kids with autism and progress while at wdw

[rachel3]

hey all, i have 3 children , 2 of them (dd7 and ds 2) have high functioning autism. we have been to wdw every year (sometimes more) since 2001. i hear the same thing all the time from friends , co-workers, "disney again?". they just don't get it!!

we just love it!! one of the big reasons we keep going back is for the magic. not the typical disney magic, but the magic that it gives my dd and ds. every time we go to wdw, my daughter comes back making leaps and bounds in her develpment. i don't know what exactly it is , but wow, it's truly amazing how much she comes out of her "shell" (for lack of better word) when we go to wdw. my ds (2) has only been 3 times, he was not dx at the time, but still was not talking. so we're interested to see how the magic works on him!!!

just wanted to share and to see if those of you with autistic children have seen the same thing? please share your success stories. they are always so uplifting!!

 

[pilgrimr]

We also go a lot to WDW and we have also been to DL. One reason why we go back is because the character interaction with my DS who is autistic. We were at the Epcot character place and we just mentioned that my son was autistic so they were aware of his different behavior. The lady at the door then told the cm with the first character and then it was passed on. But the characters took a lot of time and played with him. Chip and Dale even got down and wrestled with him. They even stopped the people behind us so we would feel pressure to move on. We did not demand it or expect it, but it was magical for us. At DL we went to the princess lunch, and the sleep
ing beauty character saw we were signing with our son and she started to sign and talk to him. She spent some extra time with him and our daughter. It again was very magical.

As for progression, our last trip to DL he had a very bad accident on the plan. But while he was at DL he was did not have an accident at all and one time he dragged his mom to the restroom. From that we have put him in underwear. He still has problem sometimes but it was a huge jump.

He does come out of his shell more at Disney and it is worth it. My mom thinks we are crazy and I tell her don't you remember when you came with us and did you not see how happy he is there. She does not get it, but that is okay. My son does. Sorry for rambling on.

 

[DIS-NH]

We get the same "Disney Again"? from people. My response is always the same. Disney is the one place in the world where my kids are "typical" kids !!!

We've also experienced some amazing "firsts" while there. We love it !!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi Rachel and to disABILITIES!

You might want to look at this thread which deals with some newspaper reports.

 

[scojos]

we get the "again" all the time...
we have had no great leaps, but he is less "stressed" at wdw. days are planned military style and thats what he likes, so removing any stress.
cheshire figment, i see you work at wdw, is there a picture somewhere so we can say hi if we see you?? (do you wear your lime green head with your uniform
tracy

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I work at Typhoon Lagoon front gate. Since I am part time I can select my availability, and so I am available only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I am either a Turnstile Greeter or in the ticket and Guest Relations windows; lately I have been spending more time inside. Just ask for Mike.

 

[Usandthe4kids]

I completely understand! My ds4 has high functioning autism. We took him to Disney last May and it really was magic. It was our miracle trip! When we left he could barely put 2 or 3 words together. When we came back he was talking in sentences. He also potty trained himself while there. We rode the small world ride at least 50 times. The look of awe and excitement on his face everytime we rode was enough to make me want to go back again and again. We are taking him and my ds3 again in September. I'm not expecting huge leaps as he has already progressed so much. I'm just looking forward to going back to where he is treated like a "normal" child. I haven't even told most of my family because I don't want to hear how we are wasting money that we don't have. As long as it helps my son, we will go every year!

 

[tinkakittymom]

These are amazing stories! My DD6 is also high functioning - we've been going every year since she was 4 - returning for her 7th Bday in Sept. Disney is the first place she would ever go on ride without freaking out - for some reason they are much slower than the boardwalk amusement rides close to home.

 

[brenalexacamp]

yup! my son has downs and it is the best place- we feel "normal" when we are there-the cast members treat him like a king!

It was his birthday and we just came back- He really didn't get the whole birthday thing-but he loved people saying hello to him-

one of the things we are working on is to initiate conversation-he said to my friend's brother-clear as could be-"hi dave, what's up"

I almost fell over

just the whole experience- dressing up, being "in" the peter pan ride- being peter he saluted the guys when we got off mission space!

 

[ireland_nicole]

I agree w/ all the pp's; Disney is pure magic to us! Simply feeling "normal" for a few days is incredibly therapeutic for us, in addition, our last trip to WDW was the first time we were able to really enjoy DD(8). Memories of that trip are sometimes like a lifeline when times get really tough. I can't wait for our next trip, less than 4 mos. to go
Nicole

 

[scojos]

CF we will come and say hi at TL
thanks for all the work you do here
tracy

 

[mechurchlady]

I set here reading a lot of posts and there seems to be a good number of reports of kids doing something they never did before or doing a bit better. It is a place where you are not forced to do things, no pressures like in a classroom or at home. There you can explore and go a bit further. There is magic at the parks for sure. I love trip reports from the parents of disabled kids because so often they are full of magic and often tiny miracles, break throughs and giant but tiny steps. That makes me so happy.

I even in my life have pushed myself socially, emotionally, and for my fear of falling did things I would never do in real life. The parks are definitely magically for me and there is much love there.

 

[1stluvispooh]

We have gone twice. Once before DD was diagnosed and once since. The first time we had an amazing event in that DD said her first sentence which was incredible because at the time she would say 1 word if at all. The next time we went she was very "chatty". Had a lot of spontaneous speech. I can't say that these things continued at home but it was a glim's of what was to come at the end of the school year. Now she is asking to go back. Granted her friends are Disney abscessed as well. My mothers' day card said she loves me because I take her to Disney.

 

[bookwormde]

It is definitely a place where they have all the visual input they could ask for and nobody thinks it is “strange” for them to be absorbed by it.

