DAS question? ASD/rider anxiety.

[Disneyfan.UK121]

We will be going to the world in 26 days ( not that im counting ). We have never used the DAS as we travelled prior to the new system. But I have a few questions that I cant seem to find on these boards ( apologies if they are there and I couldn't find them.) There will be my DS who is 8, DD who is 4 my husband and myself.

My DS who is 8 has Dyspraxia, immature social communication issues and ASD. We are very limited to rides as he doesn't like anything fast or spinning so we can pretty much only go on a few although he has shown some interest on some rides that he hasn't ridden on before. He finds waiting in lines really difficult and has meltdowns if it is too loud/busy or someone is in his personal space and also needs somewhere he can retreat if he feels overwhelmed. My question is, if we get the DAS and get our return time to a ride that he hasn't been on before and wait in the FP queue then get to front of the line and my son has a meltdown or decides that he doesn't want to go on yet and gets anxious, would we have to exit the ride or could we wait to the side until he is ready or would we have to get another return time and start the queuing process again as this will really cause us a problem Also, there may be a time he point blankly refuses to go on the ride once we get to the front of the line. Could we do a child swap option where at least one of us could go on the ride with my younger daughter ( who will go on anything even at her young age) and one of us wait with my son or would we have to leave the ride and join the queue yet again and queue in the regular line to ride?

Also, could my son get the stroller as wheelchair option even at 8 as he will be riding in one should he need it to retreat ( he is only 40lbs so will fit in our larger stroller no problem).

I'm really nervous that GAC not going to work for us as we are very limited to rides.

I'm hoping that we will be able to speak to the CM at guest services in private as he doesn't know of his social communication and ASD diagnosis just his dyspraxia one and we wouldn't want him to feel like we were talking about his difficulties!

Thanks for your time.

 

[aaarcher86]

We will be going to the world in 26 days ( not that im counting ). We have never used the DAS as we travelled prior to the new system. But I have a few questions that I cant seem to find on these boards ( apologies if they are there and I couldn't find them.) There will be my DS who is 8, DD who is 4 my husband and myself.

My DS who is 8 has Dyspraxia, immature social communication issues and ASD. We are very limited to rides as he doesn't like anything fast or spinning so we can pretty much only go on a few although he has shown some interest on some rides that he hasn't ridden on before. He finds waiting in lines really difficult and has meltdowns if it is too loud/busy or someone is in his personal space and also needs somewhere he can retreat if he feels overwhelmed. My question is, if we get the DAS and get our return time to a ride that he hasn't been on before and wait in the FP queue then get to front of the line and my son has a meltdown or decides that he doesn't want to go on yet and gets anxious, would we have to exit the ride or could we wait to the side until he is ready or would we have to get another return time and start the queuing process again as this will really cause us a problem Also, there may be a time he point blankly refuses to go on the ride once we get to the front of the line. Could we do a child swap option where at least one of us could go on the ride with my younger daughter ( who will go on anything even at her young age) and one of us wait with my son or would we have to leave the ride and join the queue yet again and queue in the regular line to ride?

Also, could my son get the stroller as wheelchair option even at 8 as he will be riding in one should he need it to retreat ( he is only 40lbs so will fit in our larger stroller no problem).

I'm really nervous that GAC not going to work for us as we are very limited to rides.

I'm hoping that we will be able to speak to the CM at guest services in private as he doesn't know of his social communication and ASD diagnosis just his dyspraxia one and we wouldn't want him to feel like we were talking about his difficulties!

Thanks for your time.

There is no place to wait to the side at the front of the rides. If he decides not to ride, you'll need to exit the ride. You could ask the CMs if they'd still allow the other family members to ride and/or give you a rider swap, but I wouldn't bank on it all. I'm not even sure the CMs near the ride even have the rider swap passes since they're obtained outside of the ride.

You can get a stroller as a wheelchair pass - age doesn't matter.

My suggestion would be to FP the rides you think he may change his mind on so that the other members could still ride if he decided not to. If all 4 of you have a FP your DH could take your DD, come out, and then you could take DD using your band and your sons band.

