Special Needs Children and WDW

[landmark]

I have a five year old autistic son. We are planning a trip to WDW right after my husband returns from deployment overseas. So this hasn't been the easiest time on DS anyway. However, with the military benefits that Disney is having right now and since DH is only National Guard and not active we don't have much time to act.

I'm concerned about him flying. Though I believe he'd love to ride in a "hairplane" He is so sensitive to noises that we are planning to drive. I'm certain that he'd overcome the noise issue but the ear popping is my main concern and we'd have to have at least two connections.

Anyway my main question is... how are other parents dealing with preparing a special needs child for exactly what to expect. His vocabulary is not that big and his communication skills are lacking. I've been showing him all the photo galleries that I can find and we have received our Disney planning video which he watches AT LEAST once a day. I talk about all the people, and standing in line, sleeping in a hotel etc etc. He seems very excited. I just want him to be as prepared as possible. Of course he loves all the characters so he will feel right at home.

I've been to Disney three times before and so has DH, this will be DD (11) and DS (6 at time of trip) first time. I have asked my parents to go along so that they can help if needed... if Austin needs to go back to the room for a break then they can take Aubrey and remain in the parks... etc.

Is there anything else that I should be doing?

Any hints for when we get there?

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[eek40]

Hi and congratulations on your planning, it seems to me that you have a great plan already. If you do decide to fly here are a few things that could make it bearable for you and your son. They make these little ear plugs that releive the pressure in the ears, I think they are called earplanes? They have them in adult and childrens sizes. They are awesome, I have a horrible time with my ears in flight and these do the trick. As far as the parks the only thing I can think of is that the park can be very very loud , like parades....fireworks...etc, and children like your son tend to have a hard time with that. So maybe avoid parade areas and head off to a nice quiet area, like the little island, tom sawyers Island where there is a playground, or catch some rides, if you notice that the noise on the rides is bothering him, have a set of ear plugs handy and use those to decress the levels of the noise for him. And if you can do all possible to stay at a resort on the monorail....this will make a huge difference in being able to get back to the resort quickly if you need to. The ones I like are the Grand Floridian, and Polyensian. Contempory can be a bit on the loud side with the monorail going in the middle of it. Good luck and I hope you have the trip of a lifetime!
Aimee

 

[Nik's Mom]

Hi Landmark,
Our 4 year old DS was recently diagnosed with autism. He is also limited in communicating. We are doing the same, showing videos and pictures of our previous trip (when he was 2). On the plane, I bought the "ear planes" in child size, although I doubt he will like them. Because he is limited in speech, we are also planning on buying a medicalert bracelet, in case he gets separated from us (God forbid!). There are a couple of good threads over on the disAbilities board. Check it out. Others have suggested getting the GAC pass. You can learn more on the disAbilities board about that.
If you are staying on site, try to take advantage of early entry. This will help keep waiting in line to a minimum. I'm curious, are you planning on going to any fireworks shows? I would like to take Nik to Fantasmic, but worry about the large crowd with a special needs child, and 1 year baby in tow.

P.S. We are going in a month. I will report back how everything went !

 

[landmark]

Hello!

We are going the end of Sept if all goes well and DH returns when he's supposed to.

I'm not planning on being up close to any fireworks... We are staying at the Contemporary so I'm planning on watching them from the docks I believe and the viewing areas up top.

I'm also planning on taking some ear muffs that he can wear in the rides if the volume is too loud for him. I'm not sure about the earplanes as he's not wild on having anything stuck in his ears or mouth. (The Dentist was REALLY fun earlier this month.)

Will be very interested in how your trip goes!

 

[SueM in MN]

Follow the link in my signature to get to the disABILITIES Board.
if you can't find the info you need, ask as many questions as you like. The threads only stay visible on the board for about a month, but they are still there you do a search (or I can help you to find some that have gone invisible).

 

[Jessiewoodiel35]

My son is almost 4 PDD/non verbal and we are driving from N.J.
I also have two other children dd's are 5 and almost 2.
I am a little nervous how he will be...but, I know he'll love the it. He really enjoys the rides. Every now and then, will go to Jenkinson's or Great Adventure and he has a blast with the rides. It's the getting off the ride is the difficulty part..sometimes he gets upset and I tell him we are going on more rides.

I also, have a double side-by-side stroller which I think is the only thing that saves me. If they throw there tandrums it easier to put them in the stroller and move on.

I think you (original op) has everything covered. You'll be fine and your son and family will have a wonderful time. I've been to DW once before I was married with kids. My dh and little ones this will be there first time...I think I more excited about the trip.

P.S. Thanks to the op that mention the alert braclet which is a great idea. I will definetly do that.

 

[tebright]

I have an 11 year old autistic son and his first visit to Disney was 2 years ago. The only real issue we had was the volume of the attractions. We are going again this December and I will definately have earplugs.

My son will not fly. At 5 he would not have been able to communicate that to us but now he can. I would be very cautious especially if you have a layover because if he doesn't want to do it any longer, I know how that can be. We drove 2 years ago but this year we are taking the auto train and he is very excited about that.

We did use the Guest Assistance Pass 2 years ago when needed and it was definately a lifesaver. The parks were not that crowded so we only used it when needed. As long as you are prepared with earplugs, a plan if there is sensory overload, you will be fine and he will have fun.

Good luck with your planning and if you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to PM me. Have fun.