Seven year old with Autism/ADHD.. stroller?

[cccdisney]

We're headed back to WDW in June, and I'm struggling with whether to put my son in a stroller or not because he runs away.. and still has no danger awareness, even though he's seven now. He's got ADHD and Autism, so it's really a shame to put him in a stroller when he'd happily walk, but he's SO strong, and if he sees something he likes, he'll break away from my grip and bolt. I'd have to have my hand on him at all times.

If I had a hand on him at all times and I needed to carry a tray or pay for something, I'd need to let go of him for a second, and he'd be off to the races. I hate the thought of shelling out a hundred bucks for a stroller when he's perfectly capable of walking, but the idea of him running away again may just kill me. And with my son, he'd probably run right into the lake. He loves water. That's my fear. That's what I think of when people say "five minutes is all it takes..."

I haven't tried those backpacks with the string attached because they seem too flimsy to hold him. I think one of two scenarios would happen: Either he would break the "leash/backpack" (he's unbelievably strong. He's a little tank. Not a skinny mini guy at all) or he would pull so hard he'd knock me over with him. This is not an exaggeration. He's pulled me down twice now, out in public, and neither was as crowded as Disney is.

I worry that not only will *I* fall, but he may cause someone else to trip over him as well. Sometimes if I try to make him go a direction in which he doesn't want to, he'll just throw himself on the ground and start kicking. Someone could trip then too. So I'm kind of in despair as to what to do here.

He's nonverbal, so if he was approached by a CM when/if he was lost, he wouldn't be able to tell him his name, my name, or any myriad of other vital information to help reunite him with me. As if all that wasn't enough, he's also very aggressive. He takes medication to try to control some of those impulses, but mostly he's still pretty aggressive. I despair of him sometimes. I watch him constantly, and apologize whenever he does bite/pinch/scratch/kick/hit anyone, but it's so hard on a day to day basis. I get defensive sometimes, how can one not?

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions... I'd be grateful for any and all help.

Any thoughts?

Wow! I could have written your post! I also have a 7 yr old with Autism and ADHD. He is also very, very strong - although he only weighs about 55 pounds! He seems to have superhuman strength at times and runs like a cheetah! I also am unable to catch him when he bolts off. Because of this I very rarely take him anywhere alone. In fact, my dh can't catch him either. But my 13 yr dd or 11 yr old ds can so I try to always have at least one of them with me.

He also has no sense of danger. In December we had him at a local neighborhood park and he decided to run across the street to a house (he loves doors). A car was coming down the street - we yelled at him to stop as my dd was running to catch up with him. He ran right in front of the car which had to slam on their brakes. It didn't even phase him he kept running. It scared us all to death and my dd is still having bad dreams about the incident.

We are taking him to Disneyland next month. I only agreed to take him with enough "support". My sister and brother will be joining us - so we will have 4 adults to help.

One of our biggest obstacles in traveling is keeping him in a hotel room. We have bolts, alarms, locks etc at home. In a hotel room we MUST have an adult sitting in a chair in front of the door at all times while he is awake. Furniture gets moved in front of the door when we go to sleep and he sleeps with us so we know if he wakes up.

Anyway, we haven't taken him to Disney in about a year. We have a Baby Jogger City Classic which holds up to 75 pounds. He likes it which helps - but we still need to keep constant watch because he can get himself out if he really wants to. He also has a Service Dog who will be coming with us to Disneyland for the first time! We will be tethering our son to her as well. So not only would he have to get out of the harness of the stroller, he'd have to also get out of the belt that will be attached to his dog.

Have a great trip! Definitely get a GAC - that will make things much easier.

 

[Rachandgarry]

Hi all,

Reading this thread is like reading my own thoughts!

Quick intro - We are in a similar situation to you all, we have a 4 1/2 year old son with Autism and learning disabilities. He can say a few words, labelling toys etc, but is mostly non-verbal and certainly doesn't understand questions people ask him, like "what's your name?" etc.

He is really really strong (that type of strength that only parents of special needs children understand!), he isn't aggressive but he can be defiant and if he wants to go one way, but you don't then all hell breaks loose. He HATES waiting, he can't do it. I don't understand why, because he can't tell me the problem.

We have just done our first Disney trip, to Disneyland Paris for 4 days. It was amazing, he loved everything, characters, rides, transportation everything. Now we're hoping to book WDW for April 2012. We've been several times, but not since we've had our son. We'll be travelling with his grandparents too, who are very capable still, so there will be 4 adults to (help) control him.

At home, we have a Maclaren Major Elite stroller, which is a UK special needs buggy. We have the option to take this with us, but its quite a hassle on the flight etc so I'm considering renting one from OSR, but the cost is a factor.

At DLP, he literally hardly used his stroller, he was running everywhere! We used it to put bags and stuff in, then used it as a time-out chair if he was naughty.

