*Updated* Any tips for a vacation with language delayed toddler?

[branv]

**Update below**

When I'd started planning this trip for DS, I knew going a few months after his second birthday would mean not much in the way of response/expression of thoughts or wishes, but I definitely didn't expect him to be as behind as he's going to be. He is 22 months, but his ECI evaluation just showed him behind on expressive communication by about 8 months (only a little on responsive, which they're attributing more to slight immaturity on being able to focus/concentrate. And thankfully he's advanced on motor skills, and no apparent social issues so far. Very good at using other forms of communication to let us know what he wants).

I had hoped to do a few of the things to get him age-appropriately involved in the lead up to the trip, things to prep him or get him excited (especially since it will be his first plane trip). I planned stuff for on the trip based upon recommendations from parents on here of similarly aged kids. But now, I'm at a loss as to if he will process things the same, if his inability or unwillingness to communicate will cause challenges I'm unprepared for due to lack of experience. He doesn't seem to get overly frustrated by inability to communicate yet, but I know the four months leading up to our trip can be a lifetime in toddler time.

He will start his speech therapy in a few weeks, and he is also starting MDO in a few months, which hopefully will help, but who knows.

Any parents out there who can tell me if speech delays affected how you approached your trip or how your child responded to the trip? Any tips?

Thanks.

**Update**

Sorry this took so long, but we just got dismissed from speech therapy and it made me remember this thread.

You guys were so right about how Disney helps stimulate language!

Our trip was a little challenging. DS is usually pretty good about listening/following direction in familiar places, but I underestimated how much novel environments stimulate him (I mean, I've seen it before with him... he acts like a hyper chihuahua for a bit...but failed to realize how unending the oversimulation is at WDW). So the trip was even more exhausting than anticipated (plus the whole way higher crowds and temps than expected). He constantly had to be held or strollered to keep from bolting. And let's just say he did not want to be held.

Largely, while there, I didn't see much difference communication wise. If anything, he was a little quieter except for when he met Tinker Bell and while waiting in-between characters at Crystal Palace (or vocalizing his extreme dislike of fireworks). But I did see some new words ("Fireworks, boomboom. Safe." "Mono(rail)!")

But about a week later, he started trying to talk about Disney (in his way), with words he'd acquired about it ('teacups!"). About two weeks later it was multiple new words a day. Three weeks later, it was an avalanche, and oh my goodness did he want to talk about Disney. Disney Disney Disney. Four weeks later, and I honestly felt like he was speaking/communicating at a rate typical for his age. Two months after our trip he was discharged from speech therapy as actually communicating slightly above his age level.

Now I know he probably just hit that avalanche that so many "nonverbal" kids do after two. But it definitely seems to have been either stimulated or encouraged by our trip. Our speech therapists were amazed.

Thanks so much for your tips and reassurances. Particularly about making a book to help prepare him for the trip. I can't tell you how much I believe that helped him for his first airplane trip. Nothing was unexpected for him, not even the loud airplane noise and the sensation in his ears. And it actually seemed to make him super excited to get on the airplane.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I have never dealt with this, but wanted to say the therapist will be a wealth of information. Ask them the same questions you asked here. They would love the opportunity to help you learn to communicate with your child and allow him the same experience as other children.

 

[lucyddr]

Our 20 month olds were both delayed significantly when we went to Disney last year. Neither said more than 4-5 words when we went, though did learn a couple of new ones while we were there! First off, I would listen and respond to his cues. If he's overwhelmed, get him to a more quiet place (think cool theater near corner) and just play a bit. If he's tired, let him nap at will. If he's refusing to nap when you want him to, just let it go and press on. When he's cranky and you are at a total loss as to why, try food! Let's just say we learned that via VERY hard knocks on our trip. Even if he was just offered food 20 minutes before and refused, our son was starving to death just minutes later...which led to total meltdowns! We learned to keep crackers handy!

