Planning our first Disney trip, looking for autism tips

[DisFun45]

I don't know if all of your children like the same rides, but I have read that you can use rider swap in conjunction with DAS/Fastpass. I'll be trying this in a couple of weeks myself.

 

[gap2368]

I don't know if all of your children like the same rides, but I have read that you can use rider swap in conjunction with DAS/Fastpass. I'll be trying this in a couple of weeks myself.

You can use rider swap for any ride where someone is too short to ride the person with the DAS must ride to use it if you have someone with a DAS that is tall enough to ride and someone that is too short then you can use rider swap

 

[bopper]

3. Take full days off during the week. Again, I don't know how long you are going for, but our rule is never to have more than 2 days in a row at amusement parks. Now, "full day off" doesn't really mean that. We might go to one of the water parks for a few hours, or go hang out in Disney Springs for a couple hours, or even eat in one of the parks for dinner, but no long lines and no amusement rides. The main point is we have a nice, lazy morning and usually an early evening on these days off such that we rest-up.

My kids don't have autism and we have to take a day off (as you specify) after two full park days too.

 

[MisterPP]

My daughter has very very mild autistic tendencies. She did well with making her a 'bubble' in lines. One of us would stand forward and one of us would stand back and leave her a big space in the line (even when cast members were screaming to close gaps). Whenever possible we would let her move out of line and sit down or stand away from the line crowds.

 

[jvz82]

Thanks for the post, good information here! My 6 year old also has autism. We went to Disney when he was 4, before he was diagnosed, and had many challenging experiences. We want to be better prepared for our next trip.

I have a question for those saying "stroller tagged as a wheelchair". What do you all mean by that? Like it can be brought into lines or something?

 

[lanejudy]

I have a question for those saying "stroller tagged as a wheelchair". What do you all mean by that? Like it can be brought into lines or something?

Yes, exactly. You would need to stop by Guest Relations to get the tag, explain how using the stroller in lines will help your son.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[sharadoc]

First of all let me say - WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

We took our DS to WDW first time in 2009, he was 14. He has difficulty waiting for anything, jumps and moves around ALL THE TIME, and inappropriately wants to grab other people's stuff. We took it slow, we didn't force him to do anything or push him onto anything. We let him look and decide.

We encouraged speech by asking him what he wanted. When he answered, we would do it.

There are handicap family bathrooms that are private rooms. My DH takes him into those because he has trouble as well in the bathroom. It is private. Search Handicap or Family Bathrooms at WDW and you can find a list of their locations.

As far as behavior, don't worry about it! My DS had a full blown upset meltdown in the middle of a pathway between Tomorrowland and the Castle. All I cared about was helping him, who gives a crap what other people think. If it would happen where he would be blocking access to something, or interrupting a show, we would physically pick him up and move him, but luckily that hasn't happened yet.

The primary thing I want you to realize is how much the Cast Members and especially the Characters "get it." Here's one story. Shawn has fallen in love with Chip and Dale. He loves visiting them, seeing them, etc. They are his absolute favorite. In the old days when Characterpalooza happened in the Animation Building at DHS, we saw Chip and Dale and he immediately got in line to see them. Understand, he is not the most touchy-feely kid when it comes to strangers, so this was amazing. He put out his arm and ran to Dale and started kissing him on the nose. Dale started hugging him back and letting him kiss him on the nose and head. Then Dale took him by the hand over to Chip and the two of them hugged and kissed and spent as much time with him until Shawn backed off. Had to be about 10 minutes, they just let him hug and love because they recognized his disability (and also saw Mom crying like a baby watching it all).

At a character breakfast, Goofy pointed to Shawn and then touched his own arm, basically asking if he could touch him in pantomime.

My advice, don't stress about having to go on everything. You can have a great time with watching shows, parades, and going on whatever your twins feel comfortable on.

Feel free to ask questions. Happy to answer!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Hi! I'm a 20 year old with high functioning autism. Here are some tips:

Where are you guys staying? As everyone said, if you are staying off-site, you can make your FP+ (you'll get 3 a day) 30 days before where as if your on site, you can do it 60 days prior

Like everyone said, get the DAS and take breaks

Here's some more info on the DAS:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/wd...15-digital-das-on-tickets-magicbands.3178976/

 

[Treysar]

Thanks @WDWJonasGirl! We are staying at the Contemporary resort. We chose this for a few reasons. One, because the train runs through the building. My kids will LOVE that, and the access to the parks seems to be faster that way. Two, my sons are obsesssed with the Disney Castle. They love to watch the beginning of disney movies just to see the part with the castle. Did you know every movie has a scene with the castle but it's always a little different? They are particularly interested in this aspect as well as the logo. The room we have chosen allows us to view the castle and even allows us to watch the fireworks from our window. Another favorite - Fireworks. However staying out late is hard for all 3 of my kids, so being able to see the firewrks from our quiet room, away from crowds, sounds appealing to me.

