Sensory Processing Disorder

[kiramay]

My ds9a has SID and we did FP as often as possible, only getting into lines less than 30 minutes, and left the lines/rides if needed. The worst was haunted mansion. The creepy queue put him on edge, and the minute we got to the first room, packed in like sardines, he lost it. We won't even try HM this trip since we can't skip that room. We also split up occasionally; I'd ride something with ds9a while dh road another ride with ds9b and ds4.

 

[tmdgrl825]

OH man! We barely avoided a meltdown last year due to that HM room! It must have been some really good luck that we ended up on the outside wall!

 

[epsmith921]

My ds9a has SID and we did FP as often as possible, only getting into lines less than 30 minutes, and left the lines/rides if needed. The worst was haunted mansion. The creepy queue put him on edge, and the minute we got to the first room, packed in like sardines, he lost it. We won't even try HM this trip since we can't skip that room. We also split up occasionally; I'd ride something with ds9a while dh road another ride with ds9b and ds4.

I believe you can skip the stretching room at HM. I think you just ask the CM before you go in there and they show you where to go.

 

[kiramay]

I believe you can skip the stretching room at HM. I think you just ask the CM before you go in there and they show you where to go.

They wouldn't let us on our last trip. I'll try asking again this trip.

 

[epsmith921]

Sorry about that. I swear I remember people talking about skipping it in a "chicken exit" thread. Hope it works in the future if your child and family enjoyed the rest of the ride.

 

[lovemygrowingfamily]

My 10 year old has ASD, SPD, selective mutism and severe anxiety to name the most severe of his issues. We found the a muslin blanket that is big enough to cover the stroller so he could retreat when he was younger worked great, a weighted vest helped him feel more secure ( you can make these pretty cheap) , noise cancelling headphones/ ear plugs, and a favorite toy worked for him. He needed his comfort. DS would have his good times and his bad but my iphone distracted him long enough to get through a line with music or a coloring/drawing app.

Just take it easy and let the kids lead the way even if its not what you want to do. Sometimes watching the birds for a hour is enough to let them relax and tune out the outside world and recoop to make it through the next hour.

 

[Aliceacc]

I may get flamed, since my daughter has auditory processing issues, not sensory processing issues.

But she's always been very sensitive to loud noises. An unexpected fire drill at school would turn her into a quivering mass of jelly.

One thing that helped tremendously, particularly for Disney, was Peltor noise reducing headphones. http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/peltor-junior-earmuffs.html

The link I posted is for a size that she's worn on our past trips. (She was 5 for our first trip; not sure how small they go beyond that.) At age 11, she's just "graduated" to the larger size.

 

[nikkislaght]

LOVE the headphones. we have brought them with us to fairs the past couple years. even though my son was recently diagnosed, i knew something wasn't right but nobody listened. so i started my own research, and learned tricks on my own(like the headphones)

Wondering what the hat is for though? mine wont keep a hat on his head but the world will fall apart if he doesn't have his watch...

The hat ( like a hoody which is what my son wears ) is Way to stop the visual over stim, when you have trouble discriminating between certain shapes etc and get overloaded you can pull your hat gown over your head a retreat for a bit. And let's face it DL is a feast for the eyes , but that is not always a pleasant feeling for everyone. Something else you could try is just a piece of Lycra , your kids can wrap it around themselves as a "hug" which is what the central nervous system needs. If they don't like light touch , and are tactile defensive then make sure you are doing your deep pressure feedback starting at the shoulders and making your way down the arms, hips and legs. Allowing them time upside is very helpful also, my son watches TV upside down . Crazy critter that he is.. some kids get over stimmed by smells, if this is the case with your kids I would make sure they have a small piece if material with a familiar scent on it that they can use as a barrier against the Disney smell.. Hope you have a great trip.

