Special Needs Teenagers

[lambersalex]

My two teens 15 and 16 are classified as mildly mentally handicapped. They seem quite normal in most respects especially my daughter. But are not able to make the normal good decisions that you would expect for children of their age. Now that they are getting older their interests are changing and I am curious about other attractions that might fit them.

Daughters interests are more flexible and not terribly boy crazy and is somewhat shy.

My son loves anything with a motor that he can drive. We enjoyed the small boats at the Fort Wilderness Lodge. He was able to do a great job with me in the boat with him. I am not sure if I want him to drive by himself. His driving skills are very good and he would do fine this year if I drive in a boat next to him. Jet skis are something we have never tried and may be too powerful at this point.

I have not spent any time in the teenage/college age area in downtown Disney. We have not gone to the wave pool resorts either.

Any suggestions of what might be attractive for their age group, subtract 3 or 4 years from their chronological age to adjust for relative maturity?

Thanks.

 

[mickey&minniealways]

When is your next trip planned for. We are going in May. DS is now 24. He is considered to be a low functioning adult. I basically have a permanent 15/16 year old. DD will turn 16 two days before our trip. It is especially hard when they don't look the part like ours. Other people give us dirty looks because our kids don't act their age. It can be very difficult at times. Especialy for the girls. They tend to be very trusting and that can be very worrisome. There is really to much info to reply in a short message. PM me if you want someone to talk to.

 

[clanmcculloch]

They're old enough to tell you about their interests. Why not involve them in the planning? Let them look through the options at the resorts, water parks, DTD (include Disney Quest in that) and parks.

Is there a reason you feel a need to find "teen" things for them to do? You'd be surprised at how many typical teens actually enjoy WDW with their families doing regular park activities. Have your kids actually said they want to do other things or are you assuming that because of their ages they must want to? I'm not asking to be difficult; I've been guilty of doing this with my own kids at times which really just creates more work and anxiety for myself for no reason.

What are their interests? What do they enjoy spending their time doing? What have their favourite things been at WDW up until now?

 

[lambersalex]

Thanks. I think of our family as being so unique. It is a surprise for me to find that there are others in similar situations. My two also look very normal in public, but do not act up. I just cannot trust them to make the kind of decisions that I made at their age. We try not to be overly protective, but are too often surprised.

I was stopped for speeding a few weeks ago and my son in the passenger seat who is the size of an adult at 15 began to make the officer uneasy because he would not obey his instructions as quickly as the officer expected. There was not time to explain to this very young officer what was going on. Fortunately, it all worked out fine, but it struck me how not everyone would understand that my son's version of reality is not the norm and that I may not have time to explain.

 

[brat]

We are at WDW right now and Foster son is ASD and Disney has been great for him, they understand that just because a kid looks age x it is okay to let your little kid come out and play.

Since Disney is so child friendly you guys can have fun.

 

[mickey&minniealways]

We are at WDW right now and Foster son is ASD and Disney has been great for him, they understand that just because a kid looks age x it is okay to let your little kid come out and play.

Since Disney is so child friendly you guys can have fun.

This is exactly what my kids like abut disney. It does not matter here is they don't act like a normal teenager at home. At Disney everyone is a little kid. There are enough of us there that seem to be more accepting. They are not expected to conform.

 

[my3apsons]

Thank you for writing this because reading it has put me at ease. I have 3 boys with ASD, they look the right age but sometimes act far from it. P is 16 and bigger then my husband but sometimes often lacks common sense or the ability to react to whats going on around him quick enough. S is 12 and along with ASD has other disabilities. He's a huge disney fan and this will be his first trip. I'm hoping the crowds don't get to him. He's 12 but really more like a 7 year old in maturity level. M is 10 and has come so far but is much like his older brother P. Then we have one little girl that holds all those men under her thumb. She is such a wonderful little girl at 8.

Disney has been put off more times then I can count because I was scared. Reading this board has helped. I think, by reading, that I know whatever happens will be ok.

 

[scrappylove]

I'm very happy to see this thread! My son is 22 with autism. We are going to DW in May and, although I have a good handle on what I think will work for him, it's still reassuring to hear about other's experiences. We are touring mainly by theme: Pirates/trains at MK, Lion King/animals at AK, Star Wars at HS and the Passport at FW in Epcot.

One potential concern I have is the possibility of a 'too-loud' melt-down during the MK fireworks (he's a foot taller than me now and pretty strong!) I've heard that the second floor at the train station is a good viewing spot so my plan is to stake out a spot there early on and if he can't handle it, we have a quick exit from the park. Does anyone have any other thoughts on how best to view the fireworks for the sensory impaired?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If the noises will bother him, get a pair of "Shooting muffs" at a Walmart or sporting goods store. These are designed so they do not really attenuate soft noises, but do cut down considerably sharp loud noises such as fireworks. These tend to be large enough that they do not press on the ears themselves, but on the head around the ears.

 

[scrappylove]

Thanks, unfortunately the ear muffs are a great idea for many, but not for DS, much as I wish otherwise! He couldn't tolerate them when he was young and now as a young adult ... well, they are just NOT cool looking.

