Our completely unpredictable PTR- WDW with Autism May 25-31

[lovethattink]

I dislike the cheap camera I am using. It's great for outdoor shots of still things, but awful for indoor. My pics of shows turn out horrible. My pics of indoor sports are bad too. Anakin broke my good camera, so Goofy got me a black friday special camera for $69 plus his 15% discount. It's a Kodak EasyShare C143. That's what I've used with each of the pics in my trip report. Sometimes I am lucky and get a great shot, but there are more fuzzy shots sometimes than clear ones.

 

[Corrine 1973]

Late joining the party, but I finally caught up with your PTR

We will be at WDW for some of the same days. We will be there from May 29-June 3rd. I also noticed reading through your plans that we will be at the same parks on May 29 and 30th. Maybe we will see you guys around.

Are you guys getting a GAC for Lucas? If anything you could get a stamp on it to use his stroller as a wheelchair. There for you can take the stroller into lines and into show where strollers are normally not excepted. I am going to get this for my DS. Due to his illness he gets tierd a lot quicker than other 9 year old children. I want to have a great time at Disney but not at the expense of my sons health.

I have heard on other PTR's that the way JTA kids are picked are diffrent. You need to go the show stage ASAP to sign up the kids for available slots. These slots fill up quickly (especially durring SWW) so you might want to send some one to that stage to sign up the kids who to do it when they first come in.

Can't wait to read more, and hope to see you there.

 

[sl_underwood]

Late joining the party, but I finally caught up with your PTR

We will be at WDW for some of the same days. We will be there from May 29-June 3rd. I also noticed reading through your plans that we will be at the same parks on May 29 and 30th. Maybe we will see you guys around.

Are you guys getting a GAC for Lucas? If anything you could get a stamp on it to use his stroller as a wheelchair. There for you can take the stroller into lines and into show where strollers are normally not excepted. I am going to get this for my DS. Due to his illness he gets tierd a lot quicker than other 9 year old children. I want to have a great time at Disney but not at the expense of my sons health.

I have heard on other PTR's that the way JTA kids are picked are diffrent. You need to go the show stage ASAP to sign up the kids for available slots. These slots fill up quickly (especially durring SWW) so you might want to send some one to that stage to sign up the kids who to do it when they first come in.

Can't wait to read more, and hope to see you there.

We will get the GAC and use his stroller as a wheelchair. Luke has moblility issues as well due to abuse before he came into foster care. He has arthritis from multiple fractures and could not walk the distances if he tried. Our last trip, he begged to walk. Our first day was at DHS so I figured we would try it in the smallest park. By the end of the day, he was in so much pain that he cried for hours, even in his sleep. This trip I am prepared with a SN stroller. As for JTA, I am stilll not sure if or how we will fit that in. That day is going to be so crazy. I could make it two days but I really want my resort day Saturday. I think Luke will benefit from having a day of downtime. I know I will!

 

[~Tonga Wingo~]

For the camera question:

I recommend especially for a teenager below. It's a Nikon coolpix. 12 MP is more than fine. It comes in a variety of colors. It's very small and slips into a pants pocket very easily. It also takes up to 25 mins of video at a time (you can take multiple videos depending on the side of your card). I'd recommend a decent size memory card for it.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Coolpix...r_1_18?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1302639444&sr=1-18

Most character greetings have photopass, but not all of them did. We did find a few that a photopass was not present. Plus for a teenage girl, I'm sure she will find use for it after your trip.

 

[sl_underwood]

For the camera question:

I recommend especially for a teenager below. It's a Nikon coolpix. 12 MP is more than fine. It comes in a variety of colors. It's very small and slips into a pants pocket very easily. It also takes up to 25 mins of video at a time (you can take multiple videos depending on the side of your card). I'd recommend a decent size memory card for it.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Coolpix...r_1_18?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1302639444&sr=1-18

Most character greetings have photopass, but not all of them did. We did find a few that a photopass was not present. Plus for a teenage girl, I'm sure she will find use for it after your trip.