 

[BAMLuvMickey]

The hat ( like a hoody which is what my son wears ) is Way to stop the visual over stim, when you have trouble discriminating between certain shapes etc and get overloaded you can pull your hat gown over your head a retreat for a bit. And let's face it DL is a feast for the eyes , but that is not always a pleasant feeling for everyone. Something else you could try is just a piece of Lycra , your kids can wrap it around themselves as a "hug" which is what the central nervous system needs. If they don't like light touch , and are tactile defensive then make sure you are doing your deep pressure feedback starting at the shoulders and making your way down the arms, hips and legs. Allowing them time upside is very helpful also, my son watches TV upside down . Crazy critter that he is.. some kids get over stimmed by smells, if this is the case with your kids I would make sure they have a small piece if material with a familiar scent on it that they can use as a barrier against the Disney smell.. Hope you have a great trip.

OHHHHH I see!!! We just bought him a spiderman hoodie that covers his face up to his nose(not for visual sensory issues, because his older brother had one like it), He won't go anywhere without it. It's not tight on his face(he HATES being confined) but where ever there are a ton of people, the hood goes on but at home it comes off. Think I'll be talking to his therapist about visual issues...
He has BAD auditory issues. Sirens, fireworks, too many ppl talking at once, yelling....everything sets him off

 

[Diana or Di]

It's so nice knowing there are others out there with kids like my son.

He was recently diagnosed with SPD. Which explains why my last two trips to Disney with him were a NIGHTMARE!! Long story short, I'm excited to bring him again and I'm armed with all kinds of tools to use. Including making sure I get a DAS card for him(just in case)

I didn't know the stroller thing so a big thanks to the PP about that as even though he is nearly seven, we still use a stroller with him sometimes(because of the SPD, it has always just been easier)

Can I ask what stroller you use? My son is 8 and is A/SPD and being able to shield him with the stroller would be ideal but I'm struggling to find something that would take his weight, and ideally the weight of his younger sister. (65ish and 40, respectively.)

 

[Diana or Di]

My son has sensory issues that have required therapy. The stroller with the large canopy is our life saver on our vacations. When we see him starting to meltdown, he can go in there to calm down.

He will be turning 8 on our next trip and we are still getting a stroller so he can have his place to retreat to when necessary.

Kim

My son is 8 as well, would you mind sharing which stroller you use? I want to make sure the weight capacity works before I purchase.

Thanks!

 

[Ariel on Land]

I completely understand!!! Other moms and dads have covered my advice already- headphones, stroller w/canopy (even bring a muslin blanket to make a closed area for them) etc... But I hope you all have a magical time!!!

 

[mjkacmom]

You might want to start a new thread with your question, as this one is 2 years old.

 

[lanejudy]

Can I ask what stroller you use? My son is 8 and is A/SPD and being able to shield him with the stroller would be ideal but I'm struggling to find something that would take his weight, and ideally the weight of his younger sister. (65ish and 40, respectively.)

@Diana or Di I'm not sure either of the posters you directed your question towards have been active recently, since this thread was from almost 2 years ago. However, that said... it is likely going to be hard to find a double stroller that will hold both your children. Most have a weight limit of 100lbs combined with max 50lbs for each child. And a double stroller with over a hundred pounds of of kids is going to be hard to push. I suggest looking into 2 separate strollers -- especially if one child has challenging sensory needs that may result in needing to split up for a bit. There are jogging stroller-styles designed to hold up to 60 or 70 lbs, or a special needs stroller may hold up to a 100 lbs child or even bigger depending on model. My family has used a Maclaren Major Elite which is a large umbrella stroller; folds simply, lightweight, designed for a child up to 110 lbs I think.

Here are a few threads about strollers for older kids that may have more suggestions of specific brands/models:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/help-stroller-rental-suggestions-for-6-and-7-yr-old.3496404/
http://www.disboards.com/threads/stroller-for-older-kids.3488333/

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[SnipsNSnails]

My 9 yo mostly had issues at rope drop with the crowd. We had our stroller along for our younger son and he is small for his age so several times he got in the stroller with his book and the sunshade down and all was well because he could tune it all out when focusing on his book. We also had one time where we got stuck in a queue because the ride broke down, he put on my DH's sweatshirt and sat down with it covering him all up until we got going again. At this age he does a really good job of identifying when he needs things like that and devising his own solution to the issue. His SPD also extends to food textures and smells. I found the menus online helpful in planning our ADRs so that we ate at places where he had things he would eat. I also made a list of QS places in each park that had his staples of pasta and chicken nuggets so we knew were we could find him something if the place we were stopping at didn't have anything. His only major meltdown this year came in the Haunted Mansion queue when the sea captain's grave squirted his foot. He detests having wet clothing on and freaked because his sock was wet. I always carry a full change of clothes just in case of a spill or something like this so we changed his socks and all was well again.
It sounds like you have things well in hand. When he was your kids' age, before he got diagnosed, we went in Philharmagic as one of the first things we did and he started screaming so we exited, the rest of that trip he screamed if we tried to go on any ride or to any show that was indoors. That was a rough trip! We have never gone in Philharmagic again LOL!

