Friends, I need your advice and help

[KirstenB]

The cast: me, mom 43 yr old, dh, who's 45, our older dd Andi, who's 11, and younger dd, Zoe, who's nearly 4, and has high functioning autism.

We just returned from WDW. We stayed at OKW, as we're old-school DVC members. We drove down, and stayed in motels, on the way down and the way back.

I was lucky enough to win a US 7 day pass back during the Superbowl promo. We bought 7 day passes for the rest of the family. We also have platinum passes here in Va. to Busch Gardens, so we got into Sea World for free.

This vacation was very stressful, and unfortunately did not go well. We arrived Sunday, and spent the evening at the OKW pool, which was fine. Monday, we went to Universal. Our youngest dd was very overwhelmed. I don't know if it was the heat or what, but she had continual crying fits. At home, and school, she does melt down sometimes, but it's hard to trace back to what set it off.

We went back to the room around 4 pm, ate dinner in the room, and spent the evening at the pool. This was what we did pretty much each day. I just don't understand. DH and I split up at Universal, so each kid would get to do what they wanted. Our older dd wanted to do Mummy, etc. I thought our little one would love Barney, Curious George, and ET, so that's what we did.

The second day, we spent at Sea World. This day went okay for our younger dd. Not too many meltdowns. Lots of animals to look at.

The 3rd day, we went to Islands of Adventure. This day was very hot. It was a tough day for our little one. We tried to stay in Seussland , and Jurassic Park. We went to Mythos for lunch. Zoe talked to herself the entire lunch, and really retreated inwardly. I can't tell you how hard this was to watch. Her teacher had written that she sometimes does this at school. This is so hard to witness. She truly is not even remotely aware of what's going on around her. I assume it feels good to her, and helps her cope, but it's hard to watch.

The 4th day, we were back at Universal Studios. Our little one did okay that day. We tried to do exclusively small child attractions.

The kicker was last night in the hotel in Florence SC. Zoe had a full-fledged fit for 4 1/2 hours. We watched a goofy Dan Ackroyd/John Candy movie, and tried to go to sleep around 10. Zoe got totally manic and weepy for the next several hours. We couldn't do anything to get her to go to sleep. I felt really bad for anyone near our room, because she was very loud.

I'm the first to admit, I lose my temper with her when she gets like this. We're trying so hard to get her to identify how she feels. She's about the range of a 2 yr old , verbally. We bought the TRansporters video series from England. It was recommended for kids with autism. Kind of like Thomas the Train, but with a huge emphasis on feelings, etc. She enjoys this, and watched it a lot during vacation.

We brought along her favorite music cd's, favorite foods, etc.

Next year, we'll definitely stay where we play. Meaning, dh or I can go back to the room with Zoe, and the other can play with Andi for longer at the parks, without worrying about just having one car. At least Andi will get to do what normal 11 yr olds get to do, without having to go back early because of her sister.

I feel like both Andi and Zoe got gypped on this trip. I know Zoe's young. Is it just because she's still young? Any suggestions on what to do differently? Each morning, starting with our departure, we tried to tell her what we were doing each day. I packed juice boxes, water and snacks.

I hate to say it, but Zoe's still such a mystery to us. This trip was so stressful to her and us.

My friends, can you offer some suggestions for next year? I know many of you have older kids with ASD, so maybe you can remember back to when they were Zoe's age?

 

[Libbyt]

I know this is a long shot, but is it possible she was experiencing something physical that she couldn't express - maybe a migraine or just discomfort because of heat and humidity? I know being in the sun for a long time gives me a terrible headache - makes me feel like having crying fits! You could try a cooling vest or those cooling towels. Or maybe the whole trip, with parks, swimming, movies, etc., was just too much constant stimulation?

Another thought (because our dd has issues with this) sometimes our dd can be extremely cranky and ornery (she's older than your dd) and it seems to be a result of just being out of her regular routine and not being able to predict what's going to be happening every moment - anxiety expressed as anger and negativity.

Hope this sparks some ideas or clues........that's mostly what this life with kids with special needs is about, isn't it, just chasing down clues??!!

 

[koolaidmoms]

KirstenB -

DS has just turned 6 and is just starting to get to a point where we can anticipate what triggers his melt downs. They are not as long as they used to be (4 hours over a dropped marker in the car at 2 - UGH).

