Developmental delays

[Beezer]

We're planning on DCL #3 and we're so excited! My husband and I have been once alone and once with our son when he was eight months old, so of course the kids' clubs were out of the question. This next trip he will be 4 1/2 years. I've read all of the great posts about travelling with children who are autistic, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with children with other disabilities. My son has Down syndrome. He's amazingly healthy, just developmentally delayed. We should have the potty training down by then, but he needs direction to participate in groups, he doesn't run or climb, and his speech can be hard to understand (he speaks and signs). I'm just a worried mom who wants everything to go well!

 

[challada]

As I mentioned on the autism question thread, I work w/differently-abled kids...so THANK YOU for thinking of doing this with your child!

Since I work with preschoolers who are of different disability categories and have done so for a number of years, I know quite a bit about variations of disabilities....here's my advice, for what it's worth (and, on an aside, Downs kids are my FAVORITE to work with ).

1. Though signing will probably your child's best mode of communication, begin working on some picture exchange...you will have an easier time getting staff to understand PECs than the signing.

2. Do not sweat the potty training....I don't know alot of Downs kids that get the potty training down by that age. It is a long learning process.

3. I don't know if your son has vision problems or not,but it is more common for Downs kids to have vision issues...therefore, teach him awareness of his social environment (ie, body space, hands to self, etc).

4. Work on cuing him for "stop" which is often the most difficult thing for Down's kids. Downs kids are great at doing a job, but often getting them to stop that job can be tough...start a cuing system for "stop" and definitely have it ready for sharing w/the cruise staff.

5. If your son has feeding issues, please share w/the staff.

Have fun!

 

[jweiss]

My 13 year old is developmentally delayed. We love DCL, and will continue to cruise with them, HOWEVER, I have NOT been impressed at all with the club CM's ability/ willingness to accomodate. (Now, I'm not judging whether or not they SHOULD, I'm just saying that it hasn't happened.) As in the real world. DCL seems to work better with VISIBLE disabilities, than INVISIBLE disabilities. The CM's are busy, they change shifts and activites, etc. I have rarely seen the same person at check in as whenI went to check out. If it were me, I would NOT plan on leaving a 4 year old who is not potty trained, unless you're planning on Flounders.......

 

[txaggie94gigem]

my daughter is developmentally delayed...she has some trouble walking and her speech is at a less than 2 year old level even though she is 5. She had a great time in all the clubs but the CMs had trouble understanding her. She is pottytrained (at the time of the cruise she had been potty trained <6 mos) but she had a couple accidents, mainly because the CMs couldn't understand her when she told them she needed to go to the bathroom. When we cruise this next time she will have a couple cards or a computer that will help her communicate. Overall, I thought the CMs were very understanding. I was scared that they would ban her from the club after she had a few accidents but they did not since it was obviously not a stomach bug problem.

Realistically I know Down's syndrome kids are at many different levels. Some function really well with regular kids and some need lots of extra attention. You are the best jud ge of that. I can say that the 3-4 year old group will be a good group for your child to start with. I agree with others that Disney probably will not have the facilities to handle your child at preteen plus age, depending on how well your child interacts with regular kids. My advice is to take your child to the kids clubs and stay until you are satisfied all is well. Your child will probably also not be able to stay for long periods of time without a break to regroup with family!

Good luck on your cruise....

 

[JanDave]

Hi: My 8 year old goddaughter, Alyssa, who has Down Syndrome, is sailing with me this June, which will be her 2nd DCL cruise. On the first cruise, we registered her for the kids club, however, she would not stay there without one of us with her. So, we went there several times a day for short periods of time. She did not participate in the activities, but watched from afar and played on the slide, octopus, etc. The counselors would ask her to join them, but she politely declined. We didn't expect her to stay alone in the club as she is shy and somewhat resistant to changes in her routine. She is already asking me about going to the kids club again. Because there are so many other activities on board -- swimming, character greets, movies, etc., she is excited to be cruising again in 2 months.

Feel free to email me - janziegler@aol.com - with any other questions.

Jan