We showed our children Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes, Frozen (mainly the song videos on YouTube only), and tried to read about the characters in hopes that they would recognize the characters and not be petrified. When meeting them, we found that letting the kids stay in their highchairs seemed to alleviate a TON of stress for them! They loved giving kisses and high 5's, but when picked up...they panicked. Just something to think about when seeing characters at this age!

We are going back in a few weeks with MUCH more expressive toddlers. The change in 11 months is almost unbelievable! Best wishes! Relax, don't over plan, listen to his cues, try food when nothing else works, stop for the little things (like the street bands...those were huge hits for ours), and just enjoy yourselves!

 

[Raenstoirm]

Have you tried sign language? I am reading a book called the baby signing bible. It has a whole chapter on speech delayed kids and how sign language is so beneficial. Not sure if it would work for your child since I am no expert, but you could pick a few words to try and see if he picks them up.

 

[kgeary]

We went with our two year old. Only words were Mamma and Gaagaa. He communicated fine with us and even started saying Grandma on our trip, we brought Grandma. When he said Grandma I know my mother in law will always remember he started saying it at Disney.

Our guy had a blast. He picked up sounds for trains from his brothers during the trip. He was very clingy of his father (me) but he enjoyed it thoroughly in fact he says Green Chew Chew whenever he sees a pic of a monorail.

Go don't let it discourage you. You never know he might break out of his shell on the trip. And you might have an amazing backdrop for it. But trust me he will have plenty to communicate about.

 

[3Gsandme]

My two smallest were significantly speech delayed with my middle being very delayed. She didn't go to WDW as a toddler, but I can't come up with anything we did "for fun" where her delays made a difference. She could nod or shake her head for yes and no and we let that lead us. She was never very frustrated by her inability to speak. Probably because we catered to her so much.

We just kept doing what we figured she liked and went from there. I remember being stressed about a lot of things regarding her delays but whether or not she'd have fun wasn't a concern.

 

[Dbk8784]

My son is almost 2.5 and has a significant speech delay as well as other delays. We've taken him to Disney many times already with the last time in May. Sign language is the best way for him to express what he wants. I don't think his delay prohibited him from having a great time. He loves mickey and frozen and he definitely let us know that he was excited to be there. i will say everytime we have gone on vacation he had picked up a new skill. The little break from therapy always did well for him. I'm sure your little one will have a great time.

 

[lanejudy]

Very good at using other forms of communication to let us know what he wants).

As long as you are able to understand his needs/wants, I honestly wouldn't worry about it. If he's hungry, tired, needing a change, overstimulated... it sounds like you are attuned to his communication style now. Being on vacation will have little change to that -- yes, he may get overstimulated more (or more quickly) and tired, but even a toddler with advanced communication skills is still a toddler and doesn't suddenly become an encyclopedia of words able to express insight to his needs and feelings at all times. Every parent of toddlers continues to read verbal and non-verbal signals.

I had hoped to do a few of the things to get him age-appropriately involved in the lead up to the trip, things to prep him or get him excited (especially since it will be his first plane trip).

I'd continue with your plans. As long as they are age-appropriate, he'll respond age--- whether that's verbally or otherwise. You've indicated he's not particularly delayed in responsive communication which means he understands, he just can't tell you that in words. Make experiences interactive, which is typical behavior at this age anyway. Read a book and let him point to pictures. Do hands-on activities -- coloring pages, playsets, etc. Continue to talk about what you are doing and what your plans are, he needs to hear your speech even if he doesn't respond verbally.

Any parents out there who can tell me if speech delays affected how you approached your trip or how your child responded to the trip? Any tips?

In a nutshell... no, DD's speech delays have not impacted us at all with regard to vacation plans. Go and enjoy your little guy's first visit!

Have a great vacation!

 

[gatormom2tots]

My son had expressive language delay- diagnosed about the same time with about the same delay (I think he was estimated 9-12 months)...never changed changed how we lived or life or approached family vacations. With expressive, they understand everything as a typical child, its just the expressive...some tantrums in daily as he struggled with expressing his needs and wants and struggled some with the immaturity factor.

