Resort kids clubs

[gertiesquidge]

Hi,

I wondered if any of you with special needs children can tell me how/if the resort kids clubs coped/didn't cope with your child? Our DS8 has mild autistic traits, ADHD (needs to be active and closely supervised) and dyspraxia (which makes craft activities very hard for him). So I'm just wondering if the kids clubs would be a no go for him? Or would they be able to cope and help him have a good time?

Thanks for any advice
Janet

 

[kirbydog48]

Hi Janet,
My DS (now10) has gone to kids clubs at WL and the POLY and we had a very good experience. He has Asperger's and ADHD. He tends to hyperfocus with gameboy/computers, so he had a lot of fun playing the video games. He also had dinner and saw a movie. I'd just go for it. Parents need a break! DS liked it so much, he told us to go out every night. His age was 6, 7 and 8. They said they get kids on the spectrum all the time. You'll have a pager in case there's a big problem.

Liz

 

[gertiesquidge]

Hi Liz,

Thank you so much Its great to know that Disney can cope with ASD kids, as so many places just can't.

Do you discuss your son's difficulties with the staff before booking him in? What sort of info do they need to know to best support ASD kids?

Thanks
Janet

 

[JESW]

My ds is 15 now and aged out of the kids club but he (and his sister, 4 years younger) went for several years. The only two they tried were Simba's Cub House at the AKL and The Never Land Club at The Polynesian - it would depend on where dh & I were having dinner (Jiko or Kona Cafe usually) to where they stayed. We were usually out for 2 - 3 hours. If dinner ended earlier we enjoyed shopping at the resort stores or just hanging out in the lobby having some quiet time - alone.

My ds is an asperger's kid so we were also nervous leaving him with strangers. As long as he had his gameboy and a drawing pad then he was fine. We did tell the caretakers to basically leave him alone - as in don't continue to prod him into group activities if he didn't want to join. My dd loved all the craft things they did and sometimes ds joined in - as long as he wasn't forced to do so - and they never did try to force him.

We always let the caretakers know his issues and we never had ANY problems. We were very sad when he aged out.

If you are very nervous about leaving him then you may want to do what we did - plan a dinner at a place close to the club so in case there was a problem you wouldn't have to travel far to get him. You may find that he likes it so much he won't want to leave! Our kids liked it because it gave them a chance to hang out with kids their own ages. We liked it because we knew they were safe and we could have an enjoyable dinner without the kids fighting..

Hope it works out for you!

Jill

 

[disneymami]

My DD, 8 years old, spent two evenings at the cubs den at the WL just this past august. She is verbal but not conversant. She has trouble with conversation. She has moderate autism. She understands but does not verbalize well. She had a great time at the cubs den. The CM's there were fabulous. THey understood her and were able to keep her occupied because of all of the toys and manipulatives they had there. I almost couldn't get her out of there. She even still talks about the place and I would place there again the next chance I get. They even served dinner. If your child is on a special diet, just let the CM know and they will accomodate.

 

[gertiesquidge]

Hi JESW and disneymami,

Thank you for letting me know your experiences, that is really helpful to know

DS gets very nervous with strangers (if I'm not their to help him) so we haven't tried him with holiday kids clubs. But Disney is so good at coping with hidden disabilities in other ways (GAC saved our holidays ) that I wondered if they would be able to manage him in a kids club. It would give him such a confidence boost to know that he could manage to stay in a club like his friends do and I have more confidence that Disney would work than other places! Do you think they would let him visit for a short time with me present for the first time? And if he finds he enjoys it we could book him in properly for the next time.

Thanks again
Janet

 

[ireland_nicole]

My kids have all your DS's dx's- plus a few- and they love, love, love Neverland Club! I've also had a really positive experience w/ kids night out in room sitters. I'm very pleased with both options.

 

[gertiesquidge]

Hi,

We have family connections to Africa so we love the sound of Simba's Cub House and think our son will find it really interesting. Is there somewhere I can find the details of the other resort's themes and activities? Or better still pictures of the different rooms the clubs are in (he can be less nervous if he has a good idea of what/where he will be)? If we choose ones with themes that suit him we have more chance of him staying successfully. I'm presuming the Neverland Club is Peter Pan themed?

Could you let me know the details of the in-room babysitting services that you have used please?

Thanks again
Janet

 

[Marina Del Rey]

My nieces on the autism spectrum and my step-niece who has ADHD all loved the resort clubs. I'm reporting this secondhand, but from what I heard, they had everything to keep every kid happy. One niece was content to just sit on a big plastic (?) octopus head, apparently, though I never heard of any problems in getting her to participate in the activities.

 

[JESW]

We weren't allowed to take pictures in the kids clubs due to the privacy issue - not sure if anyone else has at some point???

Jill

 

[gertiesquidge]

We weren't allowed to take pictures in the kids clubs due to the privacy issue - not sure if anyone else has at some point???

Jill

I never thought of that!! Oh well I'll try and find out which resort club themes would suit him and take it from there!!

Thank you
Janet