 

[nikkislaght]

try youtubing the rides you think he may want to go on.. and then he can have a view of them before the trip, we put our son between us while in line.. this way we can spreed out a bit and its us he is touching not strangers.. my son will wear sunglasses, hoodies or hats that come down over his face to cut out visual noise , we also take his IPod with him for music,, he does have noise canceling headphones.. but he doesnt use them there..

get the rider swap before you enter the ride.. this way if you need it you have it. and if you dont you can just hand it back to them...

make a social story for him to read before you go, including waiting in line, how noisy it will be .. crowds.. the kinds of foods he will eat,, the characters he will see and how to engage with them.

not sure about WDW but in CA DL they pipe smells down main st,, Im thinking they would do the same,, so if that is a trigger prepare him for that too.. we use a bandanna with a familiar scent on it for him to smell , if overwhelmed by the smells..

if you are using the stroller as a wheelchair.. bring a weighted lapbag for him to use.. they are easy to make......... get a thick linen place mat fold length ways and sew all around leaving a small gap , fill with rice and the sew up the gap... they are great for calming a over stretched sensory system.. or wear compression clothing if he has any..

hope you all have a great trip... PM if you want any more tips.. my son has ASD, ADHD, OCD, SPD and Anxiety disorder.. and this April will be our 7 trip..

 

[gap2368]

you can get a stroller as a wheel chair tag as fair as getting to the front of the ride and something happing you can do is 1 if you can let a few guest infant of you if you think your son only needs a minute or two if you do need to exit go see the CM at the front of the line and tell them what happened I got a DAS return time we came back and my son had a melt down in line so we had to get out can we come back in when he is calmer most of the time they will let you ( this has happened with me before) but you need to tell the CM what is going on as they can not read minds ( even thought some times I think they can) also down load the disney guide for guest with cognitive disabilities if you have not last few pages talks a lot about rides if there are loud noises if you get wet if they seen go fast are dark and there are a few quiet areas around the park so if he needs a place to go.

https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...bilities-services/wdw_cognitive_guide_rev.pdf

 

[2tinkerbell]

The DAS holder needs to ride the attraction. If you DS decides that he doesn't want to ride the attraction after getting the DAS return time, waiting, and then getting to the front of the line, your DH and DD will need to re-enter the standby line. I suggest the same as aaarcher86 and use FP+ for any attractions that you are not sure of.

As far as Guest Relations and getting the DAS, you don't need to give the diagnosis, you need to tell them the problem your DS has in the lines. I would imagine your DS already knows the situations where he has "meltdowns" and/or gets overwhelmed, so you won't be saying anything differently. If you are worried, you can do a card with some key points.

Edited to add: My DD has the personal space issue as well. I make the personal space for her while in lines. I stand behind her and don't move up close so I make the buffer zone. No way would my DD get too close to the person in front of her...lol! Since you are traveling with others, one parent is in front of your group and the other is the last and you make your own buffer zone.

 

[lanejudy]

Technically, the guest with the DAS must ride or the rest of the party cannot. If something happens at the boarding point, the best you can do is explain to the CM and see if they will let some ride while one adult exits with your son. Expect a "no" and be glad if told "yes". I agree with PP who recommends using FP+ for rides he may not do. Rider Swap is generally only available at rides with a height restriction, and ability to use it with a tall-enough child who opts out varies,

The stroller tag has no age limit.

I'm not sure what accommodations you are seeking related to his dyspraxia, but be sure to explain his NEEDS in the parks (specifically queues) and not a list of diagnoses.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[anonymousegirl]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the rider swap only available for families with under-height requirement children?

 

[aaarcher86]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the rider swap only available for families with under-height requirement children?

The website says too short AND unwilling to ride. In practice it has mainly been for those with someone too short.

It's hard to go off the website when there's so much wrong information on it. Sometimes they will make exceptions though.

 

[DisneyOma]

After tapping the second tapstyle for the DAS, how would they even know you've got one? The people loading the vehicles aren't usually the ones at the second tapstyle.