That being said, he is now 10, has been in the gifted program at school since the age of 6, and NEVER stops talking. Once he started therapy, he caught up in like 6 months and discontinued services about 9 months after we started. BY the time he started school, you would never now.

 

[branv]

Thanks so very much everyone. It's still fresh (though I've "known" for sometime now), so I admit I'm over-fretting probably about, well, everything and anything. I'm probably being the poster -parent for "obsessive researching" in the last week, lol. It's wonderful to read your experiences with your children, especially about traveling with them to WDW. I was honestly worried for a bit I was going to make him miserable by going to WDW, which is *ridiculous*, but... yeah... I've come back off the ledge of gloom and doom. Moral of this story to give yourself time before posting

Your suggestions are phenomenally helpful. I especially loved reading about the kiddos who picked up new skills at WDW. And gatormom, your post made me happy tear-up. Thanks so much for sharing!

P.S. sign language is wonderful. DS doesn't do a ton, but he picks it up faster and uses it more than words (especially "more" and "berry", lol. That's my little eater!)

 

[3Gsandme]

To ease your mind, with therapy, my delayed second child was fully caught up by Kindergarten and is now an excellent student. We couldn't be happier with her progress.

 

[quakechicago]

I just wanted to chime in with while my kiddo was not speech delayed, she has mild SPD and language wise seemed to be delayed because she would only talk to my husband and I through when she was nearly 3. She would sign to us around other people but not talk. It was a tough time especially around my inlaws who all had their own (wrong) opinions.

We took her to WDW before she turned 3 and prepped her hard by watching lots of meet and greet videos, watching movies, and reading books because we wanted to make sure she was not afraid. And the result? Was incredible.

She had this sudden language BOOM while there. Maybe from all the sensory overload? The first day she started singing in the stroller. By day 2 she was talking to everyone and anyone. She pretty much has not stopped talking since

So I hope you go and have a magical time. Therapy also works wonders.

 

[puffkin]

This is DEFINITELY not something to worry about in terms of your vacation. He will have a great time regardless of how much "prep" you do. Just go off his cues while there and you all will have an amazing time. I really truly don't think this particular issue should be a blip on your radar in terms of dealing with his diagnosis.

 

[blackpearl77]

Mine was speech delayed. We went to disney when he was 2.5. At that point he said 3 words. He was doing speech therapy at that point. He could understand everything just couldn't talk! He had a great time! He didn't have any problems. And when he wanted something he let you know in other ways (as you know - you know when they want something). Couple times I would have to tell people he doesn't talk yet since they were asking him questions (plus he's very tall for his age so he looks older) but he would still point and smile at things. While we were there he said "hi" for the first time! Right after we got back he started saying a couple new words a day. He started a preschool when he turned 3 that had speech therapy and by the end of the school year he talked so much and so well he tested out of therapy. So he doesn't need to go anymore. He talks nonstop. I never thought I would ever be saying stop talking!! Turns out he was just a late talker. But it didn't keep him from enjoying disney. And he remembers everything! He talks about it all the time - so even though he couldn't talk at the time it didn't effect his experience. We are going again this October and he will be turning 5 the week before.

 

[branv]

Thanks Blackpearl -- I have a large DS too. The first thing people say every single time after they ask how old he is is, "He's a big boy!" You also then see it click why this kid who looks like a 2.5 year old needs a little more assistance. I would *love* of he came back from WDW with "Hi", as that's the #1 conversation starter with other parents/kids: "Can you say 'Hi?'" Sounds like WDW has been great for helping a lot of kids to come out of their "cone of silence", lol.

 

[Angel Ariel]

My DD will be 3 next week, and she does not have any words yet. She has both responsive and expressive delays (though the responsive is catching up quicker than the expressive at the moment). I will be completely honest here - her delays have not once altered our vacation plans. She was diagnosed with delays at 10 months old. Since then we've taken her to Disney World, to the beach for extended family vacations 3x (15+ people in the house on some of those trips), to my hometown a few states away (we flew), and we're planning a trip to Disneyland this fall - plus tons of weekend getaway activities.. She is a very pleasant, easy-going child and while she doesn't have words she does have a few signs (milk, more), and she has nonverbal methods of communicating with us as well.

