Overstimulation

[Erika Sanderson]

On one of our 2003 vacations we're hoping to bring along a guest but he reacts horribly when overstimulated. Crowds are a huge problem and we can usually avoid stuff like that pretty well but for the most part Disney does a great job with LOUD noises and lots of activity. (unfortunately for HIM. LOL)

Any suggestions how we can actually avoid some of that stuff but still have access to the show? I don't find much info about this type of thing around the internet.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

We might be able to give some suggestions if we had an idea of his age. Also, is he on medications, either nbow or in the past.

You have probably hit the right forum, but additional information would assist us in making useful replies.

 

[Erika Sanderson]

He's 24, smart as a whip and has been weaned from all his medications. (Permanently or temp, not real sure)
Was on ADD type meds for many years but they stopped working for him, so now it's a matter of his regaining a better sense of his own personal boundaries and issues.
What he has found to help him is to try to get info beforehand so he knows in advance what kinds of triggers there might be.

He reacts to light, flashing lights, certain COLORS of lights, noises, either loud or unexpected (or both), he becomes disoriented and sometimes experiences panic attacks from his disability. Physical sensations of breezes on his skin or and ice cube can also trigger some strange reactions from this kid. LOL

Initially the doctors thought he had a seizure disorder of some type but I think in the very end they've never really figured out what his "problem" was.
He just seems to be hyper sensitive to nearly everything, and it has been difficult to include him in things. I'm hoping we'll fit in a late spring trip with him though so I'm gathering info now! LOL

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm sure you will get some good information from disABILITIES Board posters. I have a website to offer you that might be very helpful. The website also has links to a place where you can download copies of the official WDW Guidebooks for Guests with Disbilities. I have nver found them particularly useful because they don't have enough information. But they do have a general description of each ride that might be helpful to your friend.
A lot of people with sensitivity problems also bring a pair of earplugs to use on those (many) louder rides and shows.

 

[Erika Sanderson]

Finally found a moment to read the "Sensitive Kids at Disney Parks" page in the link you gave. I found it had some valuable information that I should be able to put to practical use. There were also several links here to other sites that I'll probably find informative too.

 

[s&k'smom]

Hi, our six year old has a PDD diagnosis and like your's reacts to crowds, fireworks, etc. We recently came back from a trip in October and we were not able to do rides or fireworks but we did spend time walking around the parks and DH and I took turns on rides. We found as the week went by he became more used to things. We took frequent breaks and spent every afternoon by the pool. We kept a routine every day (breakfast, park, lunch, pool, dinner, walking around) and just really read his cues. Somethings would bother him and others would'nt. I would also get a Guest Assistance Card (GAC) to help with the wait in lines and definately Fast Pass. I hope some of this helps. I know you guys will have a good time. Oh make lots of priority seatings. That will also cut down on any wait time for meals.

 

[bianca]

We adopted an 8 yr. old girl this past year that suffers from multiple diagnoses (PTSD, ADHD, FAS, to name a few). She has now been on 3 trips to WDW since living with us. Initially, she couldn't stand any kind of stimulation, but is now doing better. We started out with the following: A portable cassette player that we put in a small backpack for her. The cassettes were pre-recorded with all of her favorite music, and she kept head phones on when she did not want to hear the surrounding noise. We kept ear plugs in her back pack for those times that she wanted to hear what was going on, but could not handle the volume at which it was presented. We kept sunglasses on her at almost all times, as this helped with the light levels that she found intolerable. One of the most important things was keeping her in very comfortable clothing. We did get plenty of weird looks as we walked through the parks with her, but during this last trip she did not need her "audio" equipment (player/headphones) at all! Hope some of this helps ..... even if only one of the tips is useful.

 

[Erika Sanderson]

BIANCA! oh yes! The clothing thing makes this young man lose his composure too. LOL
His parents just lost their patience with him but I understood to a degree because tags on clothes sometimes bother me tremendously.
It turns out that he can't tolerate tags or certain gold threads OR even clothing with plastic threads that poke at his body.
The doctor said something about a hyperactive skin sensitivity or something like that? The poor kid. His whole body seems to be hyper sensitive to any and ALL stimulation.

Right now, today, he's saying he's scared to go but I think Christmas is freaking him out a bit. I probably won't bring it up again for a few weeks.