How does your autistc child do on the cruise?

[luv2sleep]

My son has HF ASD. we've been on two cruises. We just got the ASD diagnosis at age 6. Do I tell the kids club or note it in my online information?

Any kids club tips? Mine doesn't make friends at all. I've always been baffled when parents say how their kids made fast friends on board. He's always been the way he is. He also doesn't do the group events unless it's cooking. In the club he plays video games mostly. I only leave him for a voile of hours tops because I know he's playing alone. He loves to go though and play video games.

We skip the deck parties because he's never liked the noise and crowds. We skip characters because he's afraid. He loves the pool. He loves downtime in the room. He likes the sports deck and shuffleboard. We are sailing on the fantasy and so I'm looking fireweed to playing goofy golf with him. We will probably do the detective game. We tend to not do the activities in the navigator. We did the scavenger hunt once and he enjoyed that.

Any great tips on how to accommodate his needs on the trip? Thx!

 

[Vidia2]

My son has HF ASD. we've been on two cruises. We just got the ASD diagnosis at age 6. Do I tell the kids club or note it in my online information?

Any kids club tips? Mine doesn't make friends at all. I've always been baffled when parents say how their kids made fast friends on board. He's always been the way he is. He also doesn't do the group events unless it's cooking. In the club he plays video games mostly. I only leave him for a voile of hours tops because I know he's playing alone. He loves to go though and play video games.

We skip the deck parties because he's never liked the noise and crowds. We skip characters because he's afraid. He loves the pool. He loves downtime in the room. He likes the sports deck and shuffleboard. We are sailing on the fantasy and so I'm looking fireweed to playing goofy golf with him. We will probably do the detective game. We tend to not do the activities in the navigator. We did the scavenger hunt once and he enjoyed that.

Any great tips on how to accommodate his needs on the trip? Thx!

Hi there! Our son has ASD but probably isn't as HF as your son as we've never sent him to the kids' clubs. He would require a one-on-one, which they don't provide. I'm so glad that your son can go though!

We spend a lot of time in the pool and doing all water-based excursions as he loves water activities.

The only tip I have is for noisy environments that you can't avoid. We use Bose noise cancelling headphones which work really well.

As far as other needs you might have, I would talk to DCL about those. They've never had any advice for us in past cruises, or offered any help really. When I spoke to someone about our upcoming cruise though, they were very eager to help, asked what his needs were, if there was anything they could do to make his experience better, etc. I think they are experiencing some backlash from the GAC/DAS changes from the autistic community and are really trying to be helpful. Ironically, we love cruises because they are so much more relaxing than the parks and we don't really need anything except a table to ourselves. LOL

I hope you have a great time! I'm sure someone else will have some great tips for you.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We took our DS w/Asperger's on DCL when he was 10. I did let the kid's club know about his ASD on the registration form. I also explained it to one of the counselors when I first dropped him off. He did pretty well. They let him continue playing on the computer when they did some of the group activities. They also knew to warn him before transitions so he wouldn't get nervous. DS and I went over the kid's club schedule together, and we only dropped him off there if they were doing something he liked. He's a picky eater and only wanted to eat with us, so we skipped the group meal times.

Definitely tell the counselors what would help your DS function best in the club. All kids with ASD are very different, so it's good to be specific about exactly what would help him be more successful.

 

[luv2sleep]

Thanks everyone!

Do I enter the info online or when we get there?

 

[lanejudy]

If you've cruised before and he was fine in the kids club, then I wouldn't worry too much about it unless there are new behaviors that might be challenging. You can certainly give them a heads up; there is a "Special Needs" form but it's mostly medical -- or you can call the DCL Special Needs department and have it noted on your reservation, but you probably still want to discuss it with the CMs at open house on the first day. The CMs will never make any child participate in a group activity, with or without special needs; they'll announce an activity will be happening and may (or may not) ask him directly if he wishes to participate, but he's welcome to continue playing video games or whatever he's doing instead.

DD also doesn't really socialize with others and generally plays by herself, but she had a terrific time in the Oceaneers Club. Since she really needed no accommodation, I'm not sure telling the staff about her made much if any difference, but we did anyway. I also second the recommendation to check the Navigator and send him during an activity he'd enjoy, and/or for only a couple hours at a time. We didn't do meals at the Club, it tended to be odd times and we prefer family meals anyway.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[mom2kandj]

We haven't cruised DCL, but we did holland America this summer with DS11 who has a similar diagnosis. We do put ASD and ADD on all forms so that the staff has a heads up and can contact me if things meltdown.

This year's vacation was different as he actually made a "friend" with a ten year old girl who liked video games just like him. I met the girl a few days later and observed them "talking." Talking over each other and not making eye contact. It all made sense! Later in the cruise, DD12 complained about how the friend was annoying and saying some things over and over. DS replied "some people are just different and how they just need to be understood." He still talks about his CBF (cruise best friend)!

I tell everyone this story because it reminds me that eventually he'll find friends who "get him". He just has to be open and ready for the experience.

Also, this summer he went away without us to Cub Scout camp for 5 nights. We couldn't have done it without years of exposure to different experiences and situations to stretch him and prepare him to be away from us. Yes, he had multiple meltdowns, but he was with caring leaders who were aware of his challenges and worked with him to regain his composure. A year or two ago, a meltdown would have ended the day.

It will always be a challenge, but he grows every year. Good luck!