DL with a 3.5 yr old who has autism and food allergy

[VicMom]

Hi

I've been to DL more than a few times (including a couple trips with clients from work who have physical disabilities) but my next trip is going to be a whole different experience.

This time my husband and I will be going in mid-September with our son (who will be 3.5 at the time). He was recently diagnosed with autism and has some behaviours that can be expected with that. To try to help with that we're thinking of things like bringing his more comfortable stroller so he can sit and have some personal space and we're not continually trying to restrain him in the crowds where he'd be trying to run away non-stop. His worker is working with us to make sure that his funding is approved for noise limiting headphones (hopefully help with the flight and if the noise in the park gets over-whelming). He always wears sunglasses so that won't be a problem. We've booked the Best Western Park Place so that we're good and close (wanted to stay at a Disney property and then looked at our budget and decided the two weren't a good fit ). I realize that we may need to allow for a mid-day pool break to escape the crowds/noise and to let him burn off some energy after being in the stroller a lot more than he is used to.

I'm not familiar with the new DAS passes but from what I've been reading it may be a good idea to have in case he's having a hard time when he can't stand in a crowd for a line-up. If we plan on going to CA on the first day, where would we get the pass? Dude is a major fan of 'Cars' so we want to go there the first day. It would be even better if we can get it the night we land and not have to worry about it the first morning we are in the park

Is there anything else that experienced parents or caregivers can suggest that we be aware of to think of to help make things go easier?

Also, he is allergic to milk protein. Is there anyway to get allergy information before we go so that it's easier to plan ahead where to eat lunch and dinner? I've found great info for WDW but not for DL. Not only do we work around his allergy, but we also have the typical 3 yr old picky stage going on and autistic food texture issues so eating out is very stressful for us and the idea of eating out for 6 days has me in a mild panic already.

Bonus points if anyone knows if there is somewhere in DL where we can get him a milk protein free pizza

Thanks so much (and if you think this is bad, you should see my 'what to figure out to get him a passport photo, get through customs, security and onto a plane so we can actually get into the air to fly' list )

 

[lanejudy]

Welcome! You already have some great ideas. DAS is available at Guest Relations in the parks, and that is where you can also request a stroller-as-wheelchair tag. I suggest you check out the DL/DCA Disability Access Service Card sticky near the top of this forum; the first few posts explain the DAS.
Enjoy your vacation!

 

[spacecanada]

You can get a list of available extra dairy-free options at the following link:
http://wdw.wdpromedia.com/media/kana/sd/WDW-dairyFree.pdf
(Sorry, the above link is for WDW - you'll have to call DL special diets before you go to get a list of safe foods and where they can be found.)

If you talk to the chefs, they can make many of the existing menu items dairy-free as well. Be sure to mention the allergy on any dining reservations you make and again when you arrive at each dining establishment (table or quick serve).

 

[Random Ninja]

I found DL harder to do with allergies then WDW but it was still a huge step up from the real world. I couldn't get any info ahead of time for my Oct. trip last year and that was challenging. I will say that I did not ever go hungry even with my long list of allergies. Pizza port had spaghetti, the chef mentioned pizza that wasn't safe for me but I don't remember why. There was no dairy free ice cream but there are fruit pops and dole whips. The popcorn was safe, pretty sure I ate that almost every day. You might want to look into some of the gluten free options as many GF products are also dairy free nowadays.

 

[Aladora]

I posted this on another thread asking for advice on how to help your child deal with Disneyland.

These are things that we not only do in Disneyland but in every day life.

-Know your child. Know his/her triggers and know his/her signs that they are getting towards what I call "the point of no return." If you child says he or she is done, then he is she is done.

-Be prepared to leave. That is one rule that DH and I live by. No matter where we take our child, if we are in a position where our child's behaviour is negatively impacting other people's enjoyment then we leave. And yes, we do walk out. We have taken meals to go, left midway through movies and we have absolutely left Disneyland to go back to the hotel to allow our child to chill out and decompress. It does no one any good to push your child past their breaking point.

-Know what calms your child. For instance, DS loves the Main Street Cinema and when he starts to get overwhelmed then we take him there to watch a cartoon or two. After that calming down time, he is good to go.

-Know how to mitigate your child's triggers. Another example, DS is scared of scary noises so we let him listen to music on my phone while we are walking through lines that scare him like Indiana Jones. (Headphones are required, no one needs to be forced to listen to his Frozen soundtrack endlessly, except apparently me!)

-Bring things that comfort your child. My son loves playing his DS, so we allow him to bring it to play while we wait, either for food or in lines.

-Prepare your child. I started talking to our son 3 months before our trip to get him ready for the change from the way we used to tour with the GAC to the way we were going to tour with the DAS. It took a while, many tears and any number of conversations but I persisted and it paid off.

-Find a way to make the DAS work for your child. The system takes some planning but many people have used it successfully.

-Be positive. We found that using a different terminology works wonders. Instead of telling him that we had to wait for a return time, we started calling his DAS card his "fastpass" and we used it in conjunction with the fastpass system. So, if he wanted to ride Space Mountain for instance, we would say to him "Let's go find out when our fastpass time is for Space Mountain!" Instead of phrasing it in a negative way such as "Let's see how long we have to wait for Space Mountain", we always talked about it in a positive way. I think next time we are going to get him a kids digital watch so he can be in charge of checking when our "special fastpass" time was here.

-We don't care what others think. At one point this past trip, we were sitting on the ground against a railing, DH and I chatting and DS playing his Nintendo DS. We got some looks but it was what our family needed and it was not bothering others so we ignored the looks. It was a much needed down time and it allowed us to keep enjoying the park after our break.

-Speaking of breaks, take them. DS is 8 1/2 and we still take an afternoon break and go back to the hotel to rest. He never actually naps but the break does him a world of good.

