Halloween Party with Autism...advice please!

[herrmannpt]

We're going to Disney Oct 26th-Nov 1st. We want to do something special on or around Halloween there. Our 3 year old son has Autism...high functioning but becomes very overwhelmed in crowds and upset by loud noises. He loves the characters though. We did a cruise last year, and he couldn't get enough of them! He's also on the GFCF diet. I've heard that they have special candy if you request it. Has anyone attended? Have advice??? What are some other alternatives to do that would be fun and more relaxed? Do the resorts have any special activities?

 

[SueM in MN]

Just time for a quick response before bed.

We have gone to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party for about the last 10 years and really enjoy it.

My youngest DD is a young adult with a main diagnosis of cerebral palsy, but she also has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and has a lot of similar issues as many people with autism, in terms of sensory overload and crowds.

There are lots of character greeting/picture opportunities at the party, but we generally avoid them as much as possible because of the crowds. Some of the characters are rarely seen ones or are wearing Halloween costumes, so many people want to take pictures.
Last year, we did go see Tinkerbell, but she and Periwinkle had a very short line because most people do not bother going to see characters they can see at non party times.

The crowds for rides are generally pretty low because people are doing other things.
The castle area is quite loud because they have a number of special Villians shows in the castle stage area. There is also a party in Tomorrowland.
For noise, many people use ear protectors - the brand most liked for small children is Peltor and you can find them on Amazon.com

As far as candy is concerned, we have never seen any special arrangements for different candy where they hand it out. Hopefully someone who had gotten that special candy cn respond, but my understanding is that you get the 'regular' candy and then trade on your bag of candy for gluten free at Guest Relations or some other location.

 

[onecuteladybug]

They offer freeze dried apples, fresh baby carrots, and raisins, but I have never seen any specialty candies... You can occasionally find fruit snacks too. The candy were all name brand, like Tootsie Rolls, Snickers, Reese's, etc.

 

[primrosea]

We did the Halloween party last year and we were able to pick up a bag full if safe toddies from the town hall in Main Street. It was full of candy, little toys and keychains. Make sure you don't go right after the parade, it's a madhouse then!

 

[herrmannpt]

Thanks for all of the replies so far! Glad that there will be candy options for him! Still a little concerned about the overall scare factor. He will definitely have his headphones on for the noise. Are there a lot of villains in the parade? The character dance party sounds fun but if it's crowded, he won't do it. $200 is a lot to spend for a party if he won't get out of the stroller!

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's a link to the wdwinfo page about Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/holidays/halloween.htm

If you scroll around a bit, you will find a lot of pictures, plus video of the fireworks and parade.

There are also pictures of the dance party and the Villians show (maybe video too)

How busy it will be in general is really hard to tell. They do sell a limited number of tickets for each party. Some sell out and will be busier than others. The second parade will almost always be less crowded than the earlier one.
The candy stations are busier earlier in general.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I've seen most people say the parties closest to Halloween are the busiest.

 

[lanejudy]

...What are some other alternatives to do that would be fun and more relaxed? Do the resorts have any special activities?

...$200 is a lot to spend for a party if he won't get out of the stroller!

We have not been to MNSSHP so I can't give first hand advice there, but if you think it's expensive and aren't sure whether your son will enjoy it - I say wait another year or two or three. He's only 3, lots of years ahead to learn to deal with that much stimuli. I believe there are Halloween activities at each resort on Halloween night, and there used to be trick-or-treating at DTD (though not sure if that was stopped last year), and I've read the campground has lots of decorations and fun stuff. If you're concerned about the candy, just bring some safe candy and have it available in your room to swap with him. Really, I wouldn't waste money to push him into a hard-ticket party at the park that he might not be ready for. You'll be at WDW for a few days so there will be plenty of character opportunities without the party.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[tdk316]

DS6 has ASD and LOVED the Halloween party. We went when he was four and I sat with him and the stroller all decorated up with glow necklaces interlaced waiting for the parade while DS then 2 ran around with dad and grandparents. He needed to feel safe in the space and get used to the growing crowds instead of coming on them all at once. I let him pick out some kids to give glow necklaces from the stroller to (working on social skills there...) and we ate some popcorn from a special plastic Mickey ghost tub that he still has. Overall, it went a lot better than I thought it would. He loved the parade and it was helpful that the song was repetitive (abet loud) so it wasn't changing and he was able to sit in his stroller (safe place for him) while everything went past. If your child is sensitive to sound invest in some ear coverings - I wish I had some then. He loved trick-or-treating and didn't have a problem with that at all. He also is not allowed certain candies but I let him get whatever and then covertly pitched what he couldn't have on the way to the hotel after the party.

