Want to plan trip to dw with autistic son

[Nikkithenutter]

Hi can any one help
I desperately want to plan a trip for my 10 yr old autistic son he's co morbid asd and has mld too but he's done dlp 4 times and would love dwf but dont know where to start
The travel agents have been not very helpful at all but there is a group called autism on the seAs that do specialist holidays mainly cruises but do do some dw special groups just very limited
Ive lots of forums regarding where to stay etc but I'm still lost I need a real breakdown to make the right choice etc and realistically plan each days itinerys without bein anal but allow for meltdowns etc and have back up plans but that's there need to actually get there first lol
I'm terrifies and excited just really need some sound advice if any is a dw expert lol or pro or just had fab times lemming know all the tips
Bless u and sorry for bad spell in stupid I pad auto correct durrhhh !!!
" it's a small world after all"" lolls x

 

[ChipnDaleRule]

I'm sorry i can't help you but i thought i'd just say
to DIS
We're a friendly bunch and I'm sure someone can help you.

 

[Jakejosh4]

Hi we are going to Disney next year and a DCL cruise this will be our third visit to WDW with my son who is 7 at the moment and has ASD he to has melt downs and a learning difficulty. We usually stay in a villa but this time we are trying SSR for 9nights before the cruise not sure how he will cope. We fly with Virgin and contact special assistance prior to flying they can give permission to check in at the premium economy desk, also we usually sit just behind PE in a small area with about 10 rows of seats as it is much quieter if he saw what was in the main body of the plane he would freak out.
We also have him registered disabled and have a yellow card which you should be able to get from your local children's with disability team, this enables us to use the disabled line at immigration which is a lot quicker
At the parks we go to guest services and show his yellow card they then give us a card which enables you and your party to use the fast pass entrance this has been invaluable and has reduce the risks of melt downs although I do feel guilty seeing other people queue and we can just walk up.
I would highly recommend doing the trip as he has got so much out of the trips we have done and has built his confidence with regards to socialising.

 

[dixonsontour]

Welcome to the DIS

Hope someone will be along in a minute who can help you out in more detail.

Have you seen the DISabilities forum on here?

 

[tinkerpea]

Hi I also have a 9 nearly 10 yr old boy with ASD, the above poster gave alot of great info about Virgin letting you use the pre economy check in and about going through immigration the other end quickly with the yellow card! I just wanted to add a little to what was said We dont have a yellow card for our son,didnt even realise they exsisted? but we have used all the privliges that was mentioned without having to show anything!!
we just let Virgin know that we have a son with ASD and they sort pre boarding pre check in etc for you they also contact the airport the other end and let them know that it would be great help for you to be able to go straight through immigration without having to que1 we are normally escorted through this is invaluable as the ques can be manic and whilst oue son coped well with alot of things this is one he does NOT cope with that well......
Also i havent ever thought about sitting in the rows behind pre economy but that sounds like a fab idea if you can wing it! we havent always been on a plane that has that, but the WINDOW seat is a must for us we once was put in the middle seats and whilst we didnt get kicked off the plane it was not the best experience(tht was a screw up of the airline we pre booked window seats with Thomson and on the way bk was promised the same seats we didnt get them)
At Disney we go to guest relations and get the same card the above poster was on about without showing anything ( we used to take doc/hospital letters but was always told they are not needed as they are not allowed to even look at them) the GAC gives different accomadations for different needs but we have always gotten the accomadation of going through the fast pass entry or the exit which greatly reduces que times! apart from characters.
My advice for seeing Characters would be to book the character meals that way you wont be waiting in line forever only to maybe find out that your son doesnt feel like seeing them now,also the characters are incredible with kids with ASD they know not to just go straight up and hug them,I found DLP not as good for this as the language barrier was there!
staying on site IF you can afford it would be ideal since if the day gets too much then your only a short busride away from the pool and your room,also you get extra magic hours when the parks are alot quiter as only on site guests get this privlige,I dont know how your son copes with rides shows etc but when we 1st went my son didnt like any rides with loud noises or that went inside a building he really enjoyed any rides where he could see what he was doing and where he was going!when we went bk the following yr we made sure to show him ride clips on youtube that way he knew in advance what was going to happen in the ride since we watched them over and over he remembered what ride did what,obviously ever child understands at different levels so im not sure how much that would help?

I understand about planning everything to a T but we actually find the DISNEY is the one place this doesnt have to be done with such tight time frame etc, i know you say that you have done DLP with him but i feel Disney world is very different as its so so much more then 2 parks!! theres Parks swimming pools lots of Disney meals its like a whole world.............. so we make plans but we dont feel we have to stick to them as he copes well so we tend to follow him on how he is doinffor example we make sure that we have ADRS for breakfast lunch or dinner,but not all of them everyday only 1 or 2 aday depending on how many days we go for, now normally over here we will say we are going out in the next few hours( we used to use an exact time but he melted down if we was not out the house by that time...and stuff happens that we cant always do it to that time scale) then we say after dinner we will go swimmimg, well over here we would have to stick to that plan where as over there we say time for swimmimg he will say no swimming time for Mickey so we go see Mickey then swim!i think Disney over stimulates ASD children and so this is why some(not all ) manage some plan changes,
Also people without ASD children plan plan and plan when it comes to Disney so you will feel completly normal doing it

Hope this helps some and if you have any other questions feel free to ask away many of us including myself have been to Disney too many times to count

 

[kevin harrison]

Hi
My son has severe Autusm and other issues and with good planning you will cope.

The advice regarding contatcting Virgin special assistance is good advice, we have sat in the quiet area behind PE and it was great. I am not sure if the new planes have this facility though.

Yes, also you can go through the disability lines at immigration, that fast tracks you through here and in the states.

The GAC card is a godsend and with a child with Autism, you will find invaluable.

Don't feel guilty about using it, the majority of people would rather not have to have a GAC card for their kids ! As well as Disney, Universal and the other parks have similar cards also.

There is far more understanding regarding Autism in the states than here, so you will be fine.

My advice would be to take it easy, it all depends really how your child copes with crowds etc.

You know your situation more than anyone else, so plan accordingly as you would at home.