Sounds/noises of WDW?

[MomtothreeEs]

What does Disney World sound like? My autistic 5 year old hears EVERYTHING. He is very sensitive to sounds. Do the parks play music? What kind of music? Songs with words? Popular Disney songs or just background elevator type music? Are the mechanics of the rides loud? Squeaky? Are there places that play any "surprise" sounds like honks or bells? Are there "quiet zones"?

I just need to prep him (and myself) for what the parks might feel like. Sometimes the sounds bother him, and he needs a sensory break. Other times he gets mesmerized and completely zones out (as in he doesn't here us talking to him or calling his name). Either way, we like to be prepared.

Thanks!

 

[aaarcher86]

What does Disney World sound like? My autistic 5 year old hears EVERYTHING. He is very sensitive to sounds. Do the parks play music? What kind of music? Songs with words? Popular Disney songs or just background elevator type music? Are the mechanics of the rides loud? Squeaky? Are there places that play any "surprise" sounds like honks or bells? Are there "quiet zones"? I just need to prep him (and myself) for what the parks might feel like. Sometimes the sounds bother him, and he needs a sensory break. Other times he gets mesmerized and completely zones out (as in he doesn't here us talking to him or calling his name). Either way, we like to be prepared. Thanks!

There are sounds everywhere. There's ambient music playing through the park. There is a stage show in front or the castle with music and singing and surprise fireworks at the end. Shows have all different types of noises as do rides. Kids screaming and crying. People talking. And it's all loud.

You can youtube almost everything... Rides, shows, parades, etc. to get an idea. I'd strongly recommend noise canceling headphones. There are a few quiet areas that someone will come give you (I'm not familiar with them).

Here's just an overview of MK so you can hear the music and random sounds http://youtu.be/fcRgCXFxruU

 

[Aladora]

You might want to read through the WDW guide for guests with cognitive disabilities, it is really helpful! Three is also one for DL/DCA as well.

https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...bilities-services/wdw_cognitive_guide_rev.pdf

Starting on page 14, there is a list of all the attractions and their potential triggers.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy the trip!

 

[JillyBean1899]

What does Disney World sound like? My autistic 5 year old hears EVERYTHING. He is very sensitive to sounds. Do the parks play music? What kind of music? Songs with words? Popular Disney songs or just background elevator type music? Are the mechanics of the rides loud? Squeaky? Are there places that play any "surprise" sounds like honks or bells? Are there "quiet zones"?

I just need to prep him (and myself) for what the parks might feel like. Sometimes the sounds bother him, and he needs a sensory break. Other times he gets mesmerized and completely zones out (as in he doesn't here us talking to him or calling his name). Either way, we like to be prepared.

Thanks!

Music is *EVERYWHERE*. If you're not hearing things on a ride, you're hearing atmosphere music that's pumped in through hidden speakers. In MK it's mostly related to the rides you're near (so you hear Disney movie music around Fantasyland, you hear the PotC movie theme song in Adventureland, Western themed music in Frontierland, etc.).

The best thing I can recommend is to go to YouTube and search for videos of the parks. Between crowd noise and atmosphere noise, there's a lot to hear. Noise cancelling headphones may work with him, but the First Aid stations in each park will be quieter areas for him if he really needs it; the only problem with them is there are only 1 or 2 in each park, so you might not be close to one when you need it.

As a whole, theme parks are designed to be overstimulating, there's always something to see, smell, touch, taste, hear, and do. A lot of the rides will have surprise type sounds, but some of them in MK don't (like Small World, it's the same song over and over in various languages, but nothing surprising).

 

[Betty Rohrer]

as a pp said the surprise fireworks at end of castle show is heard though out the park and yes they are during the day. yes there is music paying in most parts of parks and it varies by where you are and the park as to type of music. it can be very loud by the u drive cars in MK. there will be noise every where in the parks, so quieter than others

 

[MomtothreeEs]

Thanks! Aladoa- I'll read that link you posted.

DS has an odd obsession with sound, but he gets bothered by repetitive sounds. Like today at the mall we were waiting in line to check out, and he was so frustrated at the sound of the phone ringing that the cashier was ignoring. But then other times, he focuses in so much on the music that he shuts down all other senses. He'll walk right into things or not notice that he's wandered off. He analyzes music and sounds very carefully, and if it's an unknown sound, he is very bothered. He is much better off if I tell him. Just knowing that there are hidden speakers that play music will help. He is always looking for where the sounds are coming from. I'm sure it will become part of our "game" to see if we can find them.

I didn't realize that the music was related to the rides or buildings. That helps. It tells me that we may get stuck in certain places until the song stops.

We've never used noise cancelling headphones with him. We have carried his iPod touch around so he can listen to his music though. I was really hoping to keep iPods/iPads out of the parks though. Maybe not?