We started watching patterns and writing down everything that was happening when the melt downs occured including weather, food just eaten and clothing he was wearing. We wanted to try to find any pattern we could. Usually for him it was change or loss of control. What he expected or wanted to happen did not occur and he could not deal with it especially breaks in routine. Even changes as small as changes in meal times and expectations of what to eat at the meals can be traumatic for him.

Once the melt down started there was little we could do to stop it. Our Developmental Ped. recommended making a space for him in our basement to have him take out his anger or disappointment there using giant pillow, mattresses and a small trampoline for running or jumping. It works okay for home but in a hotel room...

We used a medical stroller for this trip that was just DS's and we took it into all rides and attractions that we could to give him his own space. He did flail and scream some but it was far less than any other time we have been at WDW. All of us enjoyed the trip far better than any other trip we have been on including DS.

Good Luck and hugs!

 

[KirstenB]

Libbyt and Koolaids Mom, thank you so much!!!! You both have excellent insights I didn't think about. I'll definitely save them for our next vacation.

Also, thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one who's special kid had a less-than-magical vacation. I know the overwhelming majority of special kids seem to do much better on vacation than in everyday life. Our experience was just the opposite, and I appreciate you all reaching out.

 

[1stluvispooh]

Here are my thoughts as my DD high functioning autistic is now 9.
1) Did she know what was going to happen each day? I know this sounds stupid but if DD knows whats going to happen she is much easier to deal with. At home I have a dry erase calendar and put down what is going to happen each day. Like, school, piano lesions, religious ed etc. ( I have to admit I didn't put down church today, manly because my little square was full so there was no convincing her to go this morning)
2) How is she with her sensory integration? How loud is Universal? ( I have never been) I only ask this because we recently took the kids to Kings Island and DD had a melt down for the first 1.5 because that park is very loud!
3) Have you tried to give her some oral input when she is having a meltdown. We give DD a piece of gum and it calms her down. Physiologist says it goes back to the whole suckling at the breast thing. If you don't want to deal with gum since she is only 4 you might want to try a chew tube.
4) Also have you tried melatonin to get her to sleep? There was a period when we would give it to DD about every night because she wasn't sleeping. Now it is very rare that we have to resort to that but I do always take it on vacation just because being in a different environment can get her wound up and the melatonin will help her calm down and go to sleep.
Hope this helps

 

[Libbyt]

Just a thought about daily routines/knowing what to expect.......I know some of the early childhood clinicians that I work with do picture schedules for the kids they work with in preschool. They make strips of pictures to represent the different activities and the order they're going to happen in each day. You could easily do a travel version by putting the pictures in a little photo book (could move them around each day)!

 

[ireland_nicole]

There are so many things like pp's said that could have made this very difficult for her. A lot of kiddoes w/ ASD have huge, huge issues w/ transitions. Did I mention huge? And there are so many of them... and if she's sensory avoiding the heat/crowds/noise/lights etc. could have been overwhelming, too. As my kids have gotten older it has become a bit easier for us to predict what will cause issues for DD. At WDW we use a very clear routine/schedule; we used to use a visual schedule, but now both kids read, so we can use a written one. I keep a bag of tricks; the kids now wear hip packs with their own- a hat, a sensory brush, a cheap mp3 player, sunglasses, ear plugs, gum, fidgets, etc. As they get just a bit over, they are able to start finding coping strategies that work for them. And as I get to know them better over time, we learn what works and what doesn't through trial and error.

Part of the difficulty in raising kids w/ special needs is the reminder of all the things that are different. And how unpredictable our lives can be. It's really, really hard not to get "mad" at our special blessings, at the behavior that draws stares and affects the lives of our family to such a huge degree. I know too, though, that my DD wouldn't choose for her brain to work the way it does. Her life would be a lot easier if she didn't have autism, etc. And the thing is, at least I can get away from "it" (autism) for a little while. She can't. And that kills me. Part of our journey has beenlearning to accept that she and our family will never, ever be "normal." And learning to let go of the expectations and when necessary, cry and grieve their loss. Then, at least for us, we fight hard as a team to reach every milestone we can. And, oh, we celebrate when we reach one. And we learn to celebrate the "gifts" that her unique brain brings. Her cool way of looking at the world and processing things is always fresh. Her unwavering belief in magic and mickey mouse. Her sense of justice. And we're starting to see things we never expected. She's starting to show compassion; she's starting to initiate interaction- so don't give up hope! I'm so proud of the girl she is, and excited( and scared) to see the woman she'll become. She probably won't be prom queen, or so many other things I might have dreamed for her back when I stroked my expanding belly. But she'll be exactly who she is created to be.

