Special Needs Child - w/o a wheelchair?

[LAB]

I have been a member of this board for about two years now and have enjoyed planning our last two WDW trips here.

Last Tuesday, my precious baby girl (2 years old on 10/10) was diagnosed with autism. Currently I am busy arranging the best possible care and educational therapy for her.

Here is my question: My daughter has trouble waiting patiently. I can not take her to a grocery store or really wait for anything at all without her having a hard time coping. Until last Tuesday, I thought that I was doing something wrong and that I had a "high maintenance child". Now I know that she is trapped with a brain that just won't allow her to have patience at this time. We will work on this and other "problems" from now on and hopefully she will be able to learn to wait patiently and to understand why it is important to do so.

But, we have decided that our family is in need of some magic and will be planning a family trip to WDW in the near future. Does Disney make any kind of accommodations for these kind of kids? Camille has a "disabiblity" but is not in a wheelchair. Do they offer any kind of pass where she and a parent could go to the beginning of the line to get on rides?

I would never take advantage of any kind of pass like this and I would not let my other two children go to the front if we were not going on a ride without our youngest daughter. I do want her to be able to have happiness at WDW but am affraid that the waits would just ruin any chance of that happening.

Any advice out there?

Thank you.

 

[daughtersrus]

There shouldn't be a problem getting a GAC for your trip. Disney realizes that not all disabilities are physical.

My daughter needs a wheelchair. On both of our trips (7/99 and 7/02) we were able to use the special line for rides that she wasn't going to ride (like Star Wars, Mountain Railroad...) We tried to go through the regular line and do the baby swap but the CM wouldn't let us. She said that they don't want my dd to have to wait eventhough she wasn't able to ride.

Have a GREAT trip!

Diane (mom to Emily genetic disease Alpha Mannosidosis)

 

[SueM in MN]

There are Guest Assistance Cards that try to make the type of assistance you need available to you. You ask for the card at Guest Services at any of the parks. They do say that the card is not meant to (and very often won't) shorten your wait, but often you will be able to wait somewhere more appropriate to your needs. When it isn't busy in the parks, the CMs are able to be more accomidating (like letting you use the fastpass line) than when it is busy.
You might want to look into getting a GAC that allows you to use a stroller as a wheelchair (taking it into rides/attractions and lines with you). She may not need the stroller physically any more than any other 2 year old, but a lot of people who have children with autism, report that their child feels more comfortable with the security of the stroller. It's like bringing a little island of security with them and they can cope better with whatever else is going on.
You will find a lot of support here on the disABILITIES Board. Quite a few reader/posters have children with autism spectrum disabilities.

{{{hugs}}}

 

[Figment1964]

We just got back from WDW less than 2 weeks ago and we had a GAC for our son who has Asperger's Syndrome. When I went to the guest relations window and said he had autism she asked me his name, the number of people in our party and how long we were staying. She then came right back with a pass that allowed us to use the Fastpass entrance or an alternate entrance if no FP was offered on that ride. And for us we did use it when we were going on a ride that he wasn't going to go on since it was the waiting part that he has such difficulty with, he wouldn't have to wait while we were in line for a long time. That's what the CM's suggested that we do.

The Cast Members were great about it, for the most part, often asking if there was anything else we needed as far as accomodations.

Hope that helps!

 

[suzysezso]

I also have an 11 year old son with autism and while he never uses a wheelchair anywhere else I find it to be an absolute Godsend when we visit theme parks like Disney, Universal, and Busch Gardens.

First of all when there is any kind of a wait your child will find it much easier to wait sitting down than standing up.
Of course a child that is not so tired from walking and standing in hot lines is less likely to have a melt down. I am also less likely to melt down because there is much less wrestling with him trying to keep him close to me.
I also find the chair convienient to hang my tote bag from and I find myself actually using it as a support to lean on when I am getting weary later in the day (I have a bad hip myself).
I also find DS is less likely to bolt or at least it's easier to catch up to him when he has to climb out of the chair to run after something that has caught his eye.
Besides those reasons. you really should consider renting a chair even if your child can ride in a stroller because it is easier to manuver in and out of the lines than the rental strollers. It just gets tiresome explaining that you have special permission when people tell you that you can't bring a stroller on the lines.
If you have any awkward feelings about using an assistance pass, having the child in the chair makes a noticeable difference in the amount of comments, questions and nasty looks from both the crowd and some less than ideal employees.
Just my 2 cents-

 

[s&k'smom]

Hi LABB just wanted to send you a hug. It's been four years since my DS was diagnosed and like you we are busy making sure he gets the right education and we are also heading to WDW is six weeks!!! We are definately getting the GAC. In my dealings so far with CM's in regards to him they have been absolutely fabulous. There are so many wonderful programs now for kids on the spectrum. I'm sure your daughter is going to do great.

 

[SueM in MN]

Since the original poster has a 2 year old, I suggest bringing your own stroller. She will be much more comfortable in the stroller she is familiar with. You can get a guest Assistance Card to use the stroller as a wheelchair. It may be tedious to get the card out and show people that you are allowed to use the stroller in line, but it would be much safer than using an adult size wheelchair for a small child.

 

[SueM in MN]

Since the original poster has a 2 year old, I suggest bringing your own stroller. She will be much more comfortable in the stroller she is familiar with. You can get a guest Assistance Card to use the stroller as a wheelchair. It may be tedious to get the card out and show people that you are allowed to use the stroller in line, but it would be much safer than using an adult size wheelchair for a small child. link that has a large number of suggestions for travel with children with autism.

 

[suzysezso]

oops- missed the 2 year old part... yes I would have to agree at least until the child is 4 or 5 would the wheel chair be preferable!

 

[SueM in MN]

Since all that WDW provides is adult wheelchairs, once a child is to big to fit in a stroller, I would suggest either getting a special needs stroller or renting a special needs stroller from one of the medical equipment (or child equipment) places in the WDW area. The special needs strollers are similar to regular ones, just larger.
A 4 or 5 year old in a regular adult wheelchair doesn't really fit well. Their legs hang straight out because the end of the seat is about at their calf. The armrests will not be in a comfortable spot to support the arms - usually closer to the shoulder. The kids I've seen just don't look very comfortable. The adult rental wheelchairs are also much heavier to push than a stroller.