So anyway, i don't actually think I have a question at the moment, I just wanted to join in!

Regards
Rachel (England)

 

[C&G'sMama]

I just have to add. Mine has weak upper body strength and can't run to save his life and is slow and awkward in that respect. (I think that's a good thing) We are trying to work on his upper body strength.

As for the size of the stroller it's basically like a big jogging stroller. But it folds up easily and isn't light but isn't unmanageable either and as another post mentioned it pushes real nice.

 

[DannysMom]

At home, we have a Maclaren Major Elite stroller, which is a UK special needs buggy. We have the option to take this with us, but its quite a hassle on the flight etc so I'm considering renting one from OSR, but the cost is a factor.

At DLP, he literally hardly used his stroller, he was running everywhere! We used it to put bags and stuff in, then used it as a time-out chair if he was naughty.

So anyway, i don't actually think I have a question at the moment, I just wanted to join in!

Regards
Rachel (England)

Hi & welcome. What you may not quite conceptualize & just how much bigger WDW is than the other Disney Parks. I think you should bring your Maclaren Major.

Not sure how it would work on an international flight, but domestically, we always gate check my son's stroller -- we also have a Maclaren Major for him & his mild CP. You would need to stash the footrest & any other disconnectable accessories in a carry on, so they could not get lost, but other than that, it hasn't been a big deal. Certainly look into gate checking on an international flight, you would have the additional "bonus" of being able to use it in the airports if you needed to.

 

[Rekenna]

Hi! We have a dude, DS3 who has autism-now he's a small guy, so I'm not quite in your shoes. I did want to add, if nothing else, the stroller will give your son a place to chill. I have a stroller fan, and may take earphones for our next trip, I also pack books for DS3 to look at. I definetly agree with others that having that "safety zone" really helped DS3 to enjoy his vacation too. He had zero meltdowns-he is normally very well behaved-but WDW can be a crazy place even for us so called "typical" people. We also use backpack leashes, but again he is a small guy.

DS3 also likes to run away, is non-verbal and does not respond to his name (although he is getting better and his listening skills have improved). I have a whole horrific story about when he was 2 and him running away from our house and I found him 15 minutes later standing next to a locomotive that was getting ready to move-so I am totally with you about the scary running away thing. Thankfully, DS3 is listening better as I said and he is really good about holding my hand.

I also wanted to say that we used safety tats on our last trip, his say "I have non-verbal autism" and had my cell phone number on the tatoo. He really liked these and they lasted for a long time.

It sounds like the stroller is a win-win. It offers him a safe place, you some piece of mind and it sounds like insurance may pay for part or maybe all. No matter what you decide I hope your family has a safe and fun vacation.

 

[DisneyLover75]

Wow.. thank you for all the replies!

It's SO nice to hear from people who can relate and identify to what we're all going through, isn't it?

I am right now sort of toying with the OSR City Classic and the Liberty push chair.. and still debating about the convaid stroller too. So many choices!

I also saw a stroller (not sure of the brand, but it was a jogger with a front swivel wheel) at Target for $100 and I was thinking I could buy that and bring it along, and then sell it after the trip if necessary. That would be the same cost as renting one, and I wouldn't have to worry about insurance or damage or whatever. I don't know if I want to BUY one though. Oh bugger!!

I don't want to spend more than $100 on it, though, because we don't use a stroller at home anymore (even though sometimes I'd love to use one.)

Thanks for all the replies!!

 

[Rachandgarry]

Thanks Dannysmom, you've made total sense and I think we will take the Major.

 

[karentots]

