Just back Autism and a Service Dog...

[disneynewman]

Just got back Tuesday from 6 nights at OKW. We LOVED OKW. Had a 2 bedroom for myself, DH, DS 5 w/ autism, DD 3 my parents and DS's Service Dog. This was our first trip with the SD and everything went very well. The only time we were questioned was by a Southwest agent at the Manchester airport who thought we needed 'paperwork' for the dog, once I explained things and she called her manager she apologized and said they just don't get too many SD's so she was unsure of what, if anything she needed to do. OKW did not question us about the dog at all which I was worried about after hearing other people's experiences.
Overall we had a great trip but DS needed lots of down time and even asked to 'go back to the blue house' when he was stressed. He didn't want to do as much as usual he would have spent all week between IASW and the Barnstormer if we let him. He did want to see characters, everything else we had to push him on but once he did it once he wanted to do it over and over.
We are thinking our next trip will be the Disney Cruise in Oct of 2010. If anyone has gone on the cruise with an ASD child or a service dog, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

 

[PEANUT1]

I'm glad you had a nice trip. Let me ask you a question off topic. Did the dog fly in the regular cabin with you? and when you were in your hotel, was it a special room? The reason I ask is because I have severe allergy induced asthma. One of my allergies is Dogs. This is a little concerning to me that I could be in the cabin of a plane near a dog or in a room that just had a dog in it. I don't just get a little sniffle or itchy eyes. I will wheeze, cough and get really sick.

I am just curious. Thanks.
Andrea

 

[disneynewman]

yes, the dog was in the cabin. A service dog is covered under the ADA and must be accomodated, we were boarded first and had the bulkhead seats. Also I don't think we were in any 'special' room, I believe it has been said on the boards before that to do so would be discriminatory. I am sure that if you were ever on the same flights as a SD you could request to be seated far away and I am sure that Disney does a good cleaning job after everyone checks out. Our SD is not allowed on furniture and so I would think a well vaccumed rug would pick up any dander, but again I am sure Disney would relocate you if needed.
While I am understanding of your concerns and by no means offended that you asked, you may have opened a can of worms with these question....please be nice everyone

 

[PEANUT1]

Thanks for your response and I am glad you were not offended. Like I said, I was just curious. Now that I know about this, I can just make sure I am extra careful. I honestly never thought about the possibility of animals being in the room before me.
Andrea

 

[Quacktatty]

You can always request a VIP cleaning of your resort room before check-in. This should eliminate any problems with your allergies.

 

[SueM in MN]

You can always request a VIP cleaning of your resort room before check-in. This should eliminate any problems with your allergies.

You can contact the Special Needs number (it is listed in the disABILITIES FAQs thread) to arrange for special cleaning.

For the OP, thanks for the report. We are DVC members and OKW is our home resort. We find it very restful and are glad to hear you liked it.

 

[MousekeMommy]

I'd like to thank you for posting your experience--it is good to know that a dog can be in the cabin or hotel room as a matter of necessity--I'd never thought of it before! I hope this doesn't turn into a can of worms . . . I think it is valuable information. I appreciate that honest, earnest questions are being addressed here without anyone getting offensive or taking offense. Thanks, guys! I learn so much here . . .
Anyway, the only time I've ever seen an animal in the cabin of a plane was about 10 years ago, and the flight attendant made the person purchase a seat for the animal when she refused to stow the dog in its bag under the seat in front of her (not a service dog--a miniature pooch that yapped its head off the entire flight), then later requested that the lady give the dog a tranquilizer for travel. So I think the airline can definitely descriminate between a need for a dog in the cabin and a want for a dog in the cabin area.
Anyway, my youngest son has an extreme allergy to most animals--he instantly gets hives, his eyes and face swell shut, and he has trouble breathing (we have an epi pen, but haven't had to use it yet, thank goodness!) Hopefully "distance" from an animal would help on a short flight, but I wonder if the airline would be willing to put us on a different flight if there was a conflict of interest with accomodating 2 persons needs? But what are the chances that we'd ever be on a plane with a service dog . . . And what is the official policy for animals in an airplane--obviously it can be permitted for wants as well as needs--any airline officials out there? What if the person seated next to my son had a lot of cat hair on their clothing (okay, it might seem silly, but my step father has to change his clothes when he comes in from the horse barn or else my youngest starts itching and swelling when he sits near him . . . and we had to stop piano lessons at a lady's home because he kept breaking out even though the animals had been shut up in a different room for the time he was there). Hmmm . . . . lots of things for me to think about . . . we, too, will have to be extremely careful. Thanks for the "heads up" info . . .