Thanks. It looks like it just might work for her.

 

[sl_underwood]

Budget Buster!

Luke broke his glasses again. $200 for new ones which means $200 less for Disney! I am really getting tired of this. He got his new prescription in February and is on the third pair. Insurance pays for 2 pair a year and we have went through 3 in as many months! He does not have to many out of contol moments, usually about 3-4 a month, but when it happens, the glasses are the first thing he destroys. Sometimes, I get there in time, others not so much. Today, he was doing handwriting with his OT and got ticked because he made a mistake and then blew up. This is one of those days, I think I would rather be in Italy. Holland is good with me most of the time but then days like this come, where he cant stand the feel of his own clothes, blows up at the drop of a hat, and costs me a great deal of unexpected money and I wonder why me? Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better one.

 

[lovethattink]

Budget Buster!

Luke broke his glasses again. $200 for new ones which means $200 less for Disney! I am really getting tired of this. He got his new prescription in February and is on the third pair. Insurance pays for 2 pair a year and we have went through 3 in as many months! He does not have to many out of contol moments, usually about 3-4 a month, but when it happens, the glasses are the first thing he destroys. Sometimes, I get there in time, others not so much. Today, he was doing handwriting with his OT and got ticked because he made a mistake and then blew up. This is one of those days, I think I would rather be in Italy. Holland is good with me most of the time but then days like this come, where he cant stand the feel of his own clothes, blows up at the drop of a hat, and costs me a great deal of unexpected money and I wonder why me? Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better one.

I'm so sorry to hear about the meltdown and glasses. The meltdown caused by a mistake sounds all to familiar to me. Anakin tells me he doesn't like "mistaking".

Here's to a much better tomorrow!

 

[Lidian]

Budget Buster!

Luke broke his glasses again. $200 for new ones which means $200 less for Disney! I am really getting tired of this. He got his new prescription in February and is on the third pair. Insurance pays for 2 pair a year and we have went through 3 in as many months! He does not have to many out of contol moments, usually about 3-4 a month, but when it happens, the glasses are the first thing he destroys. Sometimes, I get there in time, others not so much. Today, he was doing handwriting with his OT and got ticked because he made a mistake and then blew up. This is one of those days, I think I would rather be in Italy. Holland is good with me most of the time but then days like this come, where he cant stand the feel of his own clothes, blows up at the drop of a hat, and costs me a great deal of unexpected money and I wonder why me? Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better one.

I'm sorry to hear about his meltdown. Hoping for a great day tomorrow!

 

[sl_underwood]

Thanks for your kind words. Tink I love how you call them mistakes. So much more positive. You are such a positive influence for parents. I definitely need to change the words I use and my attitude to the negative aspects of autism. I love Luke so much and I am so glad I made him my son but his meltdowns take so much out of me. He is getting to big to restrain him physically and he can be quite destructive. We are doing ABA and I am taking a class myself so i can learn to implement it better at home but some of his triggers are unavoidable. School must happen. He has got to learn and sadly school work triggers a lot of his meltdowns. I just wish I knew exactly what to do to help him.

 

[lovethattink]

Have you ever read The Complete Guide to Asperger's by Tony Attwood? Bookwormde recommended that book to me a while back on one of the threads. It is a really helpful book, and has helped me to understand my son a little better and "see" things differently.

His occupational therapist recommended I read The Out-of-Sync Child by C.S. Kranowitz. It's next on my to read list.

 

[sl_underwood]

I have the out of sync child has fun and use it for OT at home but I have not read either of the other books. I will check them out. Thanks.

 

[sl_underwood]

Nearly a month out! Woohoo Everyone in my house is so excited. Luke asks every day now how many days till Disney. Last night, we watched Tangled and now I have to figure out where Flynn Ryder is at WDW, anyone know? Jess loves him and even at 14, she really loves character meets. Luke thought he was pretty cool, too.