Hi! I'm a 20 year old with high functioning autism. Here are some tips:

Where are you guys staying? As everyone said, if you are staying off-site, you can make your FP+ (you'll get 3 a day) 30 days before where as if your on site, you can do it 60 days prior

Like everyone said, get the DAS and take breaks

Here's some more info on the DAS:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/wd...15-digital-das-on-tickets-magicbands.3178976/

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

How fun! I use my iPod during the fireworks or try to go on a ride with a short wait which works for me. I've never stayed at the Contemporary but I love how close it is

 

[Natalie Chapman]

The DAS has worked wonders for us, even though we had really enjoyed the GAC in past years. I have twins as well, one on the mild end of the spectrum and 1 who is recovering from autoimmune encephalitis and has many autistic symptoms. They are 6.
First a word of encouragement - with solid planning, Disney can be an exceptional vacation for families who deal with neuro issues! It is our favorite family place to go, and we really feel more "typical" there than anywhere else.
Secondly, it can be overstimulating and tiring for ANYone. You won't be able to do or see it all, so don't ruin your enjoyment by trying. Honestly, it's a pricey vacation and people often want to squeeze all of their money's worth out of it - but the problem is that they end up squeezing the fun out too.
Following is a list of things that help us. Obviously all families are different, so take whatever might work for you and have a super magical time!
-If possible, plan on going at a less crowded time. Crowd prediction calendars are readily available and pretty darn accurate.
-Study all of the park maps, and really familiarize yourself with the lay of the land.
-Develop a touring plan that takes advantage of shorter waits by enjoying the attractions in a certain order, and prebook your fastpasses.
-Go the parks early! Aim for being at the gates 15-30 minutes before rope drop, which means you must take into account travel time to the park, parking or bus drop, walking to the gate, etc.
-Consider driving to parks so that you can exit as needed with less crowd issues.
-Get your DAS card and a stroller as wheelchair tag as soon as you get to the park. Ask a cast member to show you to the location.
-Before leaving for your trip, ask your doctor for a handicap placard for your car, allowing closer parking.
-Don't be afraid to take a break - the park's are usually most crowded in the period after lunch to before dinner so 1-4 is a great time slot for breaks.
-Pack a survival kit - include lots of favorite snacks and drinks in individual portions, reinforcers, fidget toys, comfort item, bandaids, ziploc baggies, change of clothes, and the like.
-Bring ipod or device that will play favorite movies or games, and headphones.
-Take a photo of your kids each day when you unload in the parking lots. That way if one gets lost, you can show the CMs the photo.
-Use character dining and let the characters handler know that your kids have needs before the interaction begins.
-Go to the second parade - it's much less crowded.
-Consider showering during your break and have PJs in the car.

 

[DisneyOma]

Thanks @WDWJonasGirl! We are staying at the Contemporary resort. We chose this for a few reasons. One, because the train runs through the building. My kids will LOVE that, and the access to the parks seems to be faster that way. Two, my sons are obsesssed with the Disney Castle. They love to watch the beginning of disney movies just to see the part with the castle. Did you know every movie has a scene with the castle but it's always a little different? They are particularly interested in this aspect as well as the logo. The room we have chosen allows us to view the castle and even allows us to watch the fireworks from our window. Another favorite - Fireworks. However staying out late is hard for all 3 of my kids, so being able to see the firewrks from our quiet room, away from crowds, sounds appealing to me.

"Tower - theme park view" should get you a good view for the most part, depending on the room. Also, you might want to bring some kind of back-up lock for the balcony door?

Any chance you could bring another adult so you are not outnumbered by the children? That way, one child doesn't have to ride alone so much, and you'd have a helper in case you needed to take just one child back to the room.

 

[Treysar]

"Tower - theme park view" should get you a good view for the most part, depending on the room. Also, you might want to bring some kind of back-up lock for the balcony door?

Any chance you could bring another adult so you are not outnumbered by the children? That way, one child doesn't have to ride alone so much, and you'd have a helper in case you needed to take just one child back to the room.

GREAT IDEA about the dor lock! Thank you!

I get the feelnig that my 8 year old will be riding alone most of the time. We will probably have a day that she goes with me to do a princess breakfast or smething and hte boys will stay with my husband.
I considered using Autism On The Seas for Disney to have an extra person, but it didnt work out on the timing. We went on a cruise with them and it was quite amazing!

 

[bopper]

3. Take full days off during the week. Again, I don't know how long you are going for, but our rule is never to have more than 2 days in a row at amusement parks. Now, "full day off" doesn't really mean that. We might go to one of the water parks for a few hours, or go hang out in Disney Springs for a couple hours, or even eat in one of the parks for dinner, but no long lines and no amusement rides. The main point is we have a nice, lazy morning and usually an early evening on these days off such that we rest-up.

I have neurotypical older children and still find this to be necessary!

 

[Treysar]

I'm hoping that when discounts come out I will be able to add a day to my trip so we can have a "rest" day.