The Vacation Of Her Dreams

[Butterflies31]

Hi
I have a 9 year old daughter who is diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, and ODD.
We are in Process Of planning Our 1st trip to Disney World. This is Actually our 1st big trip. We live in NY and maybe have traveled out of the state twice. When she was 2 we took her and my oldest daughter to Hershey Park In PA. When she was 3 we took her and my oldest daughter and my baby 6 months old to Virgina to Kings Dominion. She was young then and we realy didnt have to worry about her because we kept her at arms reach. Now my Daughter is 9 and well lets say she can wonder off just in her own back yard. I need advice on what to do and what not to do. I am a worry wort.. But yet I want to make this Vacation so special that she will never forget it. She is very excited and scared she tells me, She wants to go to buildabear in Downtown Disney. She told me she wants to meet all the princesses and fairy's. So I have an Idea what will catch her interest, but I can not see her sitting threw many shows and such. I can not see her standing in line very long for any thing.

I have many questions

Please Help me

 

[peemagg]

When you get to the parks, go to guest relations and ask for a Guest Assistance Card (GAC). You will need to explain to them what kind of accomodations she needs, not her diagnosis.

Also if you look at the FAQS section at the top of this forum, there is a section there that explains a lot of what you will face at Disney. It will help with most of your questions and put your mind at ease. If you have any questions not answered there feel free to ask. We'll all try and help as much as possible.

 

[livndisney]

Hi
I have a 9 year old daughter who is diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, and ODD.
We are in Process Of planning Our 1st trip to Disney World. This is Actually our 1st big trip. We live in NY and maybe have traveled out of the state twice. When she was 2 we took her and my oldest daughter to Hershey Park In PA. When she was 3 we took her and my oldest daughter and my baby 6 months old to Virgina to Kings Dominion. She was young then and we realy didnt have to worry about her because we kept her at arms reach. Now my Daughter is 9 and well lets say she can wonder off just in her own back yard. I need advice on what to do and what not to do. I am a worry wort.. But yet I want to make this Vacation so special that she will never forget it. She is very excited and scared she tells me, She wants to go to buildabear in Downtown Disney. She told me she wants to meet all the princesses and fairy's. So I have an Idea what will catch her interest, but I can not see her sitting threw many shows and such. I can not see her standing in line very long for any thing.

I have many questions

Please Help me

There is no build a bear in DTD at WDW. There is a Build a Dino in T-Rex. T-Rex can be very loud, dark and "scary".

 

[JACH1976]

We've gone to WDW twice with our DS(5), who has ASD with ADHD-like symptoms and some sensory issues. He's had a GREAT time both visits, and we've always been surprised at how well he's done. Some suggestions... We take a pair of noise-muffling headphones to dampen some of the loud sound effects, we also take his iPod so that he can listen to music if he needs a break and some small toys to distract him. We hit the parks fairly early in the morning, stay until the early afternoon, and then head back to the hotel for a break and/or swim. We've gone back for the evening a couple of times, but usually we're done for the day. We also take our own lunch into the park (you can take a cooler if it's a softside cooler and not huge), so that he has familiar snacks and lunch food. We also use the FASTPASS system a lot, so that we can minimize waiting times as much as possible.

We also go at the slow times, but I know that it's not possible for everyone.

My best advice is to, as much as possible, take your time, and not be in a rush. Our guy gets really anxious when we're stressed, we've found that slowing down, playing in the fountain at Epcot or running off steam at Tom Sawyer's Island made for a much-more enjoyed day that running around waiting in lines. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[SueM in MN]

In post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is information about Guest Assistance Cards, which was mentioned by peemagg.

One thing that many people have found helpful for children with autism is being able to use a stroller in line and have it treated like a wheelchair. Post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread mentions that.
If you go to post #2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, you will also find some information about renting special needs strollers (just go past all the information about wheelchairs and ECVs to find it). One of the companies that rents special needs strollers also rents a GPS locator, which might be helpful in finding your child if she wanders off.