GAC- can you help us understand how to request?

[KJay]

I'm helping my sister try to find info as she prepares to bring her four children to WDW. Two of her four have severe ADHD, and she planned to request GACs for them. However, after reading the very informative sticky post on GACs, she's now more confused. According to the sticky, she is not supposed to let the CM know about their diagnosis, but rather, what needs they have. She's struggling to decide how this should be most accurately described. They do not have the ability to wait in lines, particularly around others. This is for the benefit of other guests at least as much as for their own benefit. There are boundary issues, and physical outbursts are not uncommon. I guess she's just not sure how best to describe the need to the CM granting the GAC. In the sticky, an inability to wait in lines was not a reason for GAC- it suggested using fastpass instead. The needs are much greater than that, and she doesn't know how to get across what's needed. Also, I believe I read this is done separately at each park? If so, will they look at one that was issued at another park to get an idea of what's needed, or does she have to re-explain each time? Thank you for your help.

 

[livndisney]

I'm helping my sister try to find info as she prepares to bring her four children to WDW. Two of her four have severe ADHD, and she planned to request GACs for them. However, after reading the very informative sticky post on GACs, she's now more confused. According to the sticky, she is not supposed to let the CM know about their diagnosis, but rather, what needs they have. She's struggling to decide how this should be most accurately described. They do not have the ability to wait in lines, particularly around others. This is for the benefit of other guests at least as much as for their own benefit. There are boundary issues, and physical outbursts are not uncommon. I guess she's just not sure how best to describe the need to the CM granting the GAC. In the sticky, an inability to wait in lines was not a reason for GAC- it suggested using fastpass instead. The needs are much greater than that, and she doesn't know how to get across what's needed. Also, I believe I read this is done separately at each park? If so, will they look at one that was issued at another park to get an idea of what's needed, or does she have to re-explain each time? Thank you for your help.

You are correct, there is not a GAC for "not waiting in lines". What is most often suggested and reported successful is making good use of Fastpass and a touring plan. Use of these will keep you out of lines and crowded areas of the park.

Some other suggestions (depending on the age of the children) is a stroller or wheelchair as this gives them their own "space" in line. Many people also report limited park time with break time in between. If they are staying on property, make good use of Early Morning rope drop. Also the extended hours in the evening can be very helpful.

 

[Selket]

You don't need to get a GAC for each park - the one GAC covers the length of stay for all parks.

You aren't prevented from telling the CM what the medical condition is of course - but the important thing is telling them what the issues are. I think the way you described it in your post is what you would tell the CM. Whatever their issues are, let Guest Services know - and work with them to decide whether a GAC would help in this situation and which one is appropriate.

A good touring plan can generally keep you out of most of the lines. It really depends on the time of year you are going and how crowded it is as to how important the touring plan is - but a plan is always your best bet. Generally this involves going to a "least crowded park" at rope drop (early!) - don't show up late - and riding the major rides and collecting fast passes as you go. I used to use Tour Guide Mike (http://www.tourguidemike.com) and I think his advice is still very useful if you have the patience to dig through it and can work around some of the lack of updating. Easywdw (http://www.easywdw.com) also looks great and was free last I checked.

I haven't looked at the FAQ in awhile but I know there have been threads on going to WDW with ADHD and some coping strategies - really depends on the age of the kids too!

 

[lilwhiterabbit]

She needs to explain specifically how ADHD affects her children, rather than simply that they have ADHD. Do they have screaming fits if stuck in one place too long? Push people in front of them? Have panic attacks in large crowds? Basically, she's describing the outcome of what will happen if their needs aren't accommodated. The CM will then listen to the description and decide on the best course of action. Sometimes you won't be issued a GAC if the CM feels your needs are better served by something else (as in the case of endurance issues and mobility aids).

A good example is my son. He is autistic and doesn't handle lines well, and is prone to meltdowns in crowds. He can also get overstimulated easily, which can cause him to act out. When getting him a GAC, I explain that he needs to avoid being crowded or there's the possibility of an outburst, which I go on to describe as shouting, flailing, crying, and overall panic. Also, when he's overstimulated, he has zero concept of personal space, even with strangers and can sometimes become physical by poking or climbing on them. We do our best to curb this, but he's small and fast, and sometimes he does it before we can even catch him. This is what I tell the CMs when inquiring about a GAC for him. They then determine the best way to meet his needs.

Basically, be as specific as possible: "This is what happens when X." The CM will use that information to determine which GAC would be most useful.

And, as others have said, there's really nothing that reduces your wait in line other than a fastpass. Even if you use the handicapped entrance at those rides that have them, you still may be waiting a long time at the handicapped gate for someone to get to you. Those lines are sometimes less crowded, so that can occasionally be useful, but the wait can be shorter, the same, or even longer than the standby line. It just depends on how the CMs are handling it that day. There's also the option of alternate waiting areas for crowded pre-show areas (the Little Mermaid show is a good example of this), but the majority of attractions don't offer this option.

Really, fastpasses and a good touring plan is going to reduce the most waiting, if waiting is the problem. We use them extensively and they've always worked for us. My son's gotten a lot better about waiting in line after going to WDW as well. He can now handle about 20 minutes where, previously, he could barely handle 5.

