Recommendations on dealing with characters (PDD)

[HayGan]

My DS4 is diagnosed as PDD-NOS. We are going to Disney in December. He doesn't have a problem with crowds but people in costumes absolutely terrrify him. We have been watching the videos to get him ready and he insists that he is going to hug Mickey and give Cinderella a kiss but I really have my doubts. I would just try to avoid the characters but our DS3 absolutely loves characters. He is the type that will push the kids out of the way just to give a big mouse (or any other character) a hug. So we have to find some sort of compromise. BTW, DS#1 doesn't like DS#2 to go anywhere near the characters either.

Any suggestions on how we may help our older son a little more comfortable with the characters (since they aren't exactly something you see everyday)?

Thanks!

 

[Ambassador]

Consistent, persistent reinforcement works well for any behavior modification. The videos are a good idea. Maybe you can role-play the situation, in both instances of his greeting the characters and allowing his brother to greet in his way. Maybe you can find an adult costume on disney.com (like Pooh), so that he may get used to people in costume, and the adult-size scale.

Perhaps you can have an alternative activity for him while his brother is doing his greet-and-hug, like bubbles or a favorite toy.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Here is a link to an earlier thread which might answer some of your questions.

 

[Nik's Mom]

My DS was the same way at first. We found that Character meals worked well. They Characters could see he wasn't comfortable, so they just waved and blew kisses. They went over to my other DS for picture taking. Sometimes my autistic/pdd DS would come over when he saw his brother being brave.
By the way, My son now loves the characters!

 

[Poohnatic]

I find that the character meals work wonderfully. You can wave them off the characters if you are having problems. The restaurants are usually a quieter, less chaotic enviornment as compared to meeting the characters out in the parks. If you do go the character meal route, the smaller ones are a great start-like Garden Grill. or 'Ohana. We're able to do the one at Chef Mickey's without any trouble, but this really depends on the degree of sensitivites your child has, as the dining room can get rather loud. Sounds echo quite a bit there, due to the open atrium and monorail going by overhead.

Another thought is that it has been great to seek out the princesses and other face characters for my son's benefit. He gets to talk to the character and without fail, the face characters take the time with my son(He has Asperger's and a host of other issues). We role played with my son while waiting in line and suggested he find out what snow white's favorite color was so that she could sign his autograph book in her favorite color. It was great, he had a conversational cue and it started a great two way interaction. BTW, her favorite color is blue!

What probably helped in our situation is that I'm just as nuts about meeting the characters as my younger son. The two of us model a lot of behavior for the older son. He'll frequently lag behind the two of us, then once we've had our turn, he's comfortable enough to approach for himself w/o prompting.

Good luck...a little planning will go a long way to get your son to enjoy meeting the characters!

Suzanne

 

[Michigan]

You might want to try going to Downtown Disney and having his picture taken with Mickey. It's just you and Mickey in a room. My oldest daughter was really scared of anyone in a costume and we were in the Matel store when a CM asked her if she had been to see Mickey yet I told them she was afraid but was going to try the next day. Two CM's looked at each other and said come with me, they granted her a magical moment and paid for picture of her and Mickey together. In the picture she looks scared to death and had her hands on her wheelchair ready to roll out of there but after the picture my Mom took her hand and put it in Mickey's and from that moment on she loved the characters.

 

[Earstou]

A great tip for a character meal I got here was to get a booth, and put your child on the inside, up against the wall, with you on the outside. That puts you as a buffer between the child and the character, and limits the interaction.
We did this first with my DS, and it worked great.

 

[Figment1964]

How about writing a social story about meeting characters? I know they work wonderfully with my son, who is 11. My son feels more empowered when he has rehearsed it in his mind and can repeatedly return to the story to see how it all works together.

