As the title says, we are leaving for WDW in 5 days. This is the first family trip as our boys are now 5, 3, & 21-months.
My biggest concern lies with my 5-yr-old. He is diagnosed as slight Developmental Delay, Sensory Processing Disorder, and he has epilepsy. He does have some characteristics of Asperger's, but he has passed 4 different autism screenings by 2 different physicians. He can get very anxious and/or very over-excited. Too much overstimulation can just overload him and turn him into a very frustrated and irritable child.
His "quirks", as I like to call them, came about as a result of being born 8 weeks early. On top of that, he has suffered permanent brain damage in the frontal lobe due to a nasty round of viral encephalitis (he had West Nile when he was 2...was actually in the PICU for his 2nd birthday). It is this damage to the brain that is the reason for his seizure activity.
I do want to mention, though, that he is highly intelligent (he's 5 and already tested out of the kindergarten level....he's in a special education kindergarten class, but his teacher has him working on a 1st grade level with some 2nd grade stuff thrown in for "fun"). He's smart and he does have good common sense. Unfortunately, his hyperactivity and anxiety and frustration just combine to make things quite difficult at times.
We have 6 adults going on this trip (me, hubby, my mother, my in-laws, and my hubby's aunt), so I know I will have lots of help with my 3 boys. We are planning on arriving at POR Tuesday mid-morning and just staying around there for the day (maybe head over to DTD for a bit, but just staying out of the parks to allow the boys an adjustment period). We have plans to take breaks in the middle of the day, and stick to their home routines as much as possible (all 3 of my boys go to bed at 7 pm....I'm sooooo in trouble! ).
However, I do have some concerns of my own. And this is where I would love some advice!
My son has a hard time waiting in line (or waiting in general). We plan on doing FP as much as possible, but I'm still worried that he's just going to act out while waiting in line or for anything in general. I don't want him to negatively affect others in line, but I moreso don't want him getting so upset/frustrated that he just shuts down on me. What is the best thing to do in this situation? Are there any alternative waiting areas for children such as mine?
Second, we have no known triggers for his seizures. At this point in time, they are absentee seizures (he just blanks out, will utter jubberish, gets confused, sometimes vomiting, then just literally goes to sleep whether he sitting or standing). We have no way to predict when they will happen. He is on anti-seizure medication. But my question is this: are there certain rides/attractions we should definitely avoid? Like mentioned, we don't know of any particular triggers, but I don't want to necessarily find some out while on vacation.
Three, how do you stay sane?
My biggest concern lies with my 5-yr-old. He is diagnosed as slight Developmental Delay, Sensory Processing Disorder, and he has epilepsy. He does have some characteristics of Asperger's, but he has passed 4 different autism screenings by 2 different physicians. He can get very anxious and/or very over-excited. Too much overstimulation can just overload him and turn him into a very frustrated and irritable child.
His "quirks", as I like to call them, came about as a result of being born 8 weeks early. On top of that, he has suffered permanent brain damage in the frontal lobe due to a nasty round of viral encephalitis (he had West Nile when he was 2...was actually in the PICU for his 2nd birthday). It is this damage to the brain that is the reason for his seizure activity.
I do want to mention, though, that he is highly intelligent (he's 5 and already tested out of the kindergarten level....he's in a special education kindergarten class, but his teacher has him working on a 1st grade level with some 2nd grade stuff thrown in for "fun"). He's smart and he does have good common sense. Unfortunately, his hyperactivity and anxiety and frustration just combine to make things quite difficult at times.
We have 6 adults going on this trip (me, hubby, my mother, my in-laws, and my hubby's aunt), so I know I will have lots of help with my 3 boys. We are planning on arriving at POR Tuesday mid-morning and just staying around there for the day (maybe head over to DTD for a bit, but just staying out of the parks to allow the boys an adjustment period). We have plans to take breaks in the middle of the day, and stick to their home routines as much as possible (all 3 of my boys go to bed at 7 pm....I'm sooooo in trouble! ).
However, I do have some concerns of my own. And this is where I would love some advice!
My son has a hard time waiting in line (or waiting in general). We plan on doing FP as much as possible, but I'm still worried that he's just going to act out while waiting in line or for anything in general. I don't want him to negatively affect others in line, but I moreso don't want him getting so upset/frustrated that he just shuts down on me. What is the best thing to do in this situation? Are there any alternative waiting areas for children such as mine?
Second, we have no known triggers for his seizures. At this point in time, they are absentee seizures (he just blanks out, will utter jubberish, gets confused, sometimes vomiting, then just literally goes to sleep whether he sitting or standing). We have no way to predict when they will happen. He is on anti-seizure medication. But my question is this: are there certain rides/attractions we should definitely avoid? Like mentioned, we don't know of any particular triggers, but I don't want to necessarily find some out while on vacation.
Three, how do you stay sane?