It's as much of a total sensory overload issue as it is noise. The flashing, the noise, the lack of visual containment, if that makes sense. For example, when he was young he loved The Mighty Ducks so we took him to a college game. Total overload meltdown... the echoes, the movement everywhere, the dropping away of seats. So we took him out in the hall and let him watch it through the window of one of the doors. Perfect! We'd 'contained' the experience to a manageable level for him. My hope with the train station is that the view will be contained and manageable so that the noise won't be as bothersome. Does anyone know how deep the second floor level is? I'd also thought that if he needed to, he could retreat away from the railing a bit and I could still watch the fireworks, which I've never seen on my three other trips because of rain or other things replacing them. It's the one to-do thing on MY list so I'm determined to find success somehow!

 

[curemyreed]

my3apsons, I sent you a Private Message (PM). I see that your post count is low, so not sure if you have to have a certain post count before you can respond via PM. You can email me back if you would like.

 

[curemyreed]

Hi, scrappylove. We have never watched from the train station, but I had some ideas. You might want to go to YouTube and enter "Disneyworld fireworks from train station" or something else you think might pull it up and see if any videos posted there help you any. In September we exited the park but watched from the dock entrance where you board the boat for Wilderness Lodge. DD9 has an autism diagnosis and sensory issues. She sports the good ole' Walmart sound-dampening ear muffs frequently while at Disney as it does help her. She did not ask for them as we watched the fireworks from that spot, so the fireworks must not have been too loud from there. As I recall the majority of the fireworks were visible from there, but you might want to ask others if you do consider watching from that area, as I hadn't planned that as a viewing spot and we just lucked into doing that. I do wonder if there might be speakers broadcasting right at the train station that might be too loud.

Hope something here helps you. Another consideration, if the ear muffs are inappropriate age or developmentally for your son, how about earphones plugged into an iPod? One of my neurotypical kids prefers the ones that fit into the ear and the other one prefers the kind that completely covers the ear. Neither of those headphones would stand out as looking weird on a 22-year-old AND he could use music or a movie to block out an intolerable noise. And stay occupied while waiting for the show to start!

 

[curemyreed]

lambersalex, first thank you for starting this post. I don't remember anyone bringing this up before and it looks like others are interested in ideas for their own teens.

My husband and I have both done the Segway tour at Epcot and LOVED it! My neurotypical son is turning 16 and this has been something he has looked forward to being able to do when he turns 16 as that is the minimum age requirement for the Segways at Disney. I don't know what differences exactly your son has, but knowing that he can drive a motorized boat makes me think this could be a consideration. I would say you just need average coordination and ability to balance. You would definitely need to be able to follow directions to understand how to operate the Segway which is taught to you in a short "class" before heading out to the World Showcase. My DD with autism could physically master the Segway, but would not be able to follow along when being instructed how to operate it, so therefore could not go on a Segway tour.

My teens also like The Sum Of All Thrills at Innoventions in Epcot. They like to try and go when it isn't crowded so that they can do it repeatedly. Their only restaurant request each trip is to go to the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant at Hollywood Studios. Who doesn't love sitting in a car under the stars watching campy movie clips?!

Other than the Segway, my kids haven't made any "I can't wait until I'm older to...." comments as far as Disney goes. I can't think of anything specifically appealing to this age. Seems like most of what they liked as little 'uns they like now and we adults like doing those things too at Disney.

 

[scrappylove]

Hi, scrappylove. We have never watched from the train station, but I had some ideas. You might want to go to YouTube and enter "Disneyworld fireworks from train station" or something else you think might pull it up and see if any videos posted there help you any. In September we exited the park but watched from the dock entrance where you board the boat for Wilderness Lodge. DD9 has an autism diagnosis and sensory issues. She sports the good ole' Walmart sound-dampening ear muffs frequently while at Disney as it does help her. She did not ask for them as we watched the fireworks from that spot, so the fireworks must not have been too loud from there. As I recall the majority of the fireworks were visible from there, but you might want to ask others if you do consider watching from that area, as I hadn't planned that as a viewing spot and we just lucked into doing that. I do wonder if there might be speakers broadcasting right at the train station that might be too loud.

Hope something here helps you. Another consideration, if the ear muffs are inappropriate age or developmentally for your son, how about earphones plugged into an iPod? One of my neurotypical kids prefers the ones that fit into the ear and the other one prefers the kind that completely covers the ear. Neither of those headphones would stand out as looking weird on a 22-year-old AND he could use music or a movie to block out an intolerable noise. And stay occupied while waiting for the show to start!

These are really helpful suggestions. Thank you! I did check out YouTube and found a good video. I hadn't realized how loud the shreiking crowd would be! Love the Ipod idea and will definitely just plug him into his own Disney Music.

 

[krisnme]

My DS is 19 and HF autism. we almost always watch fireworks from the train station, but get there at least 1 1/2 hours early, and there are no seats to sit on so be prepared to sit on hot concrete. the noise is much better at this distance and it is a terriffic vantage point and not quite as stimulating as standing in the crowds looking up at the fireworks. I do still give DS a pair of foam earplugs to use. you could bring a blanket and snacks and stow them in a locker located on the lower level of the train station. we usually go for a soda and popcorn from the stand next to the ramp to the upper level, and the bathrooms are also close by in the guest services building. have a great trip!

 

[scrappylove]

Thank you, krisnme, that is very helpful! I was wondering how early to get there. I also really like the idea of using a locker for a blanket and snacks.