Dining with Autism

[ChloeH]

You may not get your top choice of restaurant but definitely look to see about availability - there will probably be somewhere that still has openings now.

My 6 year old nephew loves disney. He has moderate/severe autism and was nonverbal the first time he went at 5 years old. He loves the characters - especially Mickey Mouse and the ones from his favorite movies. Does your son watch any disney movies or disney junior?

Does he like animals. Animal kingdom has very interesting theming if you son likes to see animals. (My nephew does not like animal kingdom overall but loves the safari ride).

Epcot is a great park. I love it and love seeing all the different pavilions. The fireworks show is quite good! There are tons of places to get a snack. The fireworks show I believe is around 9:00 so a late dinner might work and snacking around the world otherwise. The aquarium is also really nice.

Does he run away if he gets upset? Last time we were there my nephew panicked and ran off (I don't know how he got out of the stroller). It took nearly 40 mins to catch him.

That said there are also a couple rides he might like (perhaps show him on YouTube first).

There's a Donald Duck boat ride at the Mexican pavilion which is quite gentle. You just ride around in a boat looking at scenes with Donald.

The Finding Nemo ride (nemo and friends?) is a ride where you sit in what looks like a clam shell and ride around looking at scenes / animatronics of the movie. Only one scary part where the scary fish tries to get Marlin. It ends in the aquarium. There is also a restaurant there overlooking the aquarium. I did not have the nerve to book it because if we didn't sit right next to the aquarium window my nephew would have a melt down.

It may not be easy but it might be worthwhile for the experience. And as you said, staying at home always would drive you crazy! As long as the money isn't too much for you to risk if your son hates it there. Good luck!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I agree with everything. I'm a 19 year old, also with autism.

 

[podgirl]

Just wanted to add that since you mentioned dining in close quarters is a no go, then definitely avoid Chefs de France. The tables are so close together that you can literally eat food off the plates of the people seated next to you!
Epcot at Christmas is fantastic. I just did a quick search for tables for 5pm on Dec. 27 and there are plenty of spaces open.

 

[yoopermom]

I would definitely consider Fort Wilderness, no entrance fee, can eat at Hoop de Doo or even Trails End (best buffet for the $$ IMHO), wander around the playground/horse barn, watch the fireworks and parade from the beach area. Much more "open space" for him to decompress in, compared to the parks.

Terri

 

[JeffwithAutism]

"Stemming v Stimming"

You sound like a knowledgeable person who might be a little bit on the spectrum too.

I've never been real good with my son as I'm just not flexible enough. One time I was in a store and he had a meltdown, threw some things off a shelf and I was in a fix. Fortunately someone came along who had a couple of kids on the spectrum (who were in a group home) and was just so calming to him the way she talked. Anyway, my point is, I need help with my son sometimes and I suspect you would help.

 

[JeffwithAutism]

Do thank everyone who posted. I've booked a few meals at Epcot and one at each of the other resorts as well which I figure we will spend fairly limited time in.

My wife was kind of on the fence on the wheel chair as she is afraid he might decide he likes being pushed around too much. He is already fairly obese at 18 and we work really hard to keep him active. Tough call but we reserved places assuming he will have a wheel chair.

I booked a breakfast the day after we get there at a resort just to get a feel for how it is and how he reacts. If it goes badly, we will probably cancel everything but if it works out we'll do the water park in morning go to condo for afternoon and then go to Epcot with a touch of the others.

I'm sure he will do o.k. at some of the resort meals too just because they do look like the Dixie Stampede and just the kind of environment where he has done well in the past.

We'll see how it goes.

 

[JeffwithAutism]

You may not get your top choice of restaurant but definitely look to see about availability - there will probably be somewhere that still has openings now.

My 6 year old nephew loves disney. He has moderate/severe autism and was nonverbal the first time he went at 5 years old. He loves the characters - especially Mickey Mouse and the ones from his favorite movies. Does your son watch any disney movies or disney junior?

Does he like animals. Animal kingdom has very interesting theming if you son likes to see animals. (My nephew does not like animal kingdom overall but loves the safari ride).

Epcot is a great park. I love it and love seeing all the different pavilions. The fireworks show is quite good! There are tons of places to get a snack. The fireworks show I believe is around 9:00 so a late dinner might work and snacking around the world otherwise. The aquarium is also really nice.

Does he run away if he gets upset? Last time we were there my nephew panicked and ran off (I don't know how he got out of the stroller). It took nearly 40 mins to catch him.

That said there are also a couple rides he might like (perhaps show him on YouTube first).

There's a Donald Duck boat ride at the Mexican pavilion which is quite gentle. You just ride around in a boat looking at scenes with Donald.

The Finding Nemo ride (nemo and friends?) is a ride where you sit in what looks like a clam shell and ride around looking at scenes / animatronics of the movie. Only one scary part where the scary fish tries to get Marlin. It ends in the aquarium. There is also a restaurant there overlooking the aquarium. I did not have the nerve to book it because if we didn't sit right next to the aquarium window my nephew would have a melt down.

It may not be easy but it might be worthwhile for the experience. And as you said, staying at home always would drive you crazy! As long as the money isn't too much for you to risk if your son hates it there. Good luck!

Had to respond as this used to be a problem and still worries us. He can get spooked and dart but he is pretty slow and easy to identify in a crowd as he is fairly big and distinctive looking. When he was younger (not as necessary now) we (wife and normal son) would kind of be like a secret service entourage, with one person in front, one in back and one to the side. Now he is surprisingly cautious which is good and bad.

