Questions for a 4 year old

[tmk0730]

Hi Everyone! This is my first time posting in these forums. I recently ventured in here and everything has been so helpful. Thank you for all of the great info in here!

So my 4 year old son has developmental delays and is possibly on the spectrum. (We are still in the process of having him tested) He struggles with large crowds and gets very hyper and or defiant when he doesn't know what to do with his emotions. I am in no way trying to break any rules and if the following things aren't possible I'm totally ok with that. So here are my questions:

1 - I've read that sometimes there is a quite place to wait in lines? How often is this available? Is it ever a possibility that I could wait in the line and my husband brings our son to me closer to getting on the ride? Any other ideas?

2 - My son is still not fully potty trained. Is it ok for a child his age to use the baby care centers? He will be 4 1/2 on our next trip and just over 5 on the trip after that.

3 - When eating in restaurants he would do MUCH better if we sat in a quite corner as opposed to the middle of the room. Is there any way to request this?

Any other tips or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

 

[livndisney]

Hi Everyone! This is my first time posting in these forums. I recently ventured in here and everything has been so helpful. Thank you for all of the great info in here!

So my 4 year old son has developmental delays and is possibly on the spectrum. (We are still in the process of having him tested) He struggles with large crowds and gets very hyper and or defiant when he doesn't know what to do with his emotions. I am in no way trying to break any rules and if the following things aren't possible I'm totally ok with that. So here are my questions:

1 - I've read that sometimes there is a quite place to wait in lines? How often is this available? Is it ever a possibility that I could wait in the line and my husband brings our son to me closer to getting on the ride? Any other ideas?

2 - My son is still not fully potty trained. Is it ok for a child his age to use the baby care centers? He will be 4 1/2 on our next trip and just over 5 on the trip after that.

3 - When eating in restaurants he would do MUCH better if we sat in a quite corner as opposed to the middle of the room. Is there any way to request this?

Any other tips or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

1) Not many rides have a quiet place to wait and most lines make it impossible to have your husband wait in line and then pass your son to him. Lines weave back and forth and enter buildings. Your best bet may be using a tourguide service like the one mentioned on here often (can't think of the name right now-but someone with chime in with it). You can also make good use of fastpass to minimize time in lines.

2)You should not have a problem using the babycare centers.

3)When you arrive at a table service location just explain what you need when you check in. You may have to wait a little longer for a table that meets you needs, but they will most likely try to help as much as they can.

 

[tmk0730]

Thank you so much for your reply. All good to know. The me waiting in line and then having my son join me makes total sense. I wasn't even thinking about the buildings/weaving etc....

How about with characters though where it would be easier for my son to join me in line towards the end? Would that be frowned upon? I don't like to ruffle feathers, but want my son to have a wonderful experience at the same time. Thanks!

 

[bookwormde]

When we have needed a quite out of the way place to wait (DS wit Aspergers) I have almost allways found that the CMs are creative and find an appropriate accomodation.

IF your child is sensory definsive and like to "cacoon" some families have found that their children do when when remaining in the stroller while in line which is ok if you get it tagged as a wheelchair.

For characters just approach the "handler" and expain the situation, again they are great in how they make the experiance accessable for our kids, plus if gives them a chance to breif the character so the child can have the best possible experiance.

bookwormde

 

[tmk0730]

When we have needed a quite out of the way place to wait (DS wit Aspergers) I have almost allways found that the CMs are creative and find an appropriate accomidation.

IF your child is sensory definsive and like to "cacoon" some families have found that their children do when when remaining in the stroller while in line which is ok if you get it tagged as a wheelchair.

For characters just approach the "handler" adn expain the situation, again they are great in how they make the experiance accessable for our kids, plus if gives them a chance to breif the character so the child can have the best possible experiance.

bookwormde

Great info! Thank you so much!

 

[JACH1976]

When you arrive, go to guest services and request a Guest Assistance Card (GAC), outlining what your child needs. One of the stickies at the top of the thread goes into quite a bit of detail explaining what the GAC is and who it is suitable for. Good luck and enjoy your trip

 

[Cheshire Figment]

To drop off a child at the Child Care Centers the child must be at least four years old and potty trained.

 

[lovethattink]

Hi Everyone! This is my first time posting in these forums. I recently ventured in here and everything has been so helpful. Thank you for all of the great info in here!

So my 4 year old son has developmental delays and is possibly on the spectrum. (We are still in the process of having him tested) He struggles with large crowds and gets very hyper and or defiant when he doesn't know what to do with his emotions. I am in no way trying to break any rules and if the following things aren't possible I'm totally ok with that. So here are my questions:

1 - I've read that sometimes there is a quite place to wait in lines? How often is this available? Is it ever a possibility that I could wait in the line and my husband brings our son to me closer to getting on the ride? Any other ideas?

2 - My son is still not fully potty trained. Is it ok for a child his age to use the baby care centers? He will be 4 1/2 on our next trip and just over 5 on the trip after that.

3 - When eating in restaurants he would do MUCH better if we sat in a quite corner as opposed to the middle of the room. Is there any way to request this?

Any other tips or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

1. Most of the attractions that have an alternate entrance use the fast pass entrance. So they are not quiet and not crowd free. On Saturday, we were at Epcot. My son became overstimulated while waiting for the rest of our party to join us. I was able to sit on the bench and rock him, brush him, and do joint compressions. We got a sticker from guest services to use the stroller as a wheelchair. When he is overstimulated, the reclined stroller with the shade pulled down is his little sanctuary. With that sticker, the stroller can be brought into the lines with us. It especially helps us in the fact that he is a runner when he is scared.

2. Baby care centers and companion restrooms should be fine.

3. Be sure to research a restaurant before you choose it. Many have all kinds of stimuli, be it lights, noise, etc.

 

[lovethattink]

To drop off a child at the Child Care Centers the child must be at least four years old and potty trained.

Oh! I assumed the OP was talking about the baby care centers near first aid. But that's true, the child would not be able to do the Neverland Club or the others.

 

[livndisney]

Oh! I assumed the OP was talking about the baby care centers near first aid. But that's true, the child would not be able to do the Neverland Club or the others.

The OP did say Baby Care Centers.

 

[livndisney]

To drop off a child at the Child Care Centers the child must be at least four years old and potty trained.

It seems Disney changed this recently and now accepts 3 year olds.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/kids-activities/

The potty trained part may have changed as well, it is not listed on the website.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

It seems Disney changed this recently and now accepts 3 year olds.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/kids-activities/

The potty trained part may have changed as well, it is not listed on the website.

You seem to be correct. I have gone into The Hub and see where the centers now take children 3 thru 12 and there seems to be no published requirement for potty trained.

 

[Ambassador]

With regards to dining, it may be best if you can go at off-hours, earlier or later than the crowds. You can make special dietary requests in advance if needed.

Fast Pass is the way to go, but also have a GAC in hand. Some rides like Mickey's Philharmagic were unbearable for us, with its loudness and in-your-face 3D effects. Attractions like the trains in Germany have given many happy hours. We have carried small distractions like finger-puppets and bubbles to make waits tolerable. But sometimes you just have to walk way cheerfully and move on to something better. Check out Tom Sawyer Island and Swiss Family Treehouse. Century of Progress is a favorite ride.