 

[KirstenB]

Zoe has started to shift over the last year. When we went last year, she did great with transitions, didn't care about changes to her routine, and was very under-responsive the vast majority of the time.

Some of you have written in the past and in this post about making a schedule for the day with pictures. I was always grateful to not have to deal with that. Also, loud noises, bright lights, etc never bothered Zoe. Strangely enough, for the first time ever, this year she's starting sorting and lining up her toys. Because she never used to do this, again, I thought we'd ducked a stereotypical autistic behavior.

Over the past year, I think she's become much more responsive and sensitive to sensory issues. She was splashing in her tub last night, so I tried to talk to her about vacation while she was doing something fun. I asked her if she liked the Barney show. If you've not seen it, it's very low-key and cute. A great show for pre-schoolers. Zoe said Barney was too loud. Interesting. She did say she liked ET.


She did have her binky with her during the trip. There was a well-meaning but slightly meddlesome mom who gave me a little grief about it while we were in line for The Cat in the Hat. We've been trying to transition her to a chewy tube, but in the meantime she gets her binky. When she gets stressed, she'll chew on the first thing available, shirt sleeve, handrail, etc!

I was talking with DH last night about your suggestions. Next year, we'll make a picture book, or a cd of the attractions, and our resort. Also, maybe a water vest, or some cooling type thing like those mister fans. I bought her sunglasses, thinking she could put them on when she got overwhelmed, but I'll also bring earplugs.

We haven't tried melatonin. Believe it or not, at home she sleeps great. We'll bring it just in case next year.

I knew you guys would help me sort through all this. Thanks!!!

 

[ireland_nicole]

you're welcome; just remember, you're doing better than you think.

 

[Schmeck]

you're welcome; just remember, you're doing better than you think.

This is just about the most awesome thing I've read on theDis - I think I'm going to write it on our chalkboard in the kitchen today and on my whiteboard in my classroom tomorrow!

 

[Libbyt]

And I think it really is true........as your child gets a little older, you begin to look back and realize you really have done a good job. It's so hard to see when you are in the throes of some trauma or another (daily) but eventually you get a little perspective! Ya just gotta hang in there until you can see it!

 

[bookwormde]

There is so much going on during vacation particularly if there is lot of “new stuff” if is hard to figure out the often “multiple overlapping” causes for the meltdowns.

Add to this her age, which is were social complexities become more of an issue and not being able to easily take afternoon breaks and it becomes even more difficult. We were there and DS10 could not “manage” the heat after about 1pm.

There are always “limitations” that go along with “touring” with an AS child, but there are often also many magical moments, and I find my DS gets older that he retains much of the magic as other children get “jaded”.

As other have said when you look back even with the “rough spots” you will realize what a benefit these times were for your child. AS parenting is a learning process and we all get “surprised” on occasion, but as long as you keep “trying things” you are helping your child (and your ability to meet her needs), even when things do not turn out as planned.

bookwormde

 

[KirstenB]

Bookwormde, you make an excellent point about trying things. We walk a very fine line between constantly exposing Zoe to things outside her comfort zone, and pushing her over the edge.

I hope long-term this philosophy will help her be able to function okay in regular society. It's very tempting to take the easy way out, and just let her stay at home and perseverate over her favorite things (and some days, that's exactly what we do!).

I guess we pushed too hard on vacation, and we'll take a different tack next time.

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

Hi there. If it helps, you are definitely not the only one to have a less than magical vacation with a special needs child! You are not alone and we are here for you! We are getting ready to take our 10 year old son with Autism (also profoundly deaf) to WDW in a little over a week. Our older son will not be going this trip. We planned it while he will be in California with his Grandma going to DL! We have not taken our son to WDw since 2005 and that trip was very rough. We did not have a good communication plan in motion for him at that time and it was very difficult with many meltdowns (we called them "cantrums" since they usually revolved around candy) and lots of rude staring and comments made about our "parenting abilities". So much for the "Happiest Place on Earth"! We stayed at WL and could not get Brendan out of the hotel room after sundown so one of us would stay with him and the other would take our older son out to the parks. This trip we did some serious planning.