 

[bookwormde]

Mousekemommy,

If your child’s level of sensitivity’s that high, then even without an animal on a flight you may have problems. If a number of passengers just give a good “hairy” goodbye to their pets they will bring significant levels of “allergens” onto the airplane, which accumulate over time due to the cloth seat environment to cause a problem. The “closed” environment of an airplane can magnify these issues even though there is a certain level of filtering.

2 suggestions, try to keep a type 12 or above filter in the hvac system of the family members homes he visits if they have any animal contamination. Second I assume since you have a pen that you have visited a allergist, just be sure to be as aggressive as appropriate with what ever “desensitizing” treatments he recommends. This can be a life threatening situations and even with the best planning and monitoring as he gets older and more independent the potential for the pen being “missing” increases and the location being more remote so if desensitizing if possible it should be strongly considered.

Also if going into a known or potentially contaminated area a n95 mask (available at most hardware stores) mask may be a good precaution (takes some getting used to, to wear for an extended time).

bookwormde

 

[DevilDuckie]

I'd like to thank you for posting your Anyway, my youngest son has an extreme allergy to most animals--he instantly gets hives, his eyes and face swell shut, and he has trouble breathing (we have an epi pen, but haven't had to use it yet, thank goodness!) Hopefully "distance" from an animal would help on a short flight, but I wonder if the airline would be willing to put us on a different flight if there was a conflict of interest with accomodating 2 persons needs? . . .

This is one of those places where two special needs conflict and there isn't a good solution. While the airline will almost certainly put you on a different flight for this they cannot guarantee that there won't have been a dog on that plane before you- leaving hair. The odds are low, but it is impossible to guarantee a dog/peanut/whatever free airplane. I have always known flight attendants to be very good about doing whatever they can, but they *must* let the dogs on and therefore cannot 100% accomodate allergies.

Does your kid have a filter mask or anything similar? Would that be a tolerable thing for him?

 

[MousekeMommy]

I'd again like to thank the op, and also thank those who posted in response . . .
I've really "sheltered" my little guy--we drove 17 hours to Disney last year, and he has never had a baby sitter that wasn't a nurse, a certified teacher or nanny, or at least an adult (but he's still 4 . . .) anyway . ..
We've just kept him away from allergens (if/when a reaction occurs, he has either been taken to the ER or is immediately given benadryl & taken home to get a bath/be in a non-contaminated environment). No family members or friends he has had playdates with have animals within the house . . . My mom has a farm, but all animals are "outside", and she is an RN, so . . . anyway, thanks for the mask advice, and we are currently in the process of treatments with an allergist DR. (but I can't say for certain that the allergies are getting less . . . it's been almost 2 years since the 1st serious reaction, and they still seem pretty severe to me, but I guess the DR. knows what he's doing since we haven't had to do the EPI pen?) I will definitely invest in some masks! (Lord knows I'm already keeping the makers of Zyrtec/Benedryl/EPI in business! Why do EPIs have to expire??? They are sooooooo expensive! $34 each even with insurance! But I guess that's better than the alternative . . .)
I just thank you all for the info because I can't imagine suddenly being in a situation where we will be stuck with a reaction and constant exposure to an animal, and no DR for 2 hours or so like on an airplane . . .
Again, op, thanks so much for your experience! I want you to know that I really am thankful for you posting--otherwise I may have posted a "miserable experience" at a later time! I am so glad that airlines/Disney can and will accomodate us both

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I don't want this to come across as stupid, but how does the SD help your ASD son? My cousin (RobinFabulous) has a 6 year old on the spectrum and I would be interested to know how/if one might help him?

Suzanne

 

[mykidsintow]

Yaay! I am so glad you had a successful trip and no issues! As you recall we did have issues with POLY back in Feb.

We will be returning in June and we will be giving SSR a go this time. We will see how that goes. Hopefully with our efforts some new education may have gone on around Dis resorts!!

We won't be flying to DIS. However, we will be flying in mid-may. Our 2nd trip flying with my daughters SD. I am not suprised the airlines asked.... they did on our last trip.