That's all I can think of for now, if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask!

I also posted a trip report from our March break trip, it might have some advice for you.

Recent DAS Experience

Please feel free to ask any questions!

Slightly off topic...does the "Vic" in your name refer to Victoria, BC? If so,

 

[Betty Rohrer]

you did not ask about TSA scanning but I would get workers to start working with him on walking thru scanner. not sure if he will be allowed to keep sunglasses or headphones on thru there. never had that problem but if he is a flapper or have to touch everything touching the side of scanner sets it off. you will not be allowed to take him thru in stroller, stroller will have to go thru xray machine, no stroller as a wheelchair there. I was able to walk one younger grandson thru but then I had to go back thru by myself which was a pain. also he will not be able to carry blankie or lovie thru scanner these have to go thru xray soi would not let him have until thru scanner rather than try to take it away from him when he fells he needs it. if you have 2 adults and really need a lovie, send first adult a head by a few people with the lovie. have him meet you as you come thru with the lovie so son can see adult with it. with grandsons we had more problems at airport than at Disney. also backpack leashes have to go thru xray, can not go on child which is one place you really need it

 

[VicMom]

Thanks so much for the information and feedback. I really appreciate it.

That's strange that there is so much info about the food at WDW but not at DL. I just like to know (and ideally be able to have a list) of what he can eat so if he's hungry NOW we can look at what is near and make an easy choice from the list for him or know that they won't have an option that he'll eat and move on without wasting time in a line-up. Maybe I'll try some emails or phonecalls and see if I can get some answers before we go Nice to know about the gluten-free possibly being an option for him and that the popcorn should be fine (DS does love popcorn for a treat).

Betty thank-you for the info about the info about the airport. The last couple times I've flown it's been with clients in wheelchairs so they've had to go aside and use hand scans as they couldn't do the body scans. I purposefully chose to go to John Wayne airport instead of LAX as it's smaller, less crowded and the staff there just seem to be a little nicer and more willing to take a bit more time so I'm hoping that will make it a bit easier for DS. And the airport at home is about the same size and they've always been friendly and helpful when we've gone through security with them too.

Aladora yes the Vic is Victoria (and if I'm not mistaken I believe I recognize your name from a local board as well but I have a different name there) Thanks for the info. I had seen your posts and read through them and you have some great info there. One of the reasons we wanted a close hotel was that if DS has a 'moment' we wanted to be able to make a fast escape. I would have loved to have been able to stay at Paradise Pier for that reason but we just couldn't swing it but we did get the closest non-Disney property so I think that's a good compromise. And his LeapPad (and we're hoping that he can use some of his funding for an IPad before then too-fingers crossed) always leave the house with us for these types of occasions.

Thanks so much. I can't believe how much more there is to think about not only when you're planning with a munchkin but when you're trying to plan ahead to make sure that things are successful so that he can enjoy himself as much as possible and to enjoy pitfalls as far as can be thought ahead.

 

[Aladora]

Aladora yes the Vic is Victoria (and if I'm not mistaken I believe I recognize your name from a local board as well but I have a different name there) Thanks for the info. I had seen your posts and read through them and you have some great info there. One of the reasons we wanted a close hotel was that if DS has a 'moment' we wanted to be able to make a fast escape. I would have loved to have been able to stay at Paradise Pier for that reason but we just couldn't swing it but we did get the closest non-Disney property so I think that's a good compromise. And his LeapPad (and we're hoping that he can use some of his funding for an IPad before then too-fingers crossed) always leave the house with us for these types of occasions.

Thanks so much. I can't believe how much more there is to think about not only when you're planning with a munchkin but when you're trying to plan ahead to make sure that things are successful so that he can enjoy himself as much as possible and to enjoy pitfalls as far as can be thought ahead.

You are not mistaken about the local board, that's me!

Being at a nearby hotel is one of the best things in my opinion and not just in case of "moments." He will get overwhelmed at Disney, as you know from you other trips it is a lot to take in, especially for kids. I would not try and do more than a few hours without a break. Go in the morning and after lunch go back to rest and relax then mid afternoon you can go back refreshed and ready to go!

A stroller as a wheelchair tag might be a good idea so he has somewhere "safe" he can do if things get too much.

Definitely get a return time whenever you anticipate a long break, for instance when you stop for lunch, go back to the hotel to rest, during dinner. That way, when you get back to rides after your break, you have a return time all ready for you to use!

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you plan and execute this trip. We're heading back in August for our 6th trip with DS and our second using the DAS. As long as no one gets sick and throws up again, I anticipate smooth sailing!

I seem to be having private message issues here so if you want to contact me, either send me a pm on the other board or shoot me an e-mail!

 

[VicMom]

Aw thanks so much.

The last two times I've gone I've gone with clients from work (who have multiple disabilities) but we've never used the passes for them as they like going in the line-ups and chatting with people and taking in the scenery. So this is new to me and how to use them. But it looks like there is lots to read when I have time-plus I still have 5 months.

But in spite of the things I'm trying to think ahead for, I'm sure it's going to be so much fun. He wants to give Tinkerbell a hug and he is so excited about Carsland and meeting Lightning McQueen and Mater and (hopefully) eating at Flo's. Dancing with Mickey Mouse at breakfast at the character breakfast at...the one in Paradise Pier Hotel (name is escaping me right now)-he's been practicing his dancing for a couple weeks now. The Disney Jr show looks right up his alley (he does have an amazing concentration for things that interest him so I am hopeful that will go well). He may not do well on many rides but there is enough other things to keep him happy and excited.

And he is saving all the loose change we (and everyone) gives him to go to Ridemakerz to make his very own car in the Downtown Disney area.