First off we will also be staying at OKW. We have put in requests for ground floor, corner room, hoping we will no bother people staying around us. We are having all of his favorite snacks delivered to the room. We fly in so we have booked FlTours to come get us. The ME wait on the bus before leaving is too long and he will not undertsand what we are waiting for.

He is non-verbal so he has an augmentative communication device we will be bringing that works with PECS and we will have a daily picture schedule to show him what we will be doing and in what order. We do not need to do this for all the rides but we need to show him what park, meals, swimming etc.

He is a chewer so we will be bringing his chew cloth (a washcloth, he refuses all chew tubes and prefers his shirts) for oral stimulation.

Most importantly, in the parks we plan to allow him to lead the way. We have been to WDW many times before and we will be back many times, so this trip we plan to take lots of breaks, head out when he is ready to do so, and if he wants to stay in at night that is what we will do. We will not allow him to just do whatever he wants the whole time, but plan to choose our battles wisely so we can enjoy our trip.

Now this is all easily said, and I firmly believe the more prep that I put in before we go the better the trip will go. Of course we all know that our kiddos meltdowns cannot always be prepared for since often we can't figure out what even sets off the meltdowns to begin with. I will be sure to come and post about how our trip went and what worked and what did not. As far as other people's reactions go, they used to really bother me and I vividly remember standing over my son during a meltdown, protecting him from others stepping on him, at MK. My Dh had taken our other son to a ride and I was alone with him. I ended up standing there bawling because some man walked by and said "Some people should never be allowed to pro-create" to his wife. I had business cards made for our next trip explaining Autism and I handed out a few of them to people that asked what was wrong with Brendan or stared open-mouthed. Now I really don't care what people think or say and just shake my head and chalk it up to ignorance. I will still bring the cards since Autism awareness is still important, but now it is not because I care what people think of my parenting skills. Thanks to the growing awareness I encounter this behavior very infrequently nowadays, and it is obvious now that he is 10 that he has a developmental disability. Most people just ask questions, which I love, and I am always happy to talk to them.

I will let you know how our trip goes! Wish us luck!

 

[robin09]

Kirsten, First off I think you need

Hopefully it will get better for you. As Zoe gets older, you'll learn how to avoid some meltdowns, and she'll become more aware of herself.

Jenna is now 10 with Aspergers, and a host of other abc's... When she was around 2 or 3 we couldn't take her anywhere overnight. She NEEDED her bed. We had to make her aware of what we would be doing, even planning with her what rides. We still do this today, in fact most of our planning is already done for August's trips.. rides included.

What helps is limiting her exposure to the parks, and not "having" to do everything. I think if we do 4 hours in a day at the parks it is a long time. Thankfully Disney and Universal is really great helping parents with their GAC's. We couldn't do the parks without them. We recently decided that Moderates are now better for us than the values, only because of the slides in the pools. When Jenn was younger the values were great for us. She calms down with the pool and being able to just float.

Making sure she eats at regular times helps, and judging her by her movements... twirling more, or speaking rapidly, we know she's at her limit. When we do fireworks we always bring her headphones. I can't tell you what a horror Biergarten was for us last year. She cried, fitted and had a MELTDOWN of all meltdowns. SHe couldn't cope with the noise or the lighting there. These things happen, and you can't allow anyone to make you feel bad. She still carries her doll with her everywhere, and I can't tell you the rude remarks and looks we get... Oh well, these people need to get a life and stop judging ours.

You are doing fine and it will get easier. Our children are special and are meant for great things.

Sorry, off my soapbox, I didn't mean to write so much. But I feel for the parents that are feeling the "heat" of having a special needs child. It is especially hard when that special child doesn't look special, but acts "spoiled".

The cast: me, mom 43 yr old, dh, who's 45, our older dd Andi, who's 11, and younger dd, Zoe, who's nearly 4, and has high functioning autism.

We just returned from WDW. We stayed at OKW, as we're old-school DVC members. We drove down, and stayed in motels, on the way down and the way back.

I was lucky enough to win a US 7 day pass back during the Superbowl promo. We bought 7 day passes for the rest of the family. We also have platinum passes here in Va. to Busch Gardens, so we got into Sea World for free.

