Pin trading with ASD kids

[disneynewman]

Just wondering if anyone has done this with young ASD kids. My DS will be 5 1/2 our next trip and I think it's a great idea but no sure but not sure if he will get into it....

 

[mrmagicmph]

I've not dealt with ASD kids, so I can't directly answer this, but I do have one word of advice. IF you do decide to go ahead with it, may I suggest that one of the first (or perhaps THE first) person that you trade with would be Art, the Greeter, at the Beach Club? He is one of the most magical people at WDW, he's a true living Disney treasure, and without a shadow of a doubt, one of the nicest gentlemen I've ever met in my life.

He does a WONDERFUL job of making everyone feel special. He just about always has both a Yellow (trade with everyone) & a Green (trade just with kids) lanyard on, and is EXTREMELY patient. I have no doubt that he'll be as patient and nonthreatening as you could ever wish for for your son's first trade.

For more information about this magical man, & so you can see a picture of him so you'll recognize him (though, trust me, he will definitely say hi if he sees you & your son, without question), check out this thread: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1454184 Also, if you don't see Art when you go there, ask at the front desk, they'll let you know if he's around & ask him to come by if he possibly can. Or, call WDW-INFO (or from any on-property hotel, dial 0) and ask them to check if Art, the Greeter at the Beach Club is working, before you even head over. Trust me, it WILL be worth it, even if you don't try pin trading, but just want someone to make you & your son feel special.

Enjoy the Magic, as embodied in Art, the Greeter, or as my wife & I think of him, the Grand Admiral of the Beach Club!

 

[SueM in MN]

Good suggestions, mrmagicmph. I've heard about Art before, but you gae him a really nice write up.

There was a thread a couple years ago about kids with ASD doing pin trading.

One of the suggestions I remember was to make a rule that your child only trade with CMs. Someone had posted that their child was taken advantage of by another older child. It's much safer to trade with CMs.
The other thing is to make sure that the child has a good understanding of what making a 'trade' means. Some 5 yr olds without ASDs aren't really clear that trading means you give something up to get something else.

 

[brergnat]

I have a 3 year old son with autism and I have to agree that the MOST important thing is to make sure you explain the concept of TRADING and make sure it is something your DS would be interested in doing. My son, for example, would have a FIT if I tried to explain pin trading to him, since it means he has to give away something that belongs to HIM. He is very territorial of his possessions and I just don't think Pin Trading will be something we get into for a LONG time, if ever, with him.

If your child is into the idea, I have heard that Pin Trading is a wonderful social exercise for autistic kids. I would introduce the idea, and have him "practice" around the house with you. When he wants a treat, for example, make him "trade" you for it. Sometimes, make him give up something he likes to get something he likes even MORE. That's the whole idea of pin trading.

Good luck!

 

[MousekaMaddi]

Brergnat! Great analagy,,,I love it, very well said!!Thanx

 

[pcparamedics01]

Just wondering if anyone has done this with young ASD kids. My DS will be 5 1/2 our next trip and I think it's a great idea but no sure but not sure if he will get into it....

I have a high functioning ASD Child 9. He was not interested in that at all. However, you know how every ASD child is so different. I would try it and see! Good luck.

 

[dzorn]

We got some pins for DD to trade this year. Oldest dd 8 had autism I thought it would be a good thing for her so of course youngest wants to trade too. Got so nice pins on ebay but DD likes all of them so we are still working on the trading concept hopefully she will get the hang of it. She really has a preference for certain character so I think she will get the hang of it.

Denise in MI

 

[disneynewman]

We got some pins for DD to trade this year. Oldest dd 8 had autism I thought it would be a good thing for her so of course youngest wants to trade too. Got so nice pins on ebay but DD likes all of them so we are still working on the trading concept hopefully she will get the hang of it. She really has a preference for certain character so I think she will get the hang of it.

Denise in MI

Oh ebay! I hadn't thought of buying them there ahead of time
I know my DD will want to do it to beacuse she has to do everything her big brother does so many now I will buy some on ebay and start at home. Please let me know how it goes in the parks for your dd

Christine

 

[bopper]

Yes, it is much more cost effective to buy pins (make sure they are official Disney Pins) on ebay. Try to get ones that you don't think your child would like.

 

[PinballFamily]

Great thread and tips - especially from you, brergnat!

Our little ASD family does trade, but only with CMs - I don't even know if my kids know that they could trade with anyone else. Not telling them, either. Bought cheap pin lots on ebay with great success - pinseller.com and pinfinder.com were two we used.

Another tip we've used successfully is to get more than one of the same pin (very cheaply) mostly from the Monday sales on disneyshopping.com. (But the deals lately pale in comparison to the ones from months ago...) For ASD kids like ours, trading a pin you already have another one of seems MUCH easier than trading away a single one you may never see again.

 

[disneynewbeemom]

I think this is an awesome hobby, and as a special education teacher I think pin trading would be a great communication building activity for your child with autism or a speech/language impairment. I would recommend role playing this before arriving in WDW. You might also want to buy pins that you know your child will not like, so therefore he/she will want to trade. I always buy my boys princess pins to encourage trading. Good luck!