Another tip, depending upon your kid of course, rent a stroller. DS feels 'safe' when he has his own space. Even for his 5th bday trip we rented a stroller when in no way does he use one at home, but at WDW he almost needs it to help him deal with the sensory overload. He knows that when he gets overloaded he can get in and we'll walk around and chill for awhile, even in the middle of the craziness of Fantasyland you can see him relax and zone out once he gets in the stroller.

Good luck!

 

[StrwLady]

We did the Halloween party last year and we were able to pick up a bag full if safe toddies from the town hall in Main Street. It was full of candy, little toys and keychains. Make sure you don't go right after the parade, it's a madhouse then!

This is one reason (among many) I love Disney!!! Not a stone left unturned. They take care of everyone!

Hope those of you attending MNNSHP have a blast! We stopped taking my son out of school in 5th grade because the work load was getting to heavy and have not been able to go in Oct for several years. We surely miss it.

 

[StrwLady]

Thanks for all of the replies so far! Glad that there will be candy options for him! Still a little concerned about the overall scare factor. He will definitely have his headphones on for the noise. Are there a lot of villains in the parade? The character dance party sounds fun but if it's crowded, he won't do it. $200 is a lot to spend for a party if he won't get out of the stroller!

As I remember the scariest part for my son was The Headless Horseman (but that was back when the horseman went very fast through the parade route) and the villains float in the parade. My son has ADHD and some anxiety issues when he was younger. When we watched the parade and the villains float came by, I held him close to with his face to my body and covered his ears. He did just fine.

Most of the other characters are in fun cute costumes. You can tell which character they are.

 

[mamaode]

If I remember correctly you can request the special candy bag from dietary services. This way they have the correct number of special bags. They asked the number of special bags we required and the date of the party we were attending. We were already in the park on the party day so right before the party officially started we headed to guest services and picked up the candy bag.

I also second the headless horseman. However everything else was cute and fun IMHO. My son ASD enjoyed every thing.

Have fun!

 

[donaldandpirates]

I ended up taking my ASD/SPD son to the resort activities on Halloween instead of the party this past year. They had coloring/crafts, trick or treat, a costume parade, etc., at POP. If you're staying on-site, check and see what activities your resort has. Very low-key, but still fun. He was five at the time. My biggest thing was I didn't want to spend the money on a party ticket only to have to leave after an hour because it was too overwhelming for him.

 

[LocaRoja]

While the halloween tickets let you into the park at 4 pm, the party stuff starts at 7pm. I honestly do not recommend taking your 3 yo to the party. Your trip is at the peak time for the party, so it will be crowded. The best thing you can do to help your toddler, ASD or not, have a good trip is to get them to bed at a decent time. I took my ASD son when he was 5 yo and the only think I have is pictures of him sleeping in the stroller.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

While the halloween tickets let you into the park at 4 pm, the party stuff starts at 7pm. I honestly do not recommend taking your 3 yo to the party. Your trip is at the peak time for the party, so it will be crowded. The best thing you can do to help your toddler, ASD or not, have a good trip is to get them to bed at a decent time. I took my ASD son when he was 5 yo and the only think I have is pictures of him sleeping in the stroller.

I am a grown adult with anxiety, and had two panic attacks when we went. I sat in the dining area until family got close enough to front of the Prince and Princesses line because of one attack. I can't imagine a little guy enjoying this event. Not enough to arrive early and leave early for the cost of the event.

There is no explanation, reasoning, to why the event was so difficult, but I wanted to go again the next event night, lol.

 

[blondietink]

We have gone 3 times and is one of our favorite things. However, it is crowded, the lines for characters are crowded, lines for candy move right along, but many are very long and winding. Lots of characters in the parade ..... the very best part of the party is the parade and fireworks. Lots of people in costumes, some of them scary.

Your guy is very little and the party does not start until 7 pm. I would wait personally until he is older. When we watched the fireworks for the party on another night from the ferry dock at the TTC, there were many families that had attended the party leaving MK before the fireworks show because their little ones were tired, crying, overwhelmed. That's a lot of money to spend for just a couple of hours of fun.