I don't think there's an issue with trying to see if the DAS user wants to ride. If it was a FP+ user, and they chickened out, would there be an issue? It's not like the family is getting anything more than the extra FP+ that the DAS is acting as - and actually the person who has to go off with the DAS user is losing out on the ride.

I wouldn't think a child swap would be ok though - as that's not what a DAS is supposed to do. But if the family is OK with the DAS rider and the adult going off and not riding, then why would it make a difference if the other two family members ride? They had to go through the whole process, and wait, etc. They tried to get the child on, he was present for the boarding process, waited in the FP+ queue. It's not a walk on for the others.

If it seems like a way to cheat the system, I'm guessing it would be pretty rough for the DAS holder, very stressful. Not thinking many people would do that!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Disney was trying to get around the groups that were "renting" a disabled person to accompany them on their trip so they could have the use of the old GAC (which in a lot of cases provided for immediate and repeated access to fastpass lines). One of the issues they were having is that the disabled person would not actually go on a ride but would sent their "clients" ahead with the GAC. One feature with DAS is that the person for whom the DAS is issued is photographed. However if it is made obvious to the CMs at loading that the disabled person intended to go on the ride but decided not to at the last minute, it is possible they would get a break and the family members who came in with them would be allowed to ride after having undertaken the DAS wait - that is, if the disabled person is actually present and they can see that he or she changed their minds about riding at the last minute. There may not be a break granted if there is any question open as to whether the disabled person ever intended to go on the attraction...who knows, that may end up being up to the CMs who are there.

 

[gap2368]

I was just there last week and had to come out of line ( one of my favorites) due to my disability I was almost to getting on like 3 people in front of me and I just needed a few minute but was just told I had to wither go on then or leave I could not at the time go on so I had to leave after waiting ( with the DAS card) then the FP line and was not able to reenter I did not really push for asking to re ride since I go all the time

I have heard that disney changed the GAC because there were too many people using it ( they all had good resion too) and the line for the disability entrance was getting longer then the stand by line. I think when the new story of people hiring a disabled tour guide aird it go the ball rolling much faster then it would have been. but this is just what I have heard.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

the previous poster is probably correct about Disneyland. In Disneyland it was noted that a great number of guests in the FP line for Radiator Springs Racers were there because they had a GAC, not because they had an FP, and the FP line was getting very long. They were certainly planning a change at that point.

I don't know about WDW but the "rent a disabled tour guide" story concerning WDW (although apparently there were DL "guides" too) did push the development of the new DAS system.

 

[gap2368]

I was talking about lines at Disney world and I have seen more stores about tour guide at Disney land I do know there was some at both. But the GAC is out and the DAS is here for now

 

[Aladora]

the previous poster is probably correct about Disneyland. In Disneyland it was noted that a great number of guests in the FP line for Radiator Springs Racers were there because they had a GAC, not because they had an FP, and the FP line was getting very long. They were certainly planning a change at that point.

I don't know about WDW but the "rent a disabled tour guide" story concerning WDW (although apparently there were DL "guides" too) did push the development of the new DAS system.

They actually did something interesting with RSR and the GAC use. Unlike all the other attractions in DL/DCA, you went up to a kiosk and the CM there wrote on the GAC with a return time. Sound familiar? It seemed to us to be the test balloon for the eventual DAS. We used that system when we went in both April 2013 and September 2013, right before the DAS started.

 

[Disneyfan.UK121]

Thank you for your valued comments. I think we have to play it by ear on whether my ds will go on the rides. If we have doubts I think I will go on with just my son and myself and my DH and DD can go on a standby ride as at least that way my daughter wont get disappointed if he chooses not to ride. It makes,me so cross that people in the past have thought of despicable ways to dodge the wait times. I've never heard of the hiring a disabled person to do this before. I'm totally disgusted. I choose to be naive sometimes as things like this make me so sad. I'm just thankful that Disney is such a magical place. I feel very lucky to be setting foot at Disney coming from the UK.