This vacation was very stressful, and unfortunately did not go well. We arrived Sunday, and spent the evening at the OKW pool, which was fine. Monday, we went to Universal. Our youngest dd was very overwhelmed. I don't know if it was the heat or what, but she had continual crying fits. At home, and school, she does melt down sometimes, but it's hard to trace back to what set it off.

We went back to the room around 4 pm, ate dinner in the room, and spent the evening at the pool. This was what we did pretty much each day. I just don't understand. DH and I split up at Universal, so each kid would get to do what they wanted. Our older dd wanted to do Mummy, etc. I thought our little one would love Barney, Curious George, and ET, so that's what we did.

The second day, we spent at Sea World. This day went okay for our younger dd. Not too many meltdowns. Lots of animals to look at.

The 3rd day, we went to Islands of Adventure. This day was very hot. It was a tough day for our little one. We tried to stay in Seussland , and Jurassic Park. We went to Mythos for lunch. Zoe talked to herself the entire lunch, and really retreated inwardly. I can't tell you how hard this was to watch. Her teacher had written that she sometimes does this at school. This is so hard to witness. She truly is not even remotely aware of what's going on around her. I assume it feels good to her, and helps her cope, but it's hard to watch.

The 4th day, we were back at Universal Studios. Our little one did okay that day. We tried to do exclusively small child attractions.

The kicker was last night in the hotel in Florence SC. Zoe had a full-fledged fit for 4 1/2 hours. We watched a goofy Dan Ackroyd/John Candy movie, and tried to go to sleep around 10. Zoe got totally manic and weepy for the next several hours. We couldn't do anything to get her to go to sleep. I felt really bad for anyone near our room, because she was very loud.

I'm the first to admit, I lose my temper with her when she gets like this. We're trying so hard to get her to identify how she feels. She's about the range of a 2 yr old , verbally. We bought the TRansporters video series from England. It was recommended for kids with autism. Kind of like Thomas the Train, but with a huge emphasis on feelings, etc. She enjoys this, and watched it a lot during vacation.

We brought along her favorite music cd's, favorite foods, etc.

Next year, we'll definitely stay where we play. Meaning, dh or I can go back to the room with Zoe, and the other can play with Andi for longer at the parks, without worrying about just having one car. At least Andi will get to do what normal 11 yr olds get to do, without having to go back early because of her sister.

I feel like both Andi and Zoe got gypped on this trip. I know Zoe's young. Is it just because she's still young? Any suggestions on what to do differently? Each morning, starting with our departure, we tried to tell her what we were doing each day. I packed juice boxes, water and snacks.

I hate to say it, but Zoe's still such a mystery to us. This trip was so stressful to her and us.

My friends, can you offer some suggestions for next year? I know many of you have older kids with ASD, so maybe you can remember back to when they were Zoe's age?

 

[bookwormde]

SpecEdismylife

I do not know if you have been at OKW before but it is a great resort for our children, although if he has any dietary limitations a 1 br makes it much easier.

If he likes swimming but does not like the congestion of the main pools you might want to consider a request near one of the quiet polls which you can often have almost all to yourselves. Also if you do not need to be close to hospitality house the canal front area is great to sit on the terrace and watch the boats go by (45 or 46 might be best for this).

Hope you have a great time

bookwormde

 

[KirstenB]

Hi there. If it helps, you are definitely not the only one to have a less than magical vacation with a special needs child! You are not alone and we are here for you! We are getting ready to take our 10 year old son with Autism (also profoundly deaf) to WDW in a little over a week. Our older son will not be going this trip. We planned it while he will be in California with his Grandma going to DL! We have not taken our son to WDw since 2005 and that trip was very rough. We did not have a good communication plan in motion for him at that time and it was very difficult with many meltdowns (we called them "cantrums" since they usually revolved around candy) and lots of rude staring and comments made about our "parenting abilities". So much for the "Happiest Place on Earth"! We stayed at WL and could not get Brendan out of the hotel room after sundown so one of us would stay with him and the other would take our older son out to the parks. This trip we did some serious planning.

First off we will also be staying at OKW. We have put in requests for ground floor, corner room, hoping we will no bother people staying around us. We are having all of his favorite snacks delivered to the room. We fly in so we have booked FlTours to come get us. The ME wait on the bus before leaving is too long and he will not undertsand what we are waiting for.

