Quiet areas

[Junipergk]

I will be going back to DW in Sept with my DS. He has high functioning ASD. He has does very well with the queues in the past few trips, so I don't think I will need to use a GAC for that.
My question is, does WDW have non-ride related quiet areas in case of a melt-down with my son? We had a problem last trip (I didn't know about the GAC) where my husband had to carry him out of Epcot from Great Britain. If we can't get him to a quiet spot quickly, he winds up having issue for the entire day.
If there had been a quiet spot I could have taken him until he calmed down, it would have avoided the trauma for my son. I could have calmed him down, and left the park without incident to take him back to the hotel.

 

[Piper]

First Aid might fit the bill. I don't know for sure, but they do have some rooms. You would have to ask, but they are available at all the parks.

 

[SueM in MN]

It sounds like what you are looking for is a list of quiet spots in each area of each park?

That will vary sometimes, depending on how busy/crowded the park is, but there are some general spots.
First Aid is good, but may not always be close.
At Epcot in Great Britain, the closest ould be to head back toward France. Instead of turning left to go over the bridge to France, go straight down the hill toward the shop you can see. Tht area is usually fairly quiet and may be enough, but also leads to the walkway that goes out of the park to the Boardwalk.

If you can help us a little more with what types of things you are looking for in a quiet pot, I'm sure we can come up with a list of places that might work.

 

[Junipergk]

It needs to be a place where he can scream and thrash if he needs to. A place I can contain him to keep him safe and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else.

Sometimes the episodes get so bad that we have to restrain him by laying him in the ground and "hugging it out". I put him in a bear hug on the ground until he comes back from the melt down.

I'm concerned because over the last year the meltdowns have become worse, not more frequent. He is 10 now and he is very strong. I am afraid he may get hurt himself or Hirt my husband or myself if we have to Try to carry him out of the park again

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

There are a lot of out of the way places, however, except for first aid and the baby care centers, there won't be places where you will be guaranteed privacy. There is always the chance someone will walk by, especially if they hear a child screaming or thrashing and think sonething is wrong.

Depending on how loud he gets, I wouldn't recommend the baby care centers. If he is loud enough to be heard through doors and walls it might be disruptive to the other parents using the baby care centers to nurse. I'm not sure how much soundproofing they have there.

Good luck OP. hopefully you can figure out something to get his episodes back down to a manageable level.

 

[livndisney]

It needs to be a place where he can scream and thrash if he needs to. A place I can contain him to keep him safe and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else.

Sometimes the episodes get so bad that we have to restrain him by laying him in the ground and "hugging it out". I put him in a bear hug on the ground until he comes back from the melt down.

I'm concerned because over the last year the meltdowns have become worse, not more frequent. He is 10 now and he is very strong. I am afraid he may get hurt himself or Hirt my husband or myself if we have to Try to carry him out of the park again

I can't think of a place where he could scream and thrash and not draw attention. We just witnessed a meltdown at Epcot where security was called.

I am not even sure FA would work since he could get out of a curtained area and screaming from a treatment room would draw attention and disturb others. Since it is a "treatment room" I don't know how easy it would be to keep him safe-lots of metal, and hard objects.

Can you stave off the meltdown by removing him from the "issue"?

 

[lanejudy]

This isn't exactly an answer to OP's specific question...but in my experience the best way to deal with a meltdown is prevention. Know his triggers. In WDW, be extra vigilant in observing him for such. Is he hot? Tired? Thirsty or hungry? Bored? Needs more activity? Needs less stimulation? Plan your days based on his normal needs - eat and sleep at the usual times. If he doesn't do well at the local mall or crowded street festival, then expect to spend short periods of time at the parks - at least until you see how he copes. Since this is your second trip - use that 20/20 hindsight from the previous trip - what was it that set him off? Is that avoidable?

I recognize that not all meltdowns are avoidable, but in hindsight most had "telling" signs. Hope this helps!

 

[KPeveler]

I can't think of a place where he could scream and thrash and not draw attention. We just witnessed a meltdown at Epcot where security was called.

I am not even sure FA would work since he could get out of a curtained area and screaming from a treatment room would draw attention and disturb others. Since it is a "treatment room" I don't know how easy it would be to keep him safe-lots of metal, and hard objects.

Can you stave off the meltdown by removing him from the "issue"?

Also, the others in First Aid went there to have a quiet place, sometimes other people on the spectrum who could be triggered by him thrashing and screaming. My experience in First Aid is that the nurses even tell people to quiet their talking because it is meant to be a quiet place.

Definitely not the Baby Care center - among other things, he is too big.

And I can guarantee there is no where in the parks where you wrestling him into a bear hug and having to literally pin him down until he has calmed down will not attract attention. If I did not know the situation, I would call Security.

You say hi is getting bigger, and at 10, he is big enough that if he were trying to get away from you when you were trying to pin him down, he could seriously hurt others.

What do you do the rest of your lives? Does he go to school? I know of very few schools that would be able to or okay with pinning a child down while in meltdown. And this is obviously not a tactic that works, and it cannot continue forever - he is going to be too big for this soon. Does he ever leave the house? Because if you have to do this in public, I am surprised the police and/or CPS has not been called.

What are some of his triggers? What is it that calms him down? Does he just have to scream it out? Or does your weight make him feel better? What things help him calm down before you have to tackle him to the ground?

Would a safe way of restraining him help? What about a special needs stroller with a 5-point harness? He could thrash all he wanted, but as long as you kept him from getting out of the straps, he would be in a safe spot and could not hurt himself or others. Then you could just help hold his arms and legs.

Is he verbal or communicate? Can he tell you afterwards why he was set off so severely?

