My concern for my daughter...

[mjspetti]

My daughter will be 16 in July/07. However she is developmentally delayed , with an anxiety disorder, she looks like a woman however she's young at heart and mind. We went to disney for first time may 06, my daughter was so excited we went over everything for months, videos looked at rides online, reviewed the parks. We did have a good time but it was difficult with her and I'm asking for help for how we can improve this time.
She loved disney however wouldn't do alot of rides with us, a bugs life show scared her then she wouldn't do anymore of those type shows. She loved peter pan, mickeys phil, buzz lightyear, wouldn't do stitch show, no bigger rides at all. And because it was all too over exciting for her she looked like her dog dyed in all her pictures and most days because if she gets too excited it gives her stomach pains, its her anxiety problem. We gave her gravol to calm the plane ride but you can't do that everyday. Although she tires easily she did well and we sit whenever she wanted too.
I guess my big problem is what to do when the rest of the family wants to go on rides, some of the ride lines are quite long and leaving her standing alone is not a good option as although i would hope no one would approach , I don't know how she would handle herself. She also wants a princess makeover done this time, and was dissappointed they didn;t have princess dresses in her size , we did buy her a lovely long gown at a shop in town last time. Will they do her makeover on someone her age, and is there a place where she can stay with an employee while the rest of family goes on a ride or show. Or do we always half to do in split. She has a special bus pick her up for school at home, still plays with bratz and dolls. She has no label per say but has a number of difficultly with many things........When i read the disability thing most of its washrooms and things that we wouldn't need.
Any ideas...............Thanks

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILTIES!

All of the rides have a "chicken exit" just before boarding which leads to the exit area. If she will follow and obey simple instructions what you can do is take her first to the exit area (usually a shop) and give her a specific place to wait. Then take her in with you through the queue. When you get to the area with the chicken exit she can go there to wait for you; by that time you should be able to have a good idea of how long it will be until you are able to meet her.

Cast Members are not permitted to accept responsibility for children or property, unless it is specific to the job description (such as moving a wheelchair from the load to unload area).

I checked on BBB in the Cast Portal and it only says designed for girls three and up. Another section showed interest ranges and it included 3-6, 6-9, and 10-14, so they will accept her. So she will be able to get the makeover.

 

[SueM in MN]

I checked on BBB in the Cast Portal and it only says designed for girls three and up. Another section showed interest ranges and it included 3-6, 6-9, and 10-14, so they will accept her. So she will be able to get the makeover.

Besides what Cheshire Figment wrote, I have read posts by adult women who went for makeovers. Although most of the people interested in it are 14 and under, I don't think they would turn her away even if she was much older.

 

[ms_mckenna]

DH used the chicken exits on just about every ride we went on. A lot of them would just let him wait a little further off for us and not even go into the shops. As far as the princess makeover I am assuming you are talking about bippidi boppidi boo? We had plans of taking DD who will be 14 next trip but she wants to get her hair wrapped instead. So we are saving bbb for her sweet 16 trip where it will be her and her best friend. There is a great bbb thread here : http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1333944

 

[OneLittleSpark]

You said your daughter tires easily, and you had to spend a lot of time sitting and taking breaks. I was just wondering, have you considered renting a wheelchair for her? It might help her conserve her strength a bit for all the fun of the parks.
Also, you might be able to do a baby swap with her (that's where you all queue up together, then part of the group rides while someone waits with your DD. When the rest of your group have finished, they look after your DD while the person who waited with her rides), but I'm not certain. Anybody know? The FP system would also help speed up the queuing process.

 

[Forevryoung]

What about finding another antianxiety medication?? I don't take one every day during my daily life but disney is another story and I would rather carry around something that I can take (or take it every morning) and feel much better. There are tons of them out there- some of them are extremely strong and a small dose will do it.

In terms of over stimulation, use the first aid stations every few hours for a "break" even if it's a pain in the butt to trek across the park. I usually found a calm/quieter part of the park and sat on a bench with my eyes closed to regroup. A break in the middle of the day to rest at the hotel is an even better idea.

If she tires that easily, would you consider renting a wheelchair some days or even just at the end of the day so that she does not feel like you are dragging her along and making her more miserable? Just a thought-

Regarding Stitch- dont go! it ruined our day... horrible attraction in my opinion and it was a cross between weird, scary, and boring. Many will disagree but many will agree

Maybe plan out a list of what rides you are going to do an alternate ones that she will/can do and ones that she cant/wont do. That way nobody feels badly when she refuses to get on a ride.

I'll keep thinking.

 

[flynnmnstr]

I know that the disneystore online sells adult costumes. Around Halloween they had tons of them, but I think they carry them all year long.

I would definitely use the child swap options and use it along with fastpass whenever possible. We've done this many time with our son who at times does not like any rides that are inside. It really allows for everyone to do what they want to do and it definitely reduces the wait times. Depending on the size of your party some people may be able to ride twice; the person with the baby swap ticket (CM gives you one when you explain you are baby swapping) can take up to three other people with them.

 

[Daydreamer64]

Just a thought-
does she have any "friends" who might be cousins or neighbors- old enough to vacation with her? My cousin has autism, is 22 years old, and has to be with an adult all the times- she plays with dolls, can't wait for Santa to come and is generally just around 5 years old mentally in social situations. She can't be left alone at any time so her friend, whose Mom works at the respic home, comes along on all vacations with her.

