What are our options?

[mommy.foster.6]

We are going on our first disneyworld trip this June, dh, myself, ds10, dd8, ds5, and dd 22mths. My oldest, ds10, has Aspergers Syndrome, adhd, and oppositional defiance disorder....a lot of it is sensory, loud noises etc, too much going on upsets him....he likes a lot of routine and gets very upset if he's left waiting long for anything because of the fear that it might upset his routine. He does take meds so mornings will not be too bad but as the afternoon comes and his meds wear off that will be my concern. He can get very moody, angry over the smallest things and have a complete meltdown....nothing will calm him until it is over. We will also be avoiding some parts of the AK because of his paralyzing fear of bugs/creepy crawly things/snakes. I'm sure there is more I could put on here to describe the things that upset him but I think most of you understand

He is such a great child and I want this trip to be really special for him, he is so excited and i hardly ever see him show so much emotion for anything that i dont want anything to ruin it. We are also going to seaworld which is his dream to be able to interact with penguins, he is absolutely obsessed with them.

I had heard before joining this board that disney had things available for children with autism and other challenges and i did call the CM hotline but she really was not able to tell me much, just that i should go in and get a GAC when entering our first park. She couldn't tell me what this was going to do? what exactly happens with the card? I guess I just want to prepare him for a general routine at the parks and i have a bit of anxiety about not knowing how it works before we go.
I read thru some other threads but was confused about how it works so thought it would be easiest to just post our situation and see what anyone could tell me.
Thanks so much!

Oh also we do have an ADR for the sci fi dine in....what exactly are the movies they show? do i need to be worried about giant spiders etc?

 

[jmartinez1895]

I think that a GAC will help you out ome. Just go to the ruest relations at the first park you go to and tell them what you have told us. Also, you should try and get fastpasses for every ride you can, that will cut down on your wait time. I'm not sure how long you are planning on staying in the parks, but with your child meds wearing off, you may want to leave he park in the afternoons ( if you are staying on Disney property), spend some time at the pool or exploring the resorts and then head back to the park for dinner and the night time shows.

 

[mommy.foster.6]

ok i found the GAC thread in the sticky I don't think it will help much with him, the problem is the waiting in line for him he will get very antsy so it looks like the best thing would be for us to use the fastpass for things he would like to do.
We do plan on taking breaks, but are staying offsite. I did already purchase our tickets and parkhoppers at a military base/we are a military family. Planning on spending 4 days at DW and 1 at Seaworld....and one day driving to the beach!

 

[persimmondeb]

I make handout schedules for the general trip itinerary, and for each park day for DS14 (ie. Park Schedule for Tuesday, June 1st-Epcot), although we each get one. That way he knows what to expect, and can refer back to his print-out without making us insane with repetitive questions. I think it helps DH and I stay on track too.

I try to account for waiting times, meals, things like that, but not be so rigid that it's not fun anymore, and I always leave a block of time unscheduled so we can take a break if we want without having him feel like we're missing things.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Just wanted to warn you to skip most of the 3D shows. Most of them have creepy crawlies coming at you and/or effects that they are actually on you. Off the top of my head I know that Its Tough to be a Bug (you could probably guess that one!), Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and maybe Muppets-- the story in that one centers on a cartoonish bee sort of thing and it flies at you and buzzes. I don't remember any in Philharmagic so hopefully someone can fill in if there is anything in there he could be scared of.

You might ask about the Sci Fi movies on the Restaurants board. There is a chance there could be creepy crawlies but can't remember.

Something else to just think about is that Orlando invaded by "love bugs" in the Spring (May) and Fall (September). You should be okay in June but you may want to be aware of it just in case they have a late season-- there was an unusually cold winter in FL this year, so I have no idea how that could affect them. They are totally harmless but there are LOTS of them flying around and landing everywhere and that could be a problem depending on how your son would react if they get close to him.

 

[kehlyrsmom]

I have two children on the spectrum current ages 10 & 8 the oldest has aspergers and the youngest is moderate autism, sensory & noise issues. We have gone to WDW every year now since 06 and are taking them back this fall.

Definately avoid the 3D shows, my oldest can not handle them, she would use the excuse that she had to go to the bathroom to get out of the show. It took me a few times to realize that she did not really have to go to the bathroom that was just here way of getting out of the situation. My youngest has a lot of senosry issues and is very sensitive to noise, he wears the noise canceling headphones like what you would wear at a shooting range, some years he has pretty much wore them the entire trip and others only on occasion, just depends upon his needs the time.