 

[Corrine 1973]

Nearly a month out! Woohoo Everyone in my house is so excited. Luke asks every day now how many days till Disney. Last night, we watched Tangled and now I have to figure out where Flynn Ryder is at WDW, anyone know? Jess loves him and even at 14, she really loves character meets. Luke thought he was pretty cool, too.

Got this from the WDW website under MK. Hope it helps.

You are invited to the Fairytale Garden for a brush with Rapunzel from Tangled, the new Walt Disney Pictures film. Come meet the newest Disney heroine and the roguish thief Flynn Rider.

While at the enchanted courtyard, you can color pictures of the royal kingdom's magical golden flower for a personal keepsake. Have a hair-raising time learning her traditional folk dance and playing games with attendants of the court.

The feisty couple appears regularly; please check the Times Guide for details.

 

[sl_underwood]

Thanks.

 

[lovethattink]

Be sure to read the threads about the Rapunzel meet and greet. You really need to get there early. The wait lines are incredible. The children color, then learn a dance, then is the meet and greet. The area only accomodates so many children. We have not done this yet, the line has been outrageous. The GAC doesn't help with any alternate entrances to any of the MK meet and greets.

 

[~Tonga Wingo~]

For the glasses, I'd look into bendable ones. My nephew is not careful with his at all. After several pairs, my sister got him bendable frames. He can twist them into all sorts of shapes and they will not break. I'm not sure if she got them online or through an eye doctor.

 

[Singledad]

For the camera question:

I recommend especially for a teenager below. It's a Nikon coolpix. 12 MP is more than fine. ...

I will say this though, both me and my younger sister got coolpix camara's in the past, and both of them were useless in about 6 months due to the screen breaking. and without that screen you cannot tell if it is on, off, your taking a picture or not, or even what you may be taking a picture of. (no viewfinder, just screen.)

Maybe we got ones that were in a bad batch, but I remember looking for new screen on ebay and instead finding page after page of the same model with the same issue. So make sure to check into it. I mean, when it was working it was the best little camera I had, just didn't last very long. (and I am very careful with my camera, little sis... not as much. but still, I had the same screen issue as she did.)

 

[Singledad]

For the glasses, I'd look into bendable ones. My nephew is not careful with his at all. After several pairs, my sister got him bendable frames. He can twist them into all sorts of shapes and they will not break. I'm not sure if she got them online or through an eye doctor.

I second these! I LOVED those frames! (then I lost them ) my DD would snap mine in half, until I got these frames! (She doesn't like anything on my face. Halloween is not fun anymore. )

The day yall leave is the day we arrive! If you hit DTD that day, we *might* cross paths! Then again, it depends on how quickly we can get from airport to ASMu, to dtd. (we arrive just before noon.)

 

[~Tonga Wingo~]

I will say this though, both me and my younger sister got coolpix camara's in the past, and both of them were useless in about 6 months due to the screen breaking. and without that screen you cannot tell if it is on, off, your taking a picture or not, or even what you may be taking a picture of. (no viewfinder, just screen.)

Maybe we got ones that were in a bad batch, but I remember looking for new screen on ebay and instead finding page after page of the same model with the same issue. So make sure to check into it. I mean, when it was working it was the best little camera I had, just didn't last very long. (and I am very careful with my camera, little sis... not as much. but still, I had the same screen issue as she did.)

I've had mine for a year and love it. It's my back up to my SLR when I need it. I work part time as a photographer and it's my favorite point and shoot that I've ever had. I've never had an issue with the screen.

 

[sl_underwood]

Welcome Single Dad. I have seen you on the disabilities forum. Thanks Tongo Wings and Single Dad. I will look into the glasses with the bendable frames. I think they would definitely be helpful if they are not easily broken. He has a horrible time with frames. Also, talked to Jess about the camera and she just wants to use her cell phone. I think it will not take great pics but she said she does not want to lug the camera around. I have an SLR so I bet she thinks they are a lot bigger than they are. Still, if she doesnt want to use it, I wont buy it. We will have my SLR with us and I think I might just have to wait around to get pics. Still not sure how DHS will go. I am starting to wonder if I can even plan for SWW.