The young lady is around 16 years old now but she is very responsible and seems to like hanging around with Kathy. They all go to the parks together, tour the rides that Kathy will ride, then she and her friend go do their own thing. Kathy is with a young adult who shops/tours/eats with her while her parents are on the rides or go out to eat. Kathy can swim and is tall enough ( almost 6 feet tall ) to walk all over the shallow pools at the All Stars so they even go swimming together. It is understood that her friend is there to be with her at all times- the young lady is quite happy to go places and she gets paid for her time. She and Kathy usually share their room, stay up late to watch T.V. and basically have sleep-overs. She is a very responsible young person. There is seldom any trouble and if there is- the girls always have a connecting room with Kathy's parents.

This might allow you to tour with the rest of the family without having to split into two groups on the rides that your DD won't ride. Your DD and friend can tour with you all day and just hang together around the area that you are riding in while they wait until you get off of the ride.

I hope it all works out for you.
Oh, the princess make over thing- just call ahead, explain, and go for it! Disney is usually very helpful with special situations.

 

[JCTigger]

Just a thought-
does she have any "friends" who might be cousins or neighbors- old enough to vacation with her? My cousin has autism, is 22 years old, and has to be with an adult all the times- she plays with dolls, can't wait for Santa to come and is generally just around 5 years old mentally in social situations. She can't be left alone at any time so her friend, whose Mom works at the respic home, comes along on all vacations with her.

The young lady is around 16 years old now but she is very responsible and seems to like hanging around with Kathy. They all go to the parks together, tour the rides that Kathy will ride, then she and her friend go do their own thing. Kathy is with a young adult who shops/tours/eats with her while her parents are on the rides or go out to eat. Kathy can swim and is tall enough ( almost 6 feet tall ) to walk all over the shallow pools at the All Stars so they even go swimming together. It is understood that her friend is there to be with her at all times- the young lady is quite happy to go places and she gets paid for her time. She and Kathy usually share their room, stay up late to watch T.V. and basically have sleep-overs. She is a very responsible young person. There is seldom any trouble and if there is- the girls always have a connecting room with Kathy's parents.

This might allow you to tour with the rest of the family without having to split into two groups on the rides that your DD won't ride. Your DD and friend can tour with you all day and just hang together around the area that you are riding in while they wait until you get off of the ride.

This is actually what I do for a living well part of a living Im a day hab specialist for adults who are lower functioning but as a part time job im a PCA (personal care assistant) this week Im down here at disney world with one of the families I work with (i work as a PCA for 2 diffrent people) I help take care of there son we go to the parks,go for walks what ever... and they pay me for my time but I love it... this is the second trip ive come down with them on I was here in November for a week with them (they have a house just outside of Orlando and they drive down in there RV because its really the only way they can travel with there DS..)

You can look into getting funding for a PCA thru your local DMR office and if you want to know more about it getting a PCA or what a PCA does or what not feel free to ask... I love doing it Ive been doing it now for 3 years....

depending on how big your daughter is you can rent like a double wide stroller instead of a wheel chair they have a top to it so you can close the top for a little bit of a destresser I've read and see a lot of family who have kids with austim who do this for when the kids get over stimulated.... and the first aide stations are great to take a breather.... also like the train at the magic kingdom to start from one station and to get back to that same station is 20 minutes long its a great way to relax....

Jill

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for sharing. You had some good suggestions.
For people with PCAs, you might want to check if your state has any restrictions on paying to take your PCA along with you on vacation. Some may.

depending on how big your daughter is you can rent like a double wide stroller instead of a wheel chair they have a top to it so you can close the top for a little bit of a destresser I've read and see a lot of family who have kids with austim who do this for when the kids get over stimulated.... and the first aide stations are great to take a breather.... also like the train at the magic kingdom to start from one station and to get back to that same station is 20 minutes long its a great way to relax....

Jill

I don't know if you noticed the ages of the people in this thread, but they are older.
The WDW strollers are big enough for a small 12 yr old, and might be appropriate for a small 12 yr old with autism. Some may find the stroller more comfortable for the reasons that you mentioned.
But for older kids/young adults with autism, a wheelchair would be much more comfortable and age appropriate.

 

[starbox]

I believe that BBB can pre-order princess costumes in larger sizes (up to adult) with advance notification.

I do think there is an age limitation on when you can enter the park in costume.

 

[MP2002]

Just FYI, the DisneyStore Outlet online has a Cinderella dress 1/2 price for $40 in adult sizes S thru XXL. I think it is very pretty & probably a lot cheaper than anything you could get direct through BBB. But I believe poster above is correct about visitors being able to dress in costume after a certain age so you might want to check with Disney on what the cutoff age is. At 16 she might be okay. I hope your visit is wonderful!

 

[powellrj]

would she be happy to have just her hair done? My DD had her hair "pixey dusted" last time we went at the magic kingdom we went to the barber shop and they styled her hair and sprayed it with lots of colors and then put lots of sparkles in her hair. There were adults having their hair done and its much cheaper than BBB.

 

[zumbergc]

On the budget board I've seen adult women talk about booking and going to the BBB. So, I wouldn't worry about your 16 your old daughter going and booking. I don't remember if they got the dresses or not.

It was a whole debate about the situation, with tons of people posting
that they were going to do it, or had done it.

So, have a great time.
Connie