First rides for child with developmental delay

[puakinikini]

So, my daughter is a 30-week preemie and is developmentally delayed and has mild mental retardation. She will be 6 by the time we go to DisneyWorld. We have gone to Disneyland twice - and she has done okay, but we had a particularly rough time the first trip b/c we chose peter pan as the first ride (too dark, music too loud from the beginning). The next trip we did dumbo first and got off to a good start and she was able to do some "in the dark" rides with noise and a lot of stimulation. I want to start off slow at each of the parks - any suggestions on how to do that?

We have not been to the WDW parks before, and I am not sure how to research the rides.

Thanks in advance for help!

 

[ireland_nicole]

Ok, I think your disneyland strategy will work well at WDW, particularly at AK and MK. Epcot and DHS may be a little harder, because none of the rides are outside. That being said,...

For MK, I recommend Dumbo to start- also in Fantasyland even though they're dark rides/shows I think she'd probably like Peter pan, Pooh, if she's not too sound aversive Philharmagic and of course Small world. She might enjoy the paddleboat ride that docks in liberty square (I think, now that I'm typing this I realize we've never done it- huh, we'll have to remedy that this trip lol.) Frontierland- it depends on how she is with fast, both splash and BTMR are fun, but def. have dark parts and more tense/fast parts. County Bear jamboree is inside, but it's sweet and not too intense at all. Adventureland- lots to do here- aladdins carpets, swiss family treehouse, jungle cruise (distract her in the temple ruins, otherwise its all outside). Don't forget the parades and character interactions too

AK- lots of amazing shows, my kids adore Lion king (inside) and like flights of wonder (outside). I'd start in Dinoland use with triceratop spin and maybe spend some time in the boneyard, she'd love the pangani trail and maharajah jungle trek, the train to the conservation station is great, also definitely do the safari- truly, AK may become a two day park if she likes the outdoor stuff.

Epcot- mostly inside- spaceship earth is gentle, as is Ellens energy adventure (although 45 min) my kids really like journey into imagination and the rest of the pavillion. Might be a good idea to start with the livin with the land boat ride in the land pavillion- a lot of it is in the greenhouses with sunlight.) She would probably enjoy the entertainment around the world showcase, too.
ETA- my kids also love seas with nemo and friends and turtle talk with crush- although they are both dim rides, they are gentle
DHS- maybe start with Disney junior live on stage, she might also enjoy voyage of the little mermaid, oh, and the beauty and the beast show is absolutlely wonderful and outside

Have a great trip!

 

[livndisney]

I would suggest watching some of the rides on youtube to see what they involve.

My DD first trip anything dark was too much-Philharmagic, Peter Pan, Splash Mountain-anything inside.

Dumbo, Teacups, peoplemover, Aladdin were big hits. Country Bears and the paddleboat were also a lot of fun.

Festival of the Lion, Little Mermaid, Muppets and Bugs life are still too much.

 

[MaggieMollyMom]

Hi! hope yu have a wonderful time! We are in the same boat (had pre-mature twins) and found the anything in the dark, even if the attraction was funny, was scary to the girls. They just started to love Ariel before our trip and I was sure they'd love the Ariel show at HS....scared! It was also a sensory thing (they mist water into the audience etc.). This may sound funny, but the TomorrowLand Transit was really cool, even tho there were some dark areas. I receommend the Jungle cruise too...lots of fun! and, as the others posted, AK will likely be a hit, as it was with ours!!

have a great time!

 

[ireland_nicole]

Also, I make my kids "tool kits" for the parks. It has changed a bit as they get older, but they are lifesavers; I include:

Construction worker ear protectors
sunglasses
hat
chewy snack
tangled finger fidget
penlight (I only let them point at their feet, but it helps if they get overwhelmed).
ipod
game system (leapfrog etc., or paper and pencil, or whatever else helps them "zone".
crunchy snack
drink
poncho (my kid does not like to get wet)

This way, they have the tools to reduce stimulation they don't want, but to provide what they need. It's really helped us a lot.

 

[SueM in MN]

It's really late, so I will add just a few things tonight.

