD to WDW on the second trip he came with us, he was older and in charge of taking his own medications. Sometimes he forgot to take it and we could tell by mid-morning which days those were.
After a day like that, we made sure he had taken it before leaving the room. It made for a much more pleasant day.

No he is off for the summer. I did not realize how much he really needed it, remember he is not my child. I would have definitley suggested him taking it if I had realized how much he needed it here. It is not a place where he can be without it.

 

[ILoveMyGirls]

wow, that is a challenge as you are not used to dealing with this. good luck.

 

[minniejack]

wow, that is a challenge as you are not used to dealing with this. good luck.

ditto

 

[persimmondeb]

I'm so glad Disney was able to help you enjoy your vacation! If the young man is willing, and his parents allow him to have this, a little coffee can be helpful to someone with ADHD. This is an old "no meds" trick. I'm not sure from your post whether or not he is an age where he would normally drink coffee.

 

[toniosmom]

I'm happy to hear that Disney was able to accomodate you all and basically save your vacation. I am in the same boat with my son who is ADHD, among other things. I understand how parents take the summer off of meds, but I can't imagine doing that with my son. He needs it year-round or our life is crazy.

I'm surprised that boy's parents didn't warn you prior to the trip -- or at least put him back on the meds for the duration of the trip.

Glad it all worked out in the end....

 

[MickeyMirth]

No he is off for the summer. I did not realize how much he really needed it, remember he is not my child. I would have definitley suggested him taking it if I had realized how much he needed it here. It is not a place where he can be without it.

What an amazing and gracious woman you are. I hope that the rest of your vacation is wonderful and filled with loads of pixie dust. I think you're pretty spunky going to WDW with 13 and 14 year old boys. You're a stronger woman than me.

 

[sorul82?]

I'm so glad Disney was able to help you enjoy your vacation! If the young man is willing, and his parents allow him to have this, a little coffee can be helpful to someone with ADHD. This is an old "no meds" trick. I'm not sure from your post whether or not he is an age where he would normally drink coffee.

We gave our ADHD son coffee.

 

[sorul82?]

Just wanted to add for anyone struggling with this (and sorry to hijack this thread) that if one ADHD drug type doesn't work, please keep trying. We tried Ritalin and Stratera, but gave up because the side affects and addictiveness just didn't work for our son. Remember, every child is different and correcting the chemical imbalance in their brains can be trial and error. We went without drugs for about a year and just gave him coffee. Now he is taking Vyvanse and it is a perfect fit for him!

 

[toniosmom]

Just wanted to add for anyone struggling with this (and sorry to hijack this thread) that if one ADHD drug type doesn't work, please keep trying. We tried Ritalin and Stratera, but gave up because the side affects and addictiveness just didn't work for our son. Remember, every child is different and correcting the chemical imbalance in their brains can be trial and error. We went without drugs for about a year and just gave him coffee. Now he is taking Vyvanse and it is a perfect fit for him!

We have tried so many drugs over the past year and it has been a nightmare. My son has been on Intuniv since last winter which helped with the hyperactivity and a few weeks ago we started Vyvanse which appears to be helping with impulsivity. I was very reluctant to try another stimulant because last year we tried Focalin and then Dextrostat and he had a harsh reaction of increased aggression from both. But it's been a few weeks now and no increase in aggression. Now the doctor added Zoloft to help with anxiety and sensitivity. We're still working on the right "cocktail", but I feel like we are on the right track......finally.

I can't wait until we go on our next trip in December -- 98 days to go!

 

[toy]

I can't imagine going on vacation with our dd (10) without medicine. She is ADHD and autistic. The tough part is this isn't even your child. You are quite the family to keep going. I'm glad the GAC is providing you with the help you need. I used the GAC for the first time this spring. It was awesome. I don't know why I was hesitant to use it before. Lines are difficult for her even with medicine. The GAC made my vacation so much better. I was less stressed about the line situation with a child who can't hold still and occasionally yells and tantrums without much warning. I hope your vacation is super.

 

[SueM in MN]

and hope things are still going well for you.

It was hard enough to take my nephew, but we knew him well, plus our youngest DD also has ADD.
I have a feeling it didn't occur to the young man's parents that he would have as much problem as he has had because they are so used to him and his behavior. They may have some 'tools' that they use to deal with some of his behaviors that are so automatic to them that they don't even realize they are doing them.

If you are still at WDW, one of the things we found was that the person with ADD does much better with waiting for something they are interested in than something they are not. My DD's psychologist explained that living with ADD is like listening to a radio all the time that is not quite tuned in and has a lot of static and the signal fading in and out.
If the radio is tuned to something you are not interested in, all the static and noise becomes annoying and tiring. But, if the listener is interested in the program (for example, the last game in some sporting event) they can concentrate on the program and tune out the interuptions much better.

 

[tinkrebell]

I'm so glad Disney was able to help you enjoy your vacation! If the young man is willing, and his parents allow him to have this, a little coffee can be helpful to someone with ADHD. This is an old "no meds" trick. I'm not sure from your post whether or not he is an age where he would normally drink coffee.

I'm adult ADD, but I'm on a bit -stronger- dose than coffee could ever replace. But, I like going on vacation and not worrying that my meds shouldn't be taken if I want to drink.

So I plan on starting off my days with a sugar-free Red Bull instead.

Sad as it seems, it does have the same effect, if only for a few hours!