We are hoping for a trip full of sensory experiences. It's part of the reason we chose WDW. I just want to help frame the experiences so they're positive and not stressful.

Thanks again!

 

[JillyBean1899]

If the iPod is part of his typical coping arsenal, I wouldn't leave it at home. Bring it along, just in case.

The songs are on a long enough loop that there won't be a ringing phone type repetitiveness to them. Small World is the only thing I can think of offhand that would be repetitive, but it's not that short of a loop.

Some of the speakers are hidden in sneaky places, like behind false walls or in plants/rocks, so that may be fun to try to find them. A lot of them are in places he won't be able to see or get to, though, so don't rely on that completely, either.

 

[mommyofsamson]

Baby Care (near First Aid stations) are a good place to cool off. The only noise are usually TV shows. They also have a eating station and where he can (and your other children if they are going) play with toys. If your ipod needs to charged, you can do that there. And it's all air conditioned!

 

[SueM in MN]

Just to clarify - there is only one First Aid in each park. Those are generally pretty quiet.
Baby Care is also good, but may be more noisy.

As others already mentioned, there is noise all over. Not just in the attractions and the lines waiting for the attractions, but background music all over.
Each area has its own music loop. Most of the loops are very long - here's an Epcot loop, for example that is over 40 minutes long. The loops in one area may not always be exactly the same all the time, but will contain similar elements.

http://youtu.be/_kZDScT9wz0

You can find more music loops from the same person who posted that one or can find more by searching with the words 'music loop Disney'

It might be helpful to him to listen to some of the loops so he gets used to them. He might enjoy picking out bits he has heard before.
The different loops usually contain music themes from the attractions in that area. So, it might be fun for him to guess what attraction the song goes with.

I agree that if he uses his iPod as a coping device, you want to have it available.
Even though he does not wear noise canceling headphones, you might still want to get some just as part of a backup plan if he becomes too overwhelmed.
One brand that is very often recommended is Peltor. You can find them on Amazon.com in children's sizes.

It's hard to imagine just how stimulating WDW can be. My youngest daughter is not autistic, but has some major sensory issues. I have vivid memories of her on Small World as a young child with one arm draped over the top of her head not cover both her ears. Her other arm was arranged so she could suck her thumb and cover her eyes at the same time. And, somehow she was also able to twirl a strand of hair. That attraction especially had more stimulation than she could handle. It was quite a few years later before she could comfortably ride Small World, but now she has no issue with it.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Please note that noise canceling headphones do not block outside sound. If you want to block sound, you need to get noise isolating headphones. Here is a brief explanation:

http://blog.shure.com/shure-notes/noise-cancellation-or-sound-isolation-whats-the-difference/

 

[Random Ninja]

Please note that noise canceling headphones do not block outside sound. If you want to block sound, you need to get noise isolating headphones. Here is a brief explanation: http://blog.shure.com/shure-notes/noise-cancellation-or-sound-isolation-whats-the-difference/

Until I read the blog you posted, I'd never heard of noise or sound isolating headphones and I am an aviation headset dealer. It seems to me that they've just renamed what we (crazy aviation people) think of as noise cancelling. We use the term noise cancelling for all headsets and then call headsets without electronic noise cancelling PNR (passive noise reduction) and headsets with electronic noise cancelling assistance ANR (active noise reduction). Funny how different companies/industries call the same thing by different names.

Any of these would probably benefit someone with noise overstimulation issues. I often wear my ipod headphones around without anything playing just to reduce to ambient noise.

 

[ariel71]

One brand that is very often recommended is Peltor. You can find them on Amazon.com in children's sizes.

Any of these would probably benefit someone with noise overstimulation issues. I often wear my ipod headphones around without anything playing just to reduce to ambient noise.

I don't mean to be argumentative in any way, but as someone with noise issues I think it's really case-specific. I can only speak for myself but I find the noise cancellation earphones, or what I believe you are calling active noise reduction, to be of little use. They did very little to dampen things like conversations or noises in that range, and because they work more to dampen background noise it actually made those types of sounds (conversations, a phone ringing, etc.) more focused. They also emit a very high-pitched hiss that, while not very loud, was agitating. Also, if I'm truly getting overwhelmed with sound, adding music with other types of earbuds, even if it's of my choosing, is just more stimulation. Earbuds without sound wouldn't do much for me.

I occasionally use the in-ear heavy density foam earplugs, but these can be difficult to get into the ear canal. To be effective, they don't just sit in the outer part of the ear like an earbud, they really need to be rolled up tight and pushed deep into the ear canal. It takes me a couple of tries to really get them inserted correctly. That can make them difficult to readily switch in and out, so I use them mostly if it's noisy when I'm trying to sleep. They can be uncomfortable for long periods of time since they expand and push against the walls of the ear canal.