First - check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You can find that thread near the top of this board or use the link in my signature to get there.
Post 3 of that thread includes a lot of information and links that might be helpful to you. One I would especially recommend is a link to a YouTube video that is really a series of linked videos the simulate a trip to the WDW parks.
It shows walking around in the park and when you get to an attraction, the narrator stops and talks about each one. Then you can choose to 'go in' or go by. Going in leads you to a linked video that in most cases shows the queue and at least a bit of the ride itself.
There are a few things that have changed - like Winnie the Pooh and the Haunted Mansion have new interactive queues, but most of the video will be helpful. The other thing to remember is that Toontown no longer exists, so anything you see in the video for Toontown is no longer there.

For 'too loud' a lot of people use ear protectors for their kids. They deaden the sounds, but still allow you to hear.

What is too much stimulation will vary a lot from child to child. My youngest DD has CP and various other issues. She absolutely hated Small World for many years because it is pretty much constant stimulation. The song is loud and continues from the beginning to the end. The dolls are colorful and a lot of the dolls or other elements are moving. It was too much for DD and I have vivid memories of her somehow positioning her arms up around her head so that one upper arm covered the ear on that side and then the arms went over her head so her hand could cover the other ear. Her finger were twirling her hair. Her other upper arm covered her eyes and her hand was positioned down so she could suck her thumb for comfort. That was how she rode Small World for quite a few years.

One other question that will help with giving advice. How well does she communicate?

 

[puakinikini]

It's really late, so I will add just a few things tonight.

First - check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You can find that thread near the top of this board or use the link in my signature to get there.
Post 3 of that thread includes a lot of information and links that might be helpful to you. One I would especially recommend is a link to a YouTube video that is really a series of linked videos the simulate a trip to the WDW parks.
It shows walking around in the park and when you get to an attraction, the narrator stops and talks about each one. Then you can choose to 'go in' or go by. Going in leads you to a linked video that in most cases shows the queue and at least a bit of the ride itself.
There are a few things that have changed - like Winnie the Pooh and the Haunted Mansion have new interactive queues, but most of the video will be helpful. The other thing to remember is that Toontown no longer exists, so anything you see in the video for Toontown is no longer there.

For 'too loud' a lot of people use ear protectors for their kids. They deaden the sounds, but still allow you to hear.

What is too much stimulation will vary a lot from child to child. My youngest DD has CP and various other issues. She absolutely hated Small World for many years because it is pretty much constant stimulation. The song is loud and continues from the beginning to the end. The dolls are colorful and a lot of the dolls or other elements are moving. It was too much for DD and I have vivid memories of her somehow positioning her arms up around her head so that one upper arm covered the ear on that side and then the arms went over her head so her hand could cover the other ear. Her finger were twirling her hair. Her other upper arm covered her eyes and her hand was positioned down so she could suck her thumb for comfort. That was how she rode Small World for quite a few years.

One other question that will help with giving advice. How well does she communicate?

Thank you so much for all the advice - I will definitely check out the videos. We are working with an OT on sensory issues, but it is still hard to predict what is "no good" as my daughter likes to call overwhelming situations. She has much improved communication, but when scared she is unreachable. It is a type of panic that would take your breathe away, which is why I want to try to avoid it. She really is looking forward to this trip - and she and I can skip rides that the rest of the family will do. I just want to have done my research in advance to avoid making her miserable. I think she will do best with the shows, so we may start there first and build our way up.

 

[puakinikini]

Ok, I think your disneyland strategy will work well at WDW, particularly at AK and MK. Epcot and DHS may be a little harder, because none of the rides are outside. That being said,...

For MK, I recommend Dumbo to start- also in Fantasyland even though they're dark rides/shows I think she'd probably like Peter pan, Pooh, if she's not too sound aversive Philharmagic and of course Small world. She might enjoy the paddleboat ride that docks in liberty square (I think, now that I'm typing this I realize we've never done it- huh, we'll have to remedy that this trip lol.) Frontierland- it depends on how she is with fast, both splash and BTMR are fun, but def. have dark parts and more tense/fast parts. County Bear jamboree is inside, but it's sweet and not too intense at all. Adventureland- lots to do here- aladdins carpets, swiss family treehouse, jungle cruise (distract her in the temple ruins, otherwise its all outside). Don't forget the parades and character interactions too

AK- lots of amazing shows, my kids adore Lion king (inside) and like flights of wonder (outside). I'd start in Dinoland use with triceratop spin and maybe spend some time in the boneyard, she'd love the pangani trail and maharajah jungle trek, the train to the conservation station is great, also definitely do the safari- truly, AK may become a two day park if she likes the outdoor stuff.