The ride sounds like it might work out well. I'm kind of hoping he will get a kick out of seeing some of the Pixar characters as well as the Disney ones. He does like movies but for whatever reason the people dressed up in character costumes have never really excited him which baffles me as I know how much they mean to normal kids (and maybe even myself).

Anyway, thanks for the ideas.

 

[Anne5555]

Hi, Jeff! I hope you and your family have a wonderful time!

I just wanted to mention that my son is big for his age and, by preference, a couch potato. He loves TV and his Ipad and hates to play outdoors, unless he is in water. We have told him that he will have to do a lot of walking at Disney, and we now try to have him walk on a treadmill 2-3 times a week to help him get in shape for Disney. He can watch TV shows on netflix on my phone while he walks, so he doesn't hate it too much. You do have excellent reasons to have your son use a wheelchair at the parks, but maybe the promised trip can help motivate him to achieve some goals or get in better shape. Actually, the trip we are planning, our first to Disney as a family, is a reward for him finally becoming (mostly) toilet trained at age 9. We told him he could not go to Disney to meet Buzz Lightyear until he could wear big boy underwear all day with no accidents. It worked!

I don't know if this helps any--I know your situation is different--but I do hope you have a fantastic trip.

Anne

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) How much per person does it cost to eat at the different pavilions? The menus on Disney's web site are fairly incomplete but is it reasonable to plan on $50 per person for dinner?
. . . very reasonable
. . . of course, this excludes the cost of park admission tickets

2) It is around Christmas. Realistically, can we get into the places at say 4 or 5 PM eat and then hopefully walk out and watch the fireworks? Hope this question makes sense.
. . . sure, with dinner ADR's
. . . however, there will be a 2-3 hour lull period between dinner and fireworks

3) How in the world do you make reservations?
. . . call 407-WDW-DINE

4) Crowds. Sometimes my son is kind of clumsy and really close quarters for dining are tough. Could we have a little space for him or is that just not going to happen?
. . . nope
. . . the parks at Christmas are shoulder-to-shoulder much of the time
. . . you can try to "run interference" for him, but there is no provision for separation

Anyway, while Disney is great, if it isn't realistic for my son it won't be the end of the world for us. I know we can eat at a lot of other places outside of Disney for a whole lot less money but still I like the idea.
. . . unfortunately, with crowded holidays, this might be the best alternative
. . . besides, you won't have to pay the high admission cost to enter the park(s)

 

[blondietink]

My 22 YO son with Autism is pretty classic, but can verbalize some things. He walks around with paper he has printed off the internet (mostly YouTube screen shots of logos), a toy car and a pencil. He also wears headphones as he is very sensitive to noise. We use a wheelchair for him when we are at WDW and we could not keep track of him without it. He tends to always be in a hurry, and will run ahead to whatever we are doing next. WDW is very over stimulating for the senses and a wheelchair is the only way we have found where he can actually really enjoy the WDW experience, as still gives him the sensory input of moving around but we can still keep track of him.

One year the wheelchair we had brought from home broke at AKL, and so we had to rent a multi-day one at WDW. Boy, did we learn how much he needed a wheelchair ... as soon as he got through the park gate, he would run as fast as he could to the wheelchair rental and sit in a wheelchair and wait for us to come and get him.

I will also say that his favorite park is Epcot, but he cannot verbalize why. I think he really believes he is actually visiting different countries. He does like to travel and we have taken him on cruises, to Hawaii, Las Vegas and on other trips. Agree with others that the ride in Mexico is a very nice, gentle boat ride. We also like the boat ride in the Land.

We went to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure in January after a cruise and we decided to try him without a wheelchair. The park was very un-crowded. He did the usual running ahead of us when he saw something he wanted to do. That was fine because it was not crowded and I could actually see him up ahead of us. But we are going to WDW in December and the wheelchair will be a must. We would lose him quickly in the crowds and even though he is over 6' tall, we could not see him.

 

[sharadoc]

I would definitely consider Fort Wilderness, no entrance fee, can eat at Hoop de Doo or even Trails End (best buffet for the $$ IMHO), wander around the playground/horse barn, watch the fireworks and parade from the beach area. Much more "open space" for him to decompress in, compared to the parks.

Terri

There's also a campfire and singalong where Chip and Dale come out and mingle with the crowd. We don't know why, but our son on the spectrum absolutely LOVES Chip and Dale. They are always very loving and sweet and know how to recognize and deal with his autism behaviors.

Does he like music? The Hoop De Doo could be a lot of fun for him - there's clapping, stomping, you can get a washboard and play along. If he likes that sort of participation, then it's a great option. Basically you could spend all evening at the Fort.

At christmastime, the Electrical Water Pagent will go by the Fort Wilderness beach at 9:45 andf the Fireworks will be at 10:00. You can sit on the sand and see both, if he likes tactile stuff, the sand could be nice for him. Just remember to have a towel or something to clean him off so he's not obsessing about sand on his clothes.

And yes, I agree, it's "stimming". DS does the classic fingers in front of his eyes, A LOT. The worse is the fact that he verbal stims all the time. It's hard to go to movies or shows where you need to keep quiet. But Disney is the best - he is completely comfortable there and could probably find his way around the entire place on his own, which is something he could never do at hime.