I just wanted to share my experience with my nephew (8 at the time; Autistic & ADHD) who visited Disney for the first time (June 2009). My sister did rent the generic Disney Stroller (he was small enough to fit, barely) but it definitely offered relief. Even when he was not sitting in the stroller we were able to distract him between attractions by having him push it . I must admit, due to the fact there wasn’t a restraint, he did stand & bolt out of the moving stroller as we pushed it. A stroller more size appropriate, with a restraint may have helped.
My nephew is somewhat verbal (I mean this by his language is very robotic and only when you can get him focused or if he wants to, he can respond. If he’s not interested in what you are asking or who you are, he just runs away and certainly won’t say a word).
We did, however, have team with us at Disney. My Sister, Brother in law, Me, My husband, and younger nephew 5 who is not on the spectrum.
I think the previous suggestion of having an iron on with info on his shirt is FANTASTIC!!!! (I’ve even seen children in WDW with “My Mom’s Cell is: 555-555-5555” written with marker down their arms in Disney… maybe a bit extreme but great idea. I don’t think kidnapping is a great concern in Disney (maybe I’m just naive but I find the Disney public very compassionate & helpful… & my sister pointed out early on with my nephew: “I don’t fear him being kidnapped… no one wants to deal with his behavior out of his element; I fear him being lost… just running and never stopping, for anything…”)
I don’t know if this is still available to guests with Autism but my sister did obtain some sort of handicap pass from guest services (June 2009), with her doctor’s note, to help us when he couldn’t handle the line. We always used fast passes when we could and tried the regular line otherwise… but there were times it just became too much. My nephew would throw himself to the floor & scream & try & kick anyone in sight. [My sister had an issue with the handicap pass and didn’t really want to use it because she felt like my nephew did not look handicapped & people would “judge” us for bypassing the line. Here’s what I told her: “Well, those people, God bless them, don’t have to live with Autism every day, nor do their children. I’m sure if they had the choice to wait on line or be Autistic or have a child with Autism… they’d wait. And, really this is making the experience better for both us (by my nephew NOT being on line kicking & screaming) & us who really have no way to stop or control it.” WE USED THE PASS WHEN NEEDED! IF YOU CAN GET IT, USE IT, DON’T FEEL GUILTY!!!! You’ve all paid your dues & then some!]
Not to scare you but, the whole reason for our trip was that me & my husband were married in Disney the day before. Our ceremony was at the Wedding Pavilion and the rehearsal was the day before. Upon arriving at rehearsal… my nephew bolted STRAIGHT FOR THE LAKE! I jumped the wall to chase him screaming his name… he would not stop for anything…. Up to his knees in the bacteria infested lake, yuck! We dragged him out & washed him down with no further issues. We did not encounter any issues in MK where he ran for water.
We did lose him at one point, the day after the wedding, in MK, … he was in the stroller we (4 adults & 1 child) turned our heads & BAM! He was gone! We were frantic for about 15 minutes but we found him a few feet away at the souvenir pavilion outside Buzz Lightyear’s Spacer Ranger Spin Ride… he was fixated on the Zurg toy they were selling… we yelled, screamed, his name but no answer from him… we just found him there holding the toy & staring…. Needless to say… I finally bought him the toy 6 months later for Christmas. (He never stopped talking about it (to me) since he saw it… We felt if we bought it at the time we would reinforce his bad elopement behavior… I know he probably never realized he did anything wrong . Poor guy!)

 

[atmooney]

My daughter is 10 and very strong. Thank goodness she isn't much of a runner but she will occasionally wander off to look at something. She is verbal with us but not with strangers. You have to get him an ID bracelet. I bought one for my daughter from
She does not complain about it bothering her. She has a camo one. I also bought dog tag ID's for all three of my children. When we go to Disney or any other busy place where we can get separated, I attach them to their belt loops. I put my cell phone number on there in case we are out of town.

Love the idea of the id bracelet. My son is verbal but might not answer appropriately in a "lost" situation. Love these forums!

 

[krisnme]

DS is 19 now and much more verbal and high functioning than he used to be, but, when we visit WDW or any crowded area I still attach several ID items to him... He has a jacket or shoe tag that simply says "autistic person" he wears a dog tag with his DX and all the family cell phone #'s and carries a very small cell phone (called a "Juke" from verizon). on a lanyard around his neck. it is programed to dial my cell and has the "chaperone" feature which is a locator I can use to track him from my cell. Even though he rarely bolts anymore (except for thunder or flying insects) I suppose you never really get over the fear of losing them. My fear is always that there will be an emergency on the plane or at a park and he will be seperated from me by a panicked crowd. we still rehearse that he should look for someone who has children ( a mom or dad) and ask them for help. I just hope that he would not scare someone when he asks for help as he is fully grown and appears quite "normal". I make sure his "autistic person" tag is very visible.

 

[kylmac]

Rachel-I am glad to hear that DLP went so well. Our son is 9 and diagnosed with autism. Did you get the GAC for your son and did it help with the wait times? We have used a GAC both in WDW and DL (CA) and it always is a lifesaver (timesaver). We are going to DLP in August so I want to be prepared. How did the CM treat you and your son? Were you able to use the fastpass lines? Sorry so many questions!
Regards-Elizabeth

 

[kylmac]

Again another post but this is quick-great thread! Thanks so much for all of the helpful information. I have thought about a bracelet for DS but thankfully he gets so excited going to Disney he will stay with one of us (me, DH, or DS).
Thanks again!
Elizabeth

 

[disneyworldmom2]

I would certainly look into a stroller for him. I have a stroller fan attached to the stroller, which keeps my son cool and well as busy, as he's fascinated with the sound and the on/off switch.

I have velcro ID tags that go on my son's shoes. They are pretty secure, and hold the important information. My daughter carries an ID card with her that I laminate, and put cell phone numbers, etc on. I have also heard of people using stickers on shirts with ifo in permanent marker.