 

[leise]

My son has autism, and when we went to WDW when he was 3 , he was terrified of the characters. He would scream if he spotted one 50 yards away. So we avaided them but just took him closer, either carrying him or in the stroller, with ones we knew he liked, such as Baloo or Winnie the Pooh. Gradually he relaxed and stopped protesting, and wanted to go and see the characters he liked. As there would be no way he would queue, we just stood nearby, letting him have a look for as long as he liked, but not actually meeting them . The out of the blue he saw WTP and Tigger through the windows of the Crystal Palace, and wanted to go in. So we booked a character meal there and it was great. At first he was nervous of the characters, but they seem to cotton on quite quickly that he's not too keen , and they wave and wait for him to approach them . Eventually he was doing this, and bounced with Tigger and danced with Eeyore. He needed a bit more time than you'd get in the parks to approach them and feel comfortable. The character meals are great as they do let the kids take their time, and the characters seem to be really sensitive to individual children's needs. You can always tell the waitress or the characters minder that your son needs to take his time and be allowed to approach them.

We went again this Christmas, and DS (now 5) was much more relaxed. He even queued to meet Baloo in MK, though when he got to the front he wouldn't approach him, just stood and grinned. But that was great!

 

[SueM in MN]

Lots of good hints.
We have found most of the same things others mentioned worked for us over the years.
The face characters (those without huge costumes) were a lot less intimidating for our DD. So, they are a good place to start.
Also, the character meals were great. I think it helps DD to be able to see the progress of the characters going thru the room. You also have all the social modeling of all the other children who are meeting the characters.

There is a room like Michigan mentioned with a "meet and greet" for Mickey at the Studio. That might be worth checking out.

 

[HayGan]

Thanks for all the great info! I hate to pay for a character meal if he just freaks out and we have to leave. We'll see how everything goes!

Thanks everyone!

 

[mbb]

Thanks for all the great info! I hate to pay for a character meal if he just freaks out and we have to leave. We'll see how everything goes!

Thanks everyone!

Book your breakfast a few days into your trip..that way you'll have a feel for how he does "at a distance"...at the breakfast, just let your hostess/server know that your little one may be very afraid. They are extremely accomodating

Excellent suggestions, all

 

[Dizzy4Dizney]

Our 4 1/2 year old had PDD and had been to Disney 8 times. When she was 3 1/2 is when she really got "into" Disney. She had no problem with the characters, but didn't go near the people dressed in costume. She LOVES the princesses, but we figured out that all the princesses she was exposed to were dolls and cartoon charactures. The Charactures themselves looked just like her stuffed toys and figures while the people dressed up didn't look like what she had been playing with. By the time she turned 4, she got more comfortable with them (she also has gotten more comfortable with people in general and this might have a lot to do with it also).

 

[tmli]

My ds (8) is still terrified of the characters after 6 visits and using lots of the suggestions here. He will stand next to Mickey once long enough to get his picture taken and that's it. We just avoid them. When one approaches I put up my hand and say we would like to just wave from here. He's good for about 10-20 feet and that's it. When one gets near him he freezes, can't move, can't speak...at least no freak outs anymore. Oh well, maybe someday!!

 

[Stacey2grls]

Haygan, I too am in your shoes. My DD4 has the same diagnosis. We are going to Disney for the first time this May. While she loves the princesses, she is very leary of people dressed in costumes. She keeps insisting that daddy will beat them up! Obviously this will not be happening. What I have been doing though is reminding her that when we go to disney there are going to be alot of characters, and that they will not hurt her, and if she doesn't want too, she doesn't have to say hi to them. I have found that with the other children in her class with the same issures, that mentally preparing their children before hand is very helpful. Good luck to you Stacey2grls

 

[Brightsy]

When we went w/ Vinny, my 3 yr. old w/ ASD we found that the character meals were a good way to go. We told the CMs that our son had some sensory issues and such and thy were very accomodating. The characters were informed and they approached my son in a very cautious manner. They made sure that he saw them and then would kind of sidle up and watch his reactions. When he reached for them they wouls slowly respond. It went very well. It also seemed t help Vinny if I put my hand on his back while the characters interacted w/ him.

Sara