Unsure if DS needs DAS

[ErinRB]

I have a DS4 with ASD(HF)/SPD. I do not know how he will react in WDW. He could be great with everything and act like an NT 4YO or he could not. I'm mostly concerned with catastrophic meltdowns and temper tantrums while waiting, but I would think that any parent of a 4 year old would be concerned with this. He is sensitive to loud noises, and certain smells, he also has pretty high anxiety, which can become worse the longer we wait. We're going at the end of September, so I'm not expecting large crowds/lines, would a DAS even be necessary?

 

[bababear_50]

Hi
I would take the planning in steps.

Here are a few of my suggestions:

1 review park maps with him-helping him gain a bit of visual and spatial sense of what you are planning will help.

2 View online videos of attractions ,rides and shows.
Mom's TOP 2 rides and "JOHN's TOP 2 Rides".

3.Plan a restaurant break and visit me down on the Creative Dis Forum and I will make you a Break Coupon and Choose what we do next coupon .Just let me know if interested and his first name.

4.Choose your three FP+ with him.

5. Take figit toy or a hand held game toy for waits in line.

6. Consider viewing fireworks from outside of Parks if the noise is too much.
Some parents have had sucess with noise reducing headphones.

7. Carry a small mini flashlight for dark rides.

8. Print out a visual schedule of your plans.
here is an example of one you could make

9, Consider a stroller and a blankie (beach towel) which can be drapped over the stroller in order to give him a sense of security and privacy.

Have fun planning
Hugs Mel

 

[lanejudy]

Great ideas above, I'll add a few suggestions to PP's list:

• Take breaks, whether that be mid-day return to the resort for nap/swimming or just downtime for snack and people-watching in the park.
• Try to stick to a "normal" day for meals and sleeping -- bedtime and waking at typical times, meals similar schedule as home, plus a couple extra snacks. Hungry and/or tired = quicker time to meltdown.
• Be prepared to scrap the plans and return to the resort for a break.
• Plan at least one non-park day. Hang at the resort, swim, DTD, resort-hop. Something low-key.

As to whether you "need" a DAS -- you know your kid best. Have you tried a local zoo or amusement park to see how he does in those situations? You can give it a trial-run on your first day to see how he does, then request the DAS if needed. Or request a DAS (be prepared to discuss his needs related to waiting in a standard queue, not his diagnosis or other issues) and use if necessary. Late September should be nice for low crowds.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[bababear_50]

I would also read up on this thread,,sounds to me like a DAS might assist your needs,
Link here
http://www.disboards.com/threads/dl...-1-update-12-7-14-das-tied-to-ticket.3179460/


Hugs Mel

 

[nikkislaght]

Use noise canceling headphones. my son uses these and they work a treat... also he wears hats to help with noise and visual distractions... my son is very sensitive to smells also... I get him use to a scent.. so it could be lavender or a perfume that I wear . and then I will put some on either his shirt before we leave or a hankie or bandanna that he can sniff when smells get overwhelming for him... sometime you can just put a dab on a scrunchie and he can wear it on his wrist too.. lots of snack.. crunchy snacks.. my son wears under armor clothing ... and will take a lyrca sheet of material so that he can give himself a " hug".. we find an empty place so that he can jump, hop and spin.. also using one of those exercise bands while in line, put under foot and get him to pull up.. resistance work is heavy work ,, and heavy work is what a SPD body needs.. get your husband to carry him upside sometimes through out the day... resetting the vestibular senses in his body will help him get through the day.. as will letting him run . if he is a seeker and loves textures .. take a small bag with some different textured balls. that he can play with while in line.. if he is not too good at holding onto balls then a small hand made book of different textured materials will work for him to rub too. allowing down time too is important... no matter how much fun my son is having.. he needs his time to play with his cars... he is ten and still packs at least 50 match box cars to take to Disneyland...lol.
oh another good thing... let him wear a small backpack. with weight in it.. this will not only slow him down.. but the feedback will be great for his body.. its almost like a weighted vest.. and if you have a weighted vest then make sure he wears it.. if you have a sensory diet for him make sure you do it.. it will get him through the day..

here is a good webside to look through...
http://specialchildren.about.com/od/specialsituation1/a/spddisney.htm

hope you have a great trip.

 

[Abbey1]

It sounds like our sons have some similar sensitivities (loud noises, smells etc.). My son is 3 1/2. We recently returned from a trip to Disneyland and are now planning for DW trip next year because he enjoyed it so much.

One thing we did that helped A LOT was watch youtube videos of every single ride we planned on riding. We even watched videos of some of the food available (my son is an extremely picky eater thanks to his SPD). It might seem excessive but it really helped him to feel secure and comfortable. I also researched every restaurant we planned on eating at and made sure they had at least one or two of my son's "staples".

I ended up with a pretty ridiculously detailed itinerary, but it honestly helped so much and made things a lot easier. We tried to mix shows and performances with rides so he was never bombarded with too much of one thing. Tried to pick some quieter restaurants and left the park each day for nap/break. We still had a few meltdowns, but nothing like I was dreading/expecting. My son calms down pretty quickly if I let him play a game on my phone for a few minutes- so that's what we did in those situations.

Good luck- I bet your trip will be amazing!

 

[Hoodie]

You can always get one and not use it. My oldest with PDD-NOS was almost 5 when we went last. He did really well the first half of the trip and we got the DAS for the last couple of days when he was worn out. Looking back, I wish we had it from the start as it would have made a couple of sketchy situations easier. We found that while the waiting was hard (and it is hard for any kid) what was worse was the interactive lines. For most kids those lines are amazing. For those who are more sensitive to stimulation, it can be a big problem. The closest we came to a complete shut down was in the TSM line. Too many things happening all at once, and we had hit it at rope drop so we weren't in it for more than about 15 minutes. Sometimes the DAS is helpful for those situations, rather than the waiting issue.

A few things to keep in mind: Disney is overstimulating for any kid, let alone those who are on the spectrum. And it is exhausting. The more tired my son gets, the more frequent the autistic behaviors become. We had a stroller that was able to pull the top down really far and that helped a lot. He would just go into his own little space a bit. He actually spent more time in the stroller than his 2 1/2 year old brother did. The most important thing is to pay attention to what he can handle and plan around that. Give him rest times, realize that you may not be able to do absolutely everything, and have a GREAT time!

(As an aside - my son was terrified of the characters, which was weird because he loved them when we had gone when he was 3. Still, we met the talking Mickey and he was AMAZING with him. )