Epcot- mostly inside- spaceship earth is gentle, as is Ellens energy adventure (although 45 min) my kids really like journey into imagination and the rest of the pavillion. Might be a good idea to start with the livin with the land boat ride in the land pavillion- a lot of it is in the greenhouses with sunlight.) She would probably enjoy the entertainment around the world showcase, too.
ETA- my kids also love seas with nemo and friends and turtle talk with crush- although they are both dim rides, they are gentle
DHS- maybe start with Disney junior live on stage, she might also enjoy voyage of the little mermaid, oh, and the beauty and the beast show is absolutlely wonderful and outside

Have a great trip!

Thanks so much for the great advice - i am going to print out this post - I really appreciate it!

 

[puakinikini]

Hi! hope yu have a wonderful time! We are in the same boat (had pre-mature twins) and found the anything in the dark, even if the attraction was funny, was scary to the girls. They just started to love Ariel before our trip and I was sure they'd love the Ariel show at HS....scared! It was also a sensory thing (they mist water into the audience etc.). This may sound funny, but the TomorrowLand Transit was really cool, even tho there were some dark areas. I receommend the Jungle cruise too...lots of fun! and, as the others posted, AK will likely be a hit, as it was with ours!!

have a great time!

Thanks so much for the advice - AK is our first day, so it looks like that is a good choice. MK is day 2. My daughter is aso a twin, but they are girl/boy.

 

[SueM in MN]

For Epcot, near the top of this board, you will find an EPCOT FAQs thread.

In that thread, there is a Photo montage and description of the queue and experience of most attractions. It includes things like sights, sounds and smells.
The thread is not quite complete, but does include most attractions.

I plan to finish that thread and add one for each of the other parks, but so far, I have unlimited plans and quite limited times.

 

[Rekenna]

What about the train at MK or the train at AK-would the train whistle be too loud? My DS3 has autism and enjoys the outside attractions much more than the inside. He covers his eyes with my hand and opens up my fingers just a little bit to peek through!

He could ride the train all day! He likes the movement, it's outside, you can see alot of things and people.

He also LOVED Goofy's Barstormer, but I don't think that will be up and running on your trip? He also really liked the Safari ride at AK, but it is VERY BOUNCY if that is a problem.

Best Wishes-have a fun and safe trip!

 

[jlr9882]

I have a 33 weeker, and he has been to WDW twice. He does have some delays, just recently some sensory issues, along with some medical issues. The first time was for a week trip right before he turned 3, and the second was only Epcot for a day in Feb. The very first ride he went on was spaceship earth at Epcot on our first trip. He really didn't care for it because of the dark, and he really wasn't sure what was going on since it was his first ride. My older sister suggested glow sticks that you can find in the dollar stores. They worked well for the dark rides when he needed a little light. He didn't care for 3D shows and didn't wear the glasses much. He loved most shows and the pooh and dumbo rides. He loves seeing all the animals at AK, boat rides, and meeting all the characters too. I had prepared him for the characters by having him meet all the holiday characters, and taking him to a kids fest where Nick characters were going to be at. I had coloring stuff, bubbles, itouch, little fan, and snacks in his little Disney backpack for the lines on the first trip. On the first trip he didn't have issues with loud noise (other than fireworks-we advoided those), but he does now. You should see this child in a carwash.. poor baby! He has been going to college footballs games since he was a baby, and just this past season started having problems with the noise. I had to get ear plugs for him, and I am planning on bringing them on our trip in a few weeks. What was fine for him when he was 2 at Disney, bothered him a lot in Feb when we went. He cried and/or covered his ears in almost every show and ride we did in Epcot in Feb. He did enjoy watching all the stuff going on in the World Showcase and meeting all the characters again. Since then, we went to the same kids fest that we had gone to a couple years before. He spent most of the time in his stroller with his ears covered, crying, and with the huge shade down to cover him. Too many people and too loud. He is looking forward to our Disney trip, but I am worried on how he will do this time. He will be a month away from turning 5 to the day the day we arrive in Disney.