I hope your son really enjoyed his trip! I can't wait to check out OKW.... one of these trips.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

This was our first trip with the SD and everything went very well. The only time we were questioned was by a Southwest agent at the Manchester airport who thought we needed 'paperwork' for the dog, once I explained things and she called her manager she apologized and said they just don't get too many SD's so she was unsure of what, if anything she needed to do. OKW did not question us about the dog at all which I was worried about after hearing other people's experiences.

Glad to hear things went well! How did your son's SD like Disney?

Yeah, airline check-in folks are the worst. You're lucky you had an easy situation with that lady (yes, that is an easy one, sad to say!). Remember that you can always ask for the CRO (Conflict Resolution Official or something like that) if you have a big problem.

We are thinking our next trip will be the Disney Cruise in Oct of 2010. If anyone has gone on the cruise with an ASD child or a service dog, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

I've done a cruise on a different cruiseline with my SD (but not with an ASD kid). Find out what potty box accommodations the line is going to give you and make a practice box at home for the dog. First thing on board, find the box's location and if it is too far from your room, get the ship to move it. If you need a fridge for your son's meds or the dog's food, request that then make sure it is in the room when they first open up the rooms to passengers.

And, of course, make sure you contact the officials of every country the boat is stopping at (even if you aren't getting off the ship there) to see what the requirements are for the dog (if you won't be getting off the ship there, make sure it is fine your dog is on the ship in their port - some can get picky about that). Do realize that some countries require six to seven months of preparation work (rabies titres, if the dog doesn't already have valid ones), so start the process very early! Dogs cannot enter Jamaica (they can stay on the ship, although Jamaica may say that the dog cannot step foot outside on the ship while the ship is docked there).

Also realize that not all countries have public access laws (Mexico [guide dogs only] and Bahamas to name two), so look up the laws in the countries you're going to before you go and be prepared to explain what SDs are, what tasks your son's SD does for him, etc. - whatever info. you want to disclose to try to convince them to let you in someplace. Be educational, not confrontational, and you should garner yourself access. Be certain that the SD is perfect so that those who come after you can get access, too.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

I'm glad you had a nice trip. Let me ask you a question off topic. Did the dog fly in the regular cabin with you? and when you were in your hotel, was it a special room? The reason I ask is because I have severe allergy induced asthma. One of my allergies is Dogs. This is a little concerning to me that I could be in the cabin of a plane near a dog or in a room that just had a dog in it. I don't just get a little sniffle or itchy eyes. I will wheeze, cough and get really sick.

Yes, by law SDs fly in the cabin on the floor at their disabled human's feet. They are also allowed in public places such as hotels, restaurants, stores, groceries, Disney World, ballparks, etc. So, anywhere in the US, Canada, and some other countries that you go there is a chance that an SD is there. SDs are trained to be invisible (ppl don't know they're there) and are usually well-groomed.

A hotel can't tell you if an SD has been in the room before you or not (privacy reasons), but you can request an additional cleaning (at Disney, at least, they can do allergy-free cleanings using products that won't irritate ppl's allergies - not sure if all hotels have this). An SD can be in any hotel room or it would be segregation (like having rooms designated for certain races or ethnicities) against disabled ppl. Not every disabled person needs a handicapped-accessible room, so regular rooms house disabled ppl.

On an airplane, many ppl with SDs sit in the bulkhead row, which is the first row of a section (i.e. first class, coach class, etc.) with a wall in front of it. These rows usually give SDs more room to lay and they won't get stuck under a seat/get their harness stuck under a seat like what may happen with larger SDs in other seats. Some planes have exit rows for bulkheads and disabled ppl and SDs can't sit in exit rows due to safety (FAA regulations), so for those planes, SDs will be put in any other regular seat.

Your best bet for a plane is to request a seat that is far from the bulkhead. This won't guarantee that you're not near a dog, since not all SD users like the bulkhead (I know several who request regular seats) or the plane may have exit row bulkheads or the plane might get changed at the last minute (seating assignments are sometimes randomly done in those cases). Also, some airlines allow ppl to bring small dogs/puppies and cats/kittens onboard in a carrier that fits under the seat in front of them. Pets must stay inside the carriers at all times in the plane and airport, but this isn't always enforced.