 

[jmartinez1895]

I have a friend that has a child with ADHD. Her son suffers from an extreme version. They found that fast pass and touring plans worked. They did get a GAC once but because you often have to wait longer for a ride and sometimes you are waiting in one spot and not moving, they found the GAC to be of no help and was worse on him than not using it. In the lines he was moving and there where things to look at. They also found that putting him in a stroller until he was to big helped. They would give him a cell phone to play games on until it was time to ride and that did the trick for them. She also said that instead of going form one big ride to another they would do a big one ( longer line) and then once they got off they would do something that had little waiting. Then they would do some sight seeing and once he was tired from walking around they would get into another line.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I would suggest that she not say that they have a diagnosis of ADHD. She may encounted a CM who will stop listening at that and just say "ADHD doesn't quality for a GAC" which is not accurate and not what they're supposed to do but it does happen unfortunately. Using what you said, I'd just say exactly what you described to us.

They do not have the ability to wait in lines, particularly around others <I'd add in WHY they can't wait around others>. This is for the benefit of other guests at least as much as for their own benefit. There are boundary issues, and physical outbursts are not uncommon.

It really is all about the need of the child rather than the diagnosis.

As a parent whose daughter has these kinds of boundary, touch, crowding issues, I will say that a good touring plan is just as important if not more important than a GAC. The GAC can't help between attractions and frankly if you're at an attraction at the wrong time then even the accomodation that is provided won't be enough to enable them to make it to the attraction. The GAC can be helpful but it is still important to use a good touring plan, especially during busier times of the year.

As a total aside, have her do some reading on Sensory Processing Disorder. That often goes hand in hand with ADHD and may explain and offer suggestions for the boundary and some movement issues.

 

[ireland_nicole]

My DS also has major ADHD. We find that keeping on his meds, giving him a schedule to follow (we made picture schedules before he could read) keeping his regular eat/sleep times (and watching what he eats), giving him a game console for lines, making sure he has a chewy snack and finger fidgets, and using a stroller until he was 7 1/2 (now he won't, but it helped until then) made a big difference. Learning the skill of waiting in line is a valuable coping strategy everywhere- not just at WDW. We are super careful to use a good touring plan, and schedule less busy times. In the interest of full disclosure, we do use a GAC when we bring our daughter as well, she has PDD-NOS and we primarily use the stroller as wheelchair and shaded queue due to major photosensitivity issues with her seizure disorder). However, we don't get a GAC when it's just him. Not saying that someone else shouldn't, just that it shouldn't be thought of as a panacea or magic bullet, and that there are other coping strategies that actually work better in many cases.

 

[KPeveler]

Just reiterating what others have said -

there is no GAC to skip lines, and the GAC is not designed to shorten wait times. A good touring plan and fastpasses will probly be of more help.

This is not to say a GAC will be of no help, but a GAC is a VERY changeable process. Not every accommodation is available at each ride, and it may be different every time you approach a ride. It is not uncommon to wait LONGER than the standby time and in my experience, the "accessible" entrance (if different from the mainstream entrance) is more crowded than the standby entrance. Usually the crowds there will be lots of wheelchairs and scooters, It is very difficult to exit one of these queues, and it would not be uncommon for the people waiting there to be more "fragile" than your average guest.

Also, the "accessible" line is often in full sunlight with no where to move, sit, or get in the shade.

When requesting a GAC, you must explain the needs, not just the diagnosis. I do this anyway, because very few people will even know what I have.

I will say I have ADHD (pretty severe combined type) and my GAC does not help with this too much. Being able to plan helps a lot more.

Also, you need to have the children there within sight when requesting a GAC - they cannot be elsewhere.

 

[millerpjm]

Thanks to everyone for their posts - I have a DS with ADHD and this is exactly the info I was looking for.

One question - not to hijack the thread, but what constitutes a good "touring plan"? What have you found to work best? Working your way around the park from one side to the other? Having a list of the attractions you plan to see/ride? Some help in this area would be great...TIA!

 

[clanmcculloch]

For me, a good touring plan includes first figuring out which park to be at per day based on which park will have the lowest crowds and then figuring out which attractions to go to in what order based on the best time of day to get to each attraction in order to minimize crowds and wait times as well as how to best maximize fast passes. There are plenty of services available online for figuring this stuff out.

For quite a long time I would recommend TourGuide Mike as a service for building touring plans but the site is no longer being maintained and the only real benefit these days is the amazing forums (the theory is still sounds but the details are painfully stale). I now recommend easywdw. Josh (the site author) uses the same philosophy as Mike but he gets his crowd charts and calendars updated super fast and he's keeps his info up to date with all the latest info. The forums are loaded with extremely helpful people including a bunch of TGM folks. Even better is that Josh's site is free.

 

[KJay]

Thank you all for your helpful advice!

 

[SmallWorld71]

For me, a good touring plan includes first figuring out which park to be at per day based on which park will have the lowest crowds and then figuring out which attractions to go to in what order based on the best time of day to get to each attraction in order to minimize crowds and wait times as well as how to best maximize fast passes. There are plenty of services available online for figuring this stuff out.

For quite a long time I would recommend TourGuide Mike as a service for building touring plans but the site is no longer being maintained and the only real benefit these days is the amazing forums (the theory is still sounds but the details are painfully stale). I now recommend easywdw. Josh (the site author) uses the same philosophy as Mike but he gets his crowd charts and calendars updated super fast and he's keeps his info up to date with all the latest info. The forums are loaded with extremely helpful people including a bunch of TGM folks. Even better is that Josh's site is free.

Just wanted to second the recommendation for easywdw.com. I recommended it to my cousin and she took their advice over this past President's week and said it was great!