It is very rare for WDW not to be a magical place for our children. I contend that a lot of it is because a lot of the imaginers probably have spectrum “abilities”, the perfect place to work for an artistic/technical aspie. To do the level of detailed presentation, which is typical for WDW, you almost have to be able to visualize the finished project in your mind.

This makes it one of the few places, which to a great extent is likely designed by and for spectrum individuals (without the formal intent), at least the creative portion. The only other place I can think of is the computer/virtual world, which is also a place for our children to relax

bookwormde

 

[toodycat]

I think there's a lot of sensory input at WDW for kids to enjoy---as long as parents are careful not to "overload" them. Also, a lot of kids love vestibular stimulation and certainly WDW has plenty of that. I think at WDW a kid is a kid is a kid. Nobody has ever treated Jake as though he were "different" there.In general, I have noticed that Jake makes progress whenever we are on vacation. I think the whole relaxation thing and quality time with family make a difference. Also, I think WDW is for moms, too. Kids must notice how relaxed a mother can be at WDW. You don't have to clean, you don't have to cook, everyone is devoted to the goal of making your day magical and every single attraction is designed to occupy and thrill your children. What more could you ask for?

 

[brettgirl]

My high functioning autistic son has been working on going into a pool without strangling his mother - me! He has succeed as of two weeks ago, he told me that this time he wants to go into the pool and not organize shoes or open and close the laundry room door like he did two years ago! Last time his anxiety got the better of him before we went, he had a terrible neck twitch that we thought he was having seizures, that stopped as soon as we got to WDW. This time the only thing I have noticed is he is flapping a lot more, I can deal with this. It is a special time for us, as it is just him and me. His sister will be with her school music department at POP music, and dad is home taking care of the cats. My anxiety ridden, no risk taker of mine plans on going on all of the rides (can't only do Rockin Roller, too short). Disney gives him a chance to socialize with all kinds of kids and people, which is the best medicine for him, It makes me feel like he is "typical" instead of so sad that he goes off by himself when in groups. Disney is full of magic, and like the other poster stated, kids are happier too because they get full attention of Mom!

 

[vafarmmom]

Yes, my friends say that I have a wdw addiction. My attorney thinks I have lost it. But at wdw, ds is "normal". It is truly magical. I am not a theme park person, I get motion sickness on alot of rides since hitting my 30's, but at wdw ds and I connect. He actually talks to me. We mostly character stalk. Ds has had several magic moments at wdw. We went three times last year. We have only been down 1x this year. I was (am) fairly ill, but ds really, really wanted to go to the disney channel games. He really needed some magic. Life is tough enough, and with your only parent ill it is even tougher. Well the games were not friendly, and it was impossable to get any help. Ds got hurt (physically by crazy fans and mentally). Fortunately, we also went to a pirate party and stayed at saratoga (we fell in love with ss this trip).

We don't go to wdw for the theme park, we go for the magic!

 

[bookwormde]

Brettgirl

We have been working with my son DS8 Aspergers for 2+ years on being comfortable and competent in the water (we tried some standard swim classes before he was diagnosed with little effectiveness). We feel that this is an important skill from the safety, social and physical fitness perspectives. I do not know if your child will tolerate it or if you are already using a life vest (we let our child get used to wearing it at home and have a rash guard for him to wear under it) but this made a big difference for our son to be able to progress.
We are fortunate to have a special needs program in our area with a moving floor pool and 1 on 1 swimming instructors who are educated about spectrum children (a lot are siblings of spectrum individuals). Our son has progressed to the point where he sometimes likes to swim without the vest (as long as he is not tired and someone is reasonably close to him, pool only).

I know you are trying to relax on vacation but I was wondering about your access to a zero entry pool while at WDW. I do not know if there is one at POR but there is one at Saratoga Springs Resort. It might make the transition easier, and if your child’s needs are not being met by the pool configuration at POR then I would think there is a good chance that you could use the accommodation of being able to pool hop to SSR.

bookwormde

 

[Catkramer]

We are heading back for our 5th trip. Third in 18 months. My son is 4 and has high functioning autsim. We went to Disney in Feb and at the time, had the speech of a 9 month old. While my daugher and I were riding Rock n Roller Coaster, my son prodeeded to say all of the colors of his cars. I got off and my husband said "did you know he can talk???"

I was crying! It was amazing! No one believed me until we got home. I think Disney is a wonderful and I actually consider it as part of his therapy. He is now putting three words together and for the first time told me he loved me.

We are headed to Disney again in Septemeber and I can't wait to see what he comes home doing now!!

 

[brettgirl]

Bookwormde

Thank you so much for your support and understanding!

We did use the life jacket for the beginning of our friday nites at the HS pool. I was not succeeding. So, after I saw another boy with a ring on his waist, I decided to give that a try. It worked miracles. It kept my sons head out of the water when he jumped to me into the water and when he eventually jumped in by himself, he could hold it so his face stayed afloat.

I would feel safer with him in a life vest, but what am I to do, this wont last forever and I don't mind being in the pool on a hot day-we leave in 5 days.

We have always had an above ground pool and this year he has insisted he will go in it instead of glaring at the pump and how it works. We also live in an area that has a ton of lakes.

The issue I am worried about is when the kids hit 4th grade they all have to learn how to swim or already know how to swim as the school buses them to the high school for lessons. He has enough quirkiness that I don't want this added to his anxiety.

A bit off track:
If you would like to talk, you can PM me. I am wondering if you encounter this with your son, as I think Nico is heading for an Asberger diagnosis shortly. Just the other day I realized that Nico does not feel "sorry" for things (accidents) and does not understand why he has to say sorry; he does not get his facial and body actions affects situations; his tone is awful; he is very gifted with music and he is a smart boy with facts (inferences, no); can you relate to any of this? thanks, brett