 

[MamaJinji]

Although he wasn't diagnosed at the time, we took my ASD son to Disney World for his 2nd birthday. The stroller was a godsend, he was able to stay in it and hide under a blanket when there was too much going on. I found it was especially helpful to carve out time for him to run around free from noise and confusion. We'd come back to the hotel early and walk him around, we found all the playareas and made sure he had a good half hour at least in all of them (the one by Splash Mountain was his favorite, as I recall), and even took a day to explore the deluxe hotels. Kid was a fan of the Grand Floridian, lots of open space there. Since then, I've gotten him noise-cancelling headphones (he chose them himself, canary yellow) and his grandmother bought him a kid's tablet with games and books he likes, so when he needs a distraction there's one at hand. When that doesn't work, I give him a 2DS with Super Smash Bros or Plants Vs Zombies, and he's usually fine.

 

[SnipsNSnails]

I missed the stroller question, we use a Chicco Echo. It folds like and umbrella but has a good sunshade and accommodates larger children well. My 9 yo with SPD can sit in it without his head hitting the shade. He is small for his age, I'd say about 52" and a little over 50 lb.

 

[Angel Ariel]

DS (18 months) and DD (21 months) both have sensory processing disorder due to prenatal drug use (both adopted at birth). DH and I are concerned that DD will not be able to tolerate the lines and general claustraphobic feeling as just going through the clothing racks at the store trigger a meltdown. DS is much more managable but also has his moments.

If you are not familiar with sensory processing disorder please do not chime in with a lecture on typical toddler behavior or other opinions.

We have heard that there is a guest services card that will allow us to forgo the lines if needed. We plan to not use it unless it is absolutely necessary. Does anyone have any experience with this service? Is all that is required a note from doctors/therapists stating that they do have SPD?

I have not read the thread yet, so I'm just responding to the OP.

I'm assuming that it's been suggested to check out the disABILITIES board, and I would echo that wholeheartedly.

Also, something to think about would be the stroller as a wheelchair card. Do the kids feel safer/less prone to meltdowns if they are in their own space in their stroller? The stroller as a wheelchair card would allow them to stay in their strollers for all wheelchair accessible lines, or to use the wheelchair accessible entrances for any rides where they could not be accommodated in the actual line.

This would not make a wait shorter, but it would give them a safe space that's a bit sheltered from the crowd. I'm not sure from your description if that would help, but if you think it could, I would look into that option.

And i really should learn to read the whole thread, since now I see the oP is 2 years old Sorry about that!

 

[Shanti]

DS (18 months) and DD (21 months) both have sensory processing disorder due to prenatal drug use (both adopted at birth). DH and I are concerned that DD will not be able to tolerate the lines and general claustraphobic feeling as just going through the clothing racks at the store trigger a meltdown. DS is much more managable but also has his moments.

If you are not familiar with sensory processing disorder please do not chime in with a lecture on typical toddler behavior or other opinions.

We have heard that there is a guest services card that will allow us to forgo the lines if needed. We plan to not use it unless it is absolutely necessary. Does anyone have any experience with this service? Is all that is required a note from doctors/therapists stating that they do have SPD?

I would defintely call Disney & ask them about this in advance (ask for a contact name from the person you talk to btw, in case you get a totally different response while actually at the parks), so you'll know what to expect. My son is autistic (which in his case included sensory processing disorder.) He's now much more high-functioning than he was during our first trip together in 2009, & he actually enjoys noise & crowds today (go figure), but at that time I was careful only to bring him during a low crowd time, & monitor him carefully for pre-meltdown signs.

I didn't use guest assistance, so I can't respond to that. I wish you all the best with your trip.