Developmental Delays/Low Muscle Tone & Hashimotos

[MommaGinger]

Good Afternoon Everyone,
My family and I (DH and DD4) are going to Disney next month. My DD has some developmental delays, low muscle tone and a thyroid problem. She gets tired really easy and melts down even easier. I plan on taking WDW at her pace, using her stroller and taking as many breaks as she needs. Does anyone have any suggestions/advice that would make our trip the most enjoyable that it can be?

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

 

[kirstenb1]

Our younger dd has low tone too. We bring her stroller, as you mentioned. The other thing that seems to make a difference is keeping her well hydrated. The first day, I buy a large soda that comes in a souvenir plastic cup, it's big, like 32 oz. Then I bring that cup to the park each day, and just pour our drinks (smaller paper cups) into it, and stick it in the cup holder on the stroller. I know it's so obvious, but frequent drink breaks seem to really keep dd's energy up. I don't make it a habit of giving dd soda here at home, but the caffeine/sugar combo does help keep her going at WDW.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Maybe get a pass to use her stroller as a wheel chair so you can keep her in it in lines. Both for tiredness and meltdown avoidance.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

i second getting the stroller as a wheelchair tag, that way you can use the stroller in the lines. lots of water, not soda to drink. do the parks at child's speed. doing shows if child enjoys to get out of sun. eat at normal times for child, mat end up eating more counter serve than sit downs

 

[SueM in MN]

I’ve got a few questions and a few suggestions:

1) How tall is she?
2) What sorts of things does she like?
3) What sorts of things does she not like?
4) Is she sensitive to things like noise or movement?
5) Does she have good sitting balance?
6) Can she walk enough to get into ride cars that require a transfer? If not, is she small enough to lift in?

For the tiredness, I have three suggestions:
1) You can get a sticker for her stroller that will allow it to be used in lines up to the point of boarding. This is called “Stroller as wheelchair”. Strollers are not normally allowed in most lines, but with this sticker, you can keep it with you and it will treated just like a wheelchair.
Certain attractions have a wheelchair accessible ride car - you won’t be able to use the stroller in most of those because the stroller will be too low or not the right shape. You will be able to bring the stroller into shows and park it with the wheelchairs - for those, you will probably need to take her out and sit her on your lap, but at least you will have the stroller in lines so she won’t get too tired and you won’t have to carry her. You can find more information in post 6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, which is near the top of this board - or you can follow the link in my signature.

2) A good touring plan will help you with being in the least busy park and the least busy attractions in that park. Several touring plans people suggest often are touringplans.com and easywdw.com
Even if you don’t use a full touring plan, just having the information about which park is likely to be most busy will be helpful to you.
There are also apps for smart phones that will help you to plan - they have estimates of wait times, to help you avoid the busiest places. If you have Verizon phones, Disney & Verizon have teamed up for an app called Mobile Magic, which has the official posted wait times for attractions and information on which attractions have Fastpasses available.

3) If she needs a rest, you can go to First Aid in any park. They have cots in individual rooms or cubicles. It is quiet and cool there. There is also a Baby Center in each park (not just for babies - small children too).

 

[brettgirl]

My autistic son was quite happy in his stroller (even at age 6) he also had his lovey (blanket). We broke mid day and went back to hotel to veg, eat and swim. He did very good with this system.

 

[lovethattink]

Good Afternoon Everyone,
My family and I (DH and DD4) are going to Disney next month. My DD has some developmental delays, low muscle tone and a thyroid problem. She gets tired really easy and melts down even easier. I plan on taking WDW at her pace, using her stroller and taking as many breaks as she needs. Does anyone have any suggestions/advice that would make our trip the most enjoyable that it can be?

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

My son's circumstances are different, but I can share some things we do.

If he is tired we let him sleep in the morning. Only once have we ever made it to rope drop.

We went to guest services and explained his needs. They gave us a GAC and a sticker to put on the medical stroller.

He has often taken power naps in queue. The fairy line at MK was great! It was a 40 minute wait in the air conditioning. Perfect for a nap and/or cooling down!! He has also cooled down in airconditioned quick service restaurants and shops. Pin trading has become a fun hobby for him. He can do much trading inside in the airconditioning.

TP and others have a mobile application for wait times. It's helpful to know where to avoid and where is the best to go, and how long the wait time is.

In addition to SueMN's questions. What age is your child? Also check out the link in her siggie. There is a ton of helpful information for special needs in there!

 

[MommaGinger]

Wow! you guys are great. Thank you for the suggestions. I will certainly try to get the sticker for her stroller.

I’ve got a few questions and a few suggestions:

1) How tall is she?
2) What sorts of things does she like?
3) What sorts of things does she not like?
4) Is she sensitive to things like noise or movement?
5) Does she have good sitting balance?
6) Can she walk enough to get into ride cars that require a transfer? If not, is she small enough to lift in?
QUOTE]

1)She is 36 inches
2) She loves princesses and all things girlie
3) She does not like bright lights.
4) She is very sensitive to loud noises, espcially mechanical noises for some reasons (I was going to bring her headphones for some of the rides to help with the noise issue).
5) She does have good sitting balance.
6) She can get into and out of the rides on her own.

Thank you again for all your suggestions. They will really help.

 

[lovethattink]

Wow! you guys are great. Thank you for the suggestions. I will certainly try to get the sticker for her stroller.

1)She is 36 inches
2) She loves princesses and all things girlie
3) She does not like bright lights.
4) She is very sensitive to loud noises, espcially mechanical noises for some reasons (I was going to bring her headphones for some of the rides to help with the noise issue).
5) She does have good sitting balance.
6) She can get into and out of the rides on her own.

Thank you again for all your suggestions. They will really help.

We bring headphones. I attatch them to the stroller. Occasionally he needs them real quick and rather than dig for a bag there are handy right there. For example the Jammitors at Epcot can catch you by surprise and they are LOUD! There are some loud attractions too.

We can't do the Universe of Energy attraction because of the blinking lights in the tunnel. Too much sensory overload there.

My son has great sitting balance, but TSM can whip him around as does Kilamanjaro Safari.

My son is ambulatory and can get on and off most of the rides by himself. He needs assistance with Splash Mt, Peter Pan, TTA, Spaceship Earth, Journey into Imagination, It's a small world, Maelstrom, Pirates and Mexico. Usually he just need to hold someone's hand to do the step down, but at Splash and Peter Pan he needs a pick up to get in and out of the boat.