We firmly believe (and her therapists have agreed as well) that exposing her to all of these different experiences is very helpful for her. You know your child best...trust in that. Watch for cues that he's getting overexhausted/overstimulated, but remember too that kids take cues from us and they can feel (and react to) our stress. Relax, and enjoy your vacation! That will help your DS do the same

 

[KTwiegs]

I just want to say that I am in the exact same spot you are right now. We are planning for a January 2016 trip and my then 2 year old son has a speech delay. He was just assessed and will start speech soon. He has some words, well really just the first syllable or sound. I have been worrying about our trip but ultimately what matters is that he has fun. Honestly, they don't know they have a delay! He is trying to talk to me constantly and understands everything we say to him and really that is enough for me right now. Disney will be amazing. Just know you aren't alone with your worries! I hope you have an amazing trip!

 

[violentlyserene]

When I'd started planning this trip for DS, I knew going a few months after his second birthday would mean not much in the way of response/expression of thoughts or wishes, but I definitely didn't expect him to be as behind as he's going to be. He is 22 months, but his ECI evaluation just showed him behind on expressive communication by about 8 months (only a little on responsive, which they're attributing more to slight immaturity on being able to focus/concentrate. And thankfully he's advanced on motor skills, and no apparent social issues so far. Very good at using other forms of communication to let us know what he wants).

I had hoped to do a few of the things to get him age-appropriately involved in the lead up to the trip, things to prep him or get him excited (especially since it will be his first plane trip). I planned stuff for on the trip based upon recommendations from parents on here of similarly aged kids. But now, I'm at a loss as to if he will process things the same, if his inability or unwillingness to communicate will cause challenges I'm unprepared for due to lack of experience. He doesn't seem to get overly frustrated by inability to communicate yet, but I know the four months leading up to our trip can be a lifetime in toddler time.

He will start his speech therapy in a few weeks, and he is also starting MDO in a few months, which hopefully will help, but who knows.

Any parents out there who can tell me if speech delays affected how you approached your trip or how your child responded to the trip? Any tips?

Thanks.

Mine was the same age and severely delayed when we started and my plan has really just been to familiarize them with the characters because we had no idea where he'd be comprehension wise in a year. We've done a lot of YouTube parades, Disney movies, mickeys clubhouse, occasional themed toys, and a book. He's actually caught up a lot but the plan is the same.

On the delay, I think you'll find it helps a lot. The two year mark may make a big difference too. It has in both my twins.

 

[ilovefh]

Let me preface this by saying we've never taken a non speech delayed child to Disney. DS is our first and he is speech delayed. He also started going to the parks at 3 weeks old because we lived there.

My only advice is to listen to his cues. You know how he communicates that he's hungry, tired, thirsty etc.

 

[ChloroformSdxn]

My older is autistic, and my younger is speech delayed. I wouldn't worry too much while at the park, but visuals and social stories will really help. You can make a little story on your computer and print out before the trip. For example:

My name is X, I live with my mom, brother, etc. (photo of you), and we are going to go on a trip to Disneyland! (Picture)
We'll have to wake up very early and go to the airport (picture), where we'll get on a plane (picture)
On the plane we'll sit in our seats and watch movies and read books. (picture)
Then we'll take the bus to our hotel at Disneyland! (picture)
At Disneyland we'll get to meet some of our favourite characters (pictures), go on rides (picture.) We are going to have a lot of fun, and get to eat churros and corn dogs (picture.)

etc, etc, you get the idea. Some airports are very good and will have a social story on their website like this one: https://www.phl.org/passengerinfo/Accessibility/Documents/SocialStories.pdf

Again, these are mainly designed with ASD families in mind, but they're super helpful with speech delays as well.