I like the Peltor earmuffs that SueM mentions. They really dampen sound and are easy to take off/put on. They're cheap enough that if they don't work for your son, it's not a lot of money down the drain to try them out. They don't block everything, but for me, it dampens most sound enough that I'm not focused on it.

That said, I don't really have the same sort of problem as your son, since being in a generally noisy place, while overstimulating, doesn't put me on edge as much as when things are generally quiet and someone's talking, like on an airplane, or it's quiet and I hear a repetitive noise.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Junior-Earmuff-Blue/dp/B0015UX2EK

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Until I read the blog you posted, I'd never heard of noise or sound isolating headphones and I am an aviation headset dealer. It seems to me that they've just renamed what we (crazy aviation people) think of as noise cancelling. We use the term noise cancelling for all headsets and then call headsets without electronic noise cancelling PNR (passive noise reduction) and headsets with electronic noise cancelling assistance ANR (active noise reduction). Funny how different companies/industries call the same thing by different names.

.....

Okay, but it's still true that noise canceling and noise isolating are two different things. I'm kind of surprised someone who sells headphones doesn't understand the difference. Sure, noise canceling headphones "soften" outside noise, but when you're using them, you can definitely hear conversations, babies crying, etc. If you want to help someone who has problems with loud noises or too much outside noise, you don't want to waste money buying noise canceling headphones when a pair of Peltor earmuffs are very cheap and work better.

 

[Random Ninja]

Okay, but it's still true that noise canceling and noise isolating are two different things. I'm kind of surprised someone who sells headphones doesn't understand the difference. Sure, noise canceling headphones "soften" outside noise, but when you're using them, you can definitely hear conversations, babies crying, etc. If you want to help someone who has problems with loud noises or too much outside noise, you don't want to waste money buying noise canceling headphones when a pair of Peltor earmuffs are very cheap and work better.

I understand what noise isolating means. I was just commenting that, in the aviation industry, we call noise isolating and noise cancelling headsets all noise cancelling. Noise cancelling/isolating has been mentioned before and I didn't quiet grasp that other industries actually note the difference until I read the link you posted. My experience with headsets outside of aviation is limited because I have some hearing loss and plain old headphones work well enough for noise reduction for me in most cases outside of work. Thank you for finally clearing up what has been a bit of confusion for me until now.

 

[MomtothreeEs]

Thanks again for all that great information. We are just starting to have a better understanding of his sound sensitivities. We still have a long way to go, but we've known since he was born that some sounds really bothered him and others calmed him. Since having two more kids, I now appreciate even more how striking his sensitivity was/is. DS has perfect pitch- he can tell you any pitch he hears and can sing a pitch on demand. It's awesome, but there are downsides too. If a song is song or played in the "wrong" key, he is annoyed. If something is out of tune, he's bothered. If a sound/noise is a combination of pitches or is not really a pitch at all, then he gets frustrated. On the other hand, he can hear snippets of songs and sing the rest. He likes to memorize the notes as he hears them, and then play them on our piano later. We're pretty sure that's the "la-la land" he's in when completely zones out on us... analyzing and memorizing the pitches and rhythms he's hearing. He LOVES Disney songs and music in general, so I think he'll be fine with most of the music. I hope. I really hope, but I'm definitely nervous.

How do you all carry iPads/iPods around the park? If we allow my oldest DS to bring his in, then the other 2 will want theirs too. I just don't know about bringing an iPad, an iPad mini, and an iPod touch all with headphones to the parks. That's the reason we were worried about bringing them.

Our plan is to only stay at the parks for 3-4 hours at a time. I think that will help all of us with the sensory overload. And I'm definitely trying to plan out all of my options now so that I can take lots and lots and lots of deep breaths when we're there. Somehow it will work out and we will have a blast. If I didn't believe that, we wouldn't be going.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

one piece of advice, do not try to enter or leave MK during the afternoon parade as even if get to end of Main Street thru the stores, you will be stopped where parade goes off stage. there is no where there to get out of the noise. it was almost as bad as trying to leave just before fireworks

 

[JillyBean1899]

How do you all carry iPads/iPods around the park? If we allow my oldest DS to bring his in, then the other 2 will want theirs too. I just don't know about bringing an iPad, an iPad mini, and an iPod touch all with headphones to the parks. That's the reason we were worried about bringing them.

I was going to say give each kid a cinch sack type backpack to carry them in, but then I saw the ages ... that won't work

You will probably just need to bring a backpack in that's big enough to carry all of them. If you do this, make sure they either have a protective case on them (something as strong as an Otterbox may not be needed, but some sort of case and screen cover) or a sleeve to store them in so they don't get damaged, and then be very careful with your backpack. I've never carried something as large as an iPad or tablet into a park, all I have is my Galaxy S3.