Pal Mickey helpful?

[casjen]

We have been to Disney several times and with good success. My older ds has sensory issues and often decides long before he even gets near an attraction whether or not it is something he will try. No amount of coaxing helps. We never force him on. It would be pointless, he'd scream hysterically.

He refuses to ride small world b/c of "all those kids singing at me so loud". He wouldn't try ear plugs. He'll often worry about where we are going next and if it will be too loud.

Do you think Pal Mickey would be a nice distraction so he wasn't feeling so anxious about noise and crowds? Or just one more thing to keep track of?

 

[scojos]

yes, we have 1 and he is a godsend. Annoying, but a godsend
tracy

 

[SueM in MN]

He refuses to ride small world b/c of "all those kids singing at me so loud". He wouldn't try ear plugs. He'll often worry about where we are going next and if it will be too loud.

Do you think Pal Mickey would be a nice distraction so he wasn't feeling so anxious about noise and crowds? Or just one more thing to keep track of?

When my youngest DD was little, the only way she would ride Small World was with her thumb in her mouth, her one shoulder hunched up to cover one ear and her arms arranged so that her eyes were covered and she could reach her other hand over to cover her ears and twirl her hair at the same time.
She never cried, but I now know that Small World was complete sensory overload for her. As a young adult, she can tolerate it, but still doesn't really like it.

Anything you can do to help your DS focus on something else should help. Another thing people have used is looking for hidden Mickeys.
You could also preview some rides on youtube.com
Some of the videos are better than others and because of how some were taped, they might seem louder than they actually are, so you probably would want to look at the videos before showing any to him.

 

[ireland_nicole]

Both my kids have significant sensory issues, which include not wanting ear plugs in their ears. One thing that has really helped is using a combination of Sunglasses (yes, even on rides-the bright flashing lights really freak them out), a hat with a brim, earphones that go around the ear(in the hunting supplies at Walmart). This combo seems to decrease the sensory input to where they can handle it. We also have and use Pal Mickey. I think my DS likes the security of holding something, and loves when Mickey vibrates to let him know he has something to say. Yes, it's annoying to keep track of, but I will try anything that can make our stay a little more magical and put off a meltdown. Nicole Oh, and we use the alternate entrance and keep them between us all the time to reduce stress from a crowd pressing in on them - not so great w/ tactile either.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

My daughter bought her Pal Mickey over a year ago and while it is annoying as heck, it is truly wonderful for her! He 'talks' to her, tells jokes, plays games, and my DD is always excited when he starts 'shaking' when he has something to say. She's always amazed that Mickey knows where in the World she is and it makes her feel like he's really 'real'.

We were in the Haunted Mansion in December and my DD said she'd be 'brave' and try it. At a certain point in the ride that was a big scary, Mickey vibrated and told her, "Gosh, this part sure is scary!" And at the end of the ride Pal Mickey have her a verbal 'high five' for being so brave.

We've gotten our $65 worth out of this annoying little toy that neither of us can live without now.

 

[lilmissdisney216]

I found Pal Mickey to be very amusing and very helpful. When Test Track broke down, he let me know when the ride was back online and he also told me how long the wait was. This really helped out (seeing as I didn't feel like running back and forth to the digital board to check the wait times). I also found out some cool little factoids about Disney that I didn't know (Mickey gave me hints about hidden mickeys and also told corny jokes btu they were a bit funny). In other words, I'm nineteen years old and I love Pal Mickey. I think he was totally worth the 65 dollars and I will definately take him back to WDW when I go visit again this June.

Meredith

 

[Kaler131]

My DS4 LOVES Mickey, but he was only somewhat interested in Pal Mickey. He got really tired of carrying him around, so either he was in my backpack or left in the room.