He is non-verbal so he has an augmentative communication device we will be bringing that works with PECS and we will have a daily picture schedule to show him what we will be doing and in what order. We do not need to do this for all the rides but we need to show him what park, meals, swimming etc.

He is a chewer so we will be bringing his chew cloth (a washcloth, he refuses all chew tubes and prefers his shirts) for oral stimulation.

Most importantly, in the parks we plan to allow him to lead the way. We have been to WDW many times before and we will be back many times, so this trip we plan to take lots of breaks, head out when he is ready to do so, and if he wants to stay in at night that is what we will do. We will not allow him to just do whatever he wants the whole time, but plan to choose our battles wisely so we can enjoy our trip.

Now this is all easily said, and I firmly believe the more prep that I put in before we go the better the trip will go. Of course we all know that our kiddos meltdowns cannot always be prepared for since often we can't figure out what even sets off the meltdowns to begin with. I will be sure to come and post about how our trip went and what worked and what did not. As far as other people's reactions go, they used to really bother me and I vividly remember standing over my son during a meltdown, protecting him from others stepping on him, at MK. My Dh had taken our other son to a ride and I was alone with him. I ended up standing there bawling because some man walked by and said "Some people should never be allowed to pro-create" to his wife. I had business cards made for our next trip explaining Autism and I handed out a few of them to people that asked what was wrong with Brendan or stared open-mouthed. Now I really don't care what people think or say and just shake my head and chalk it up to ignorance. I will still bring the cards since Autism awareness is still important, but now it is not because I care what people think of my parenting skills. Thanks to the growing awareness I encounter this behavior very infrequently nowadays, and it is obvious now that he is 10 that he has a developmental disability. Most people just ask questions, which I love, and I am always happy to talk to them.

I will let you know how our trip goes! Wish us luck!

Thanks for the support!! You've probably been to OKW before, but just in case...they have a main pool, which can be very loud and busy, and several "quiet" pools. The quiet pools are awesome if your ds needs some down time.

It was smart of you to book this while your other ds was on vacation too. It's so stressful feeling like your other kid is missing out on things.

I never thought about a washcloth. We're trying to transition to a chewy tube, but that is an excellent alternative.

I'm a planner too, and from one to another, it sounds like you've really covered everything in your planning!! I hope this trip exceeds all your expectations.

 

[dclfun]

I've had similar circumstances in the past with my kids, none of whom are SN.!! They were in a strange place, the bed they slept in wasn't familiar, they were going new places and seeing new things, and it wasn't the "fun" we thought they'd have- it was stressful for them and brought about meltdowns. I remember once driving to WDW from New Orleans with my four little ones, youngest age 2. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch and he needed to use the potty. He had a really huge issue with using a strange toilet, which I didn't understand as he'd used toilets in malls,other people's homes etc. It was just "different" and he wanted to go home to use his own potty. Hmmm....we were about 6 hours away from home! He had the same crying episodes in the resort bathroom and I also felt sorry for the people in the room next to us. I think it was just his way of saying that he didn't like being in unfamiliar territory. There was alot of "energy" around him from everybody- his own family, other families with excited children, etc. and it wasn't his normal routine. So, you're not alone and it's not just special needs kids- it's all kids outside of their routine and familiar setting, amplified I'm sure if you have a disability that affects sensory input, and amplified I'm sure if you can't express yourself or maybe don't know how you feel.
Next trip we brought his own pillow and blankie for familiarity and didn't go to a park every day- for some though it isn't possible to have an entire day's downtime, but that might help too. I really like some of the other suggestions you received- I was thinking of bringing just a small laminated card with "emotions faces" on it that you could point to and ask him to show you which face showed how he was feeling and maybe use it throughout the day to gauge when he started to get overwhelmed. Meanwhile, you're not alone- that's for sure! ---Kathy

 

[KirstenB]

Kathy, I love the idea of an emotions face card!! One of Zoe's IEP goals next year is to verbally express when she feels sad, and why. Currently she just has a big meltdown in the classroom, and her teacher (whom I love and respect greatly!) can't seem to find what triggered it.

 

[mdsouth]

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I know that it helps to share and get support from others dealing with same issues.

Did you have sound reducing headphones on this past trip?

If not try the headphones. Make sure you buy the special ones that are made to fit kid's heads and are sound-reducing (not just typical headphones for listening to music).

For my DS the loud noises (crowds, shows, fireworks, etc) were especially hard to handle.