But really, I cannot think of a place in Disney you can go that not only his melt down but your control of him would not draw stares, possibly Security.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I hate saying this, but when you were at the UK Pavilion you had one of the best "quiet" areas right there. Behind some of the stores is a park area that has almost nobody, and there are bushes, benches and grass. It is only used for shows once in a while.

 

[FortForever]

Would a safe way of restraining him help? What about a special needs stroller with a 5-point harness? He could thrash all he wanted, but as long as you kept him from getting out of the straps, he would be in a safe spot and could not hurt himself or others. Then you could just help hold his arms and legs.

That would be my thought as well. A personal space that is a comfort for him. I've read of others using noise canceling headphones as well to cut down stimuli.

There are just very few quiet spaces at WDW, and chances of being near one when you need it are slight. Best to create and bring along your own space ... a special needs stroller or wheelchair of some kind.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

There are some less frequently traveled/congested areas in all the parks, but it sounds like you need to be able to get there within moments which is more difficult. I'd keep my eye out as you tour for spots that you could use if needed that are at least out of the main crowd.

I agree with the pp that said to reduce his triggers as much as possible (which of course I know you already do ).

I wouldn't worry about people staring or watching aside from the fact if your ds notices it may upset him even more.

 

[livndisney]

I hate saying this, but when you were at the UK Pavilion you had one of the best "quiet" areas right there. Behind some of the stores is a park area that has almost nobody, and there are bushes, benches and grass. It is only used for shows once in a while.

I am not sure about "once in a while" if you mean the area where British Revolution preforms-they have shows all afternoon everyday but Wednesday/Thursday.

"Sunday-Tuesday, Friday & Saturday at 3:00, 4:30, 5:45, 7:00 & 8:00pm
Length of show: 20 minutes"

http://www.wdwent.com/index.htm

 

[mistysue]

This is probably going to be a particularly difficult need to meet because your reason for needing the space, contradicts your use of it.
I was also thinking the first aid or babycare centers just because they tend to be calm and quiet- but you are heading there so he can make noise and thrash about a bit- meaning that it is no longer calm and quiet. The space would now be useless for all the other people who also need it.
So even if such a place existed, if ONE other person needed the space for the same reason on the same day, it is no longer of any use. This need would really only be met if Disney had a series of private rooms scattered around available at any moment for anybody who just needed a room for a bit... The closest you may get outside of a hotel would probably be a bathroom, unless he is too physical to be safe there. How long would he generally need the space for? Because putting the bathroom out of commission for long could create some other issues.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I can only think what happens if he has a meltdown during a ride? On something like Great Movie Ride there'd be people all around that would be effected and possibly in harms way if he starts thrashing...and on pretty much any other ride there'd be no way to restrain him or stop him from hurting himself or anyone who's riding with him. If I were watching the cameras on the ride and saw him doing that I'd probably shut the ride down thinking he was having a seizure or something like that.

You don't say what causes the meltdowns But I really agree with what everyone so far has posted. There really isn't any place that would be appropriate for physically restraining a 10 year old.

 

[Disneylvr]

How long do his tantrums last? My DD with ASD (she is lower functioning & non-verbal) does occasionally have similar tantrums and moments of aggression. They tend to happen more during non-preferred activities and not so much at Disney but they can still occur there. Our saving grace is her special needs stroller. It is her "quiet area" to escape to when her sensory systems are overloaded. We can strap her in and wheel her to a less busy area so she cannot harm anyone else. My DD is also 10 and very tall her for her but she can still fit her Maclaren Major stroller thankfully. Soon we will probably start getting her a wheelchair. Maybe renting one for your son to use, just during the times when he is overwhelmed and not able to control his behavior?

 

[TRICKY_TINK]

I think you need to think real hard on what triggered him last trip. I know you feel the lines were manageable but that doesn't mean going from one 30min wait to another 30min over and over didn't set him off. My Son would also appear to be "dealing" with the lines too. Until he just wasn't anymore . I will suggest you get the gac pass and do what I do. Use it right a way on a favorite ride for him (long line ride) then wait for a short line ride and keep switching like that. I keep a Ziploc of small hand on type things for him. I.E. hot wheels to race up and down rails, few lego mini figs to play out a scene with his brother, small metal object puzzles from cracker barrel. I don't suggest a game system cause they tend to only focus on that and the world is lost to them. My kid is very high functioning and also in gifted classes but if he melts down it's like watching a 2 yr old who just had candy taken from them. People stare at us and it's uncomfortable. He is 8yrs old almost 9. He knows the gac pass is for him and he can become a little "in your face" over it. That is why I have told him it only works on lines over 30 minutes and not back to back. This does two things for us prevents him from going on space mountain over and over all day and forces him to wait in line for something so he can work on his patience with the world around him. Hope that helps. Also take lots of shady bench rests. We call them "people watching" also in MK park the people mover is a must we ride 4x a day just to get that sit down time with a drink and some popcorn. My Son also like to be in charge of the camera, so he has his own and that has helped too. We have not had a serious melt down in a park for a few years.

 

[Disney_Fanatic25]

My son is high functioning ASD and is 10 as well and this past year his tantrums have become more aggressive. I have found that reducing the stimuli with regular breaks and I carry headphones if the noise is going to be too much. Taking a break back to the hotel for some downtime also works well to stop tantrums from happening. Also if something is going to go on that will cause a meltdown and I know it before hand I try to tell him before hand. He meltsdown usually if he has had too much stimulation or he has to do something he doesn't want to. In the case of something he doesn't want to do I try to give him a choice so he feels like he has some say. I agree with trying to figure out his triggers and work around that. I feel for you I have been that mom that has to drag her son kicking and screaming out of a place while people stare.