Seating far away from an SD in a public place is your best bet. Allergies and fears of dogs are not excuses for businesses to refuse to allow a disabled person to enter with their SD. (Lots of ppl claim allergies they don't have just 'cause they don't want a dog there for whatever selfish reason.) On a plane, you could use a neck-worn air purifier to help keep allergens on the planes from entering your nose/mouth. Keep your allergy meds with you in your carry-on/purse, as well.

Do know that there are more dog allergens on the clothes of a pet owner than on an SD. So, it is Joe Pet Owner that you need to be worried about in an enclosed place with re-circulating air (like a plane), not SDs.

If you choose to take another flight, I don't think there is anything to keep the airline from charging you a fee for the change. Hopefully, in good will
(not to mention good customer service!), they wouldn't charge you. You cannot ask them to change the flight of the person with the SD, however. That is against the law.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

yes, the dog was in the cabin. A service dog is covered under the ADA and must be accomodated, we were boarded first and had the bulkhead seats.

The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) does not cover airplanes. The ACAA (Air Carrier Access Act) is what covers airplanes/airlines.

Our SD is not allowed on furniture and so I would think a well vaccumed rug would pick up any dander, but again I am sure Disney would relocate you if needed.

Just so you know, some SDs are allowed on furniture, including hotel room furniture. It is neccessary for the tasks they perform or bonuses they provide. There is nothing wrong with either way, just that some ppl do need their SDs to be partially (paws up) or fully (sitting/laying) up on chairs, beds, desks, counters, etc. in hotel rooms and other public places.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

But what are the chances that we'd ever be on a plane with a service dog . . . And what is the official policy for animals in an airplane--obviously it can be permitted for wants as well as needs--any airline officials out there?

Well, my SD and I were on a flight once with two other SDs (all in the bulkhead row!), so it can happen!

SDs are allowed on all flights between, into, and out of the United States. All airlines have to allow it, as per the law.

There is no law saying airlines must allow small pets in the cabin. Some airlines do, some airlines don't. Those that do have limits on the number of pets that can be on one flight - some allow one, some two, some three. (These limits do not apply to SDs. SDs are not, legally, pets. They are assistive devices like wheelchairs.)

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

2 suggestions, try to keep a type 12 or above filter in the hvac system of the family members homes he visits if they have any animal contamination.

There are animal allergens in every house. Even the house of the allergic poster. They did a study on it last year or so. Some allergens can be good, though, to help build the immune system and tolerance. (For most kids, being around animals is good as it keeps them from getting allergies. Obviously, the other poster's son is already allergic, so that won't help him, but I'm sure their allergist keeps 'em on good track to lessen his problems.)

Just remember that no allergies are an excuse to be rude, especially to a person with an SD (they have the SD because they need it, not because they want it). (Nobody on here was, but I've heard of some ppl in "real life" who have been to other SD users, so am just reminding ppl to stay calm if they are allergic and come across somebody with an SD.)

 

[bookwormde]

Ms Butterfly,

This is the exact reason I recommended a level 12+ instead of a HEPA. It would hopefully keep the allergen levels at a range below that could cause an acute reaction but still be adequate to continue to develop tolerance. I think that the use of HEPA in non-medical facilities for can cause unexpected problems since it is so unrepresentative of the environment in general.

Disneynewman

I also would love to know the effects of the application of a service dog for spectrum children (I have an aspersers child). Just guessing I would think that it would be extremely effective in reducing chronic stresses and its associated co morbidities. Not that there is a direct comparison but I know that having a Para for my son and the consistence of support that this brings brought the levels of anxiety down from very dangerous levels to a much safer level. What a great socialization tool also. Not to mention a great alternative stim source. Not to mention depending on the cognitive level of the child having another set of “protective eyes” available. I am actively involved in my local area’s spectrum community and love to bring new information and alternatives and enhancements to their current treatment and accommodations library.

bookwormde

 

[SueM in MN]

You can check out some information about Service Dogs and autism on this website. Under "Features and News", check out the links in the second paragraph. The first is a link to a news story video and the second is a link to a story on the website.

 

[bookwormde]

Thanks for the link, what a great program. I wonder how the schools are going to integrate this. I could see where if could reduce the para time considerably, probably by at least 50% in the general education setting. Not to mention a great way to start to introduce spectrum information to peers. Well-done Minnesota!!

bookwormde