Both of my kids are on meds, just a question is it possible that he needs another dose of the medicine, my youngest has to take a larger dose of his meds in the morning and 1/2 dose around 3 because it wears off.

If you can definately plan a break in the day. We have always gotten a stroller in the past even last year I got a large one and they both took turns in it, this year my daughter is way to big to ride in one, but she wears out easliy and has some foot problems, we have been trying to get her out walking but if I need to I plan on getting her a wheelchair but only if really needed.

The pass really does help, it does not get you right onto a ride but does help, neither of my kids could handle to stand in line for very long. At times the CM's has had us use the wheel chair entrance.

Are you going to have a car? If not I definately recommend one, that has also been a lifesaver. Both of my kids love Disney, especially my son, we got a new Disney planning DVD in January and he has watched it every night since it came.

Disney really does a good job in training their CM's and we have always had a positive experience even if one of the kids has had a melt down while in the park. The CM's have always been kind and supportive.

Good luck.

 

[my disney girls]

Please tell me that the love bugs have not arrived at Disney. I saw a picture of these on the dis. and could not believe my eyes. Our DD will have a total meltdown over them. We have been to Disney many times and never encountered them. We arrive on Sat.

 

[bookwormde]

There are lots of threads by families with kids on the spectrum and for Aspergers in particular, so dig back a ways in the threads and you will find almost any eventuality adressed.

WDW is a magical place for our kids and jsust taking a slow pace and realy being tuned into your child (since you are on vacation and there are less other demands) and his needs. Since this is his first trip this is especially important (our DS Aspergers is a real "pro" now so as long as we do not "push" we pretty much have no issues).

bookwormde

 

[SueM in MN]

You might ask about the Sci Fi movies on the Restaurants board. There is a chance there could be creepy crawlies but can't remember.

Something else to just think about is that Orlando invaded by "love bugs" in the Spring (May) and Fall (September). You should be okay in June but you may want to be aware of it just in case they have a late season-- there was an unusually cold winter in FL this year, so I have no idea how that could affect them. They are totally harmless but there are LOTS of them flying around and landing everywhere and that could be a problem depending on how your son would react if they get close to him.

I would avoid the Sci Fi.
They show movie trailers for all sorts of Science Fiction movies. What you see may vary, depending on exactly the sequence of trailers you are in for , but I remember seeing ‘The FLY’ (where a scientist turns into a fly) and some kind of alien invasion where the aliens look like giant bugs. I also remember one where there actually is an invasion of giant bugs.
So, unless you think he can handle black and white movies that might include bugs, I would avoid it.

Please tell me that the love bugs have not arrived at Disney. I saw a picture of these on the dis. and could not believe my eyes. Our DD will have a total meltdown over them. We have been to Disney many times and never encountered them. We arrive on Sat.

I don’t know if they are there yet, but if they are, there is no way to avoid them. They are not really flying, just 2 bugs connected together floating on air currents. They float all over and may end up on anything that is in the path of the air pushing them.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

As of today I have not seen any.

 

[kayrosek]

My DS 9 has PDD-NOS and ADHD and has very similar issues to the ones your describing. Thanksgiving was our first WDW visit and I must say that while the GAC isn't a front of the line pass by any means it was extremly helpful. By all means get one even though you are utilizing fastpasses. I also think a break mid-day would be a good idea. We tried to do this and I do think it worked a little better when we did because I could see Jonnie getting overwhelmed more throughout the day. We found that letting the characters know about Jonnie helped a great deal as well. Both when he was reluctant and when he was sensory seeking and wanted to rub there fur . Before we left I spent lots of time preparing Jonnie for WDW we looked at tons of pics, and videos so he would know what to expect. Disney is very accomadating and I'm sure you guys will have a great time.

 

[DisneyMomFanatic]

Our 11 year old DS is PDD-NOS and our trip this August will be his 9th trip. We have the GAC and use it all the time. While you don't get on the attractions immediately, we have never waited longer than 15mins for anything even during the week between xmas and new years. He loves Disney and picks his favorite rides and tells us what he wants to do when we are there. Our DD also likes to help plan our vacation. We also show them the menus of the restaurants where we are going to eat so they can say.."oh, I would love to have that entree and this dessert". They feel part of the process and that it is their vacation also. If your DS is not as verbal as ours, you can find pictures and show him to prep him. On our first trip that we stayed on property, we made a binder that had day by day itinerary in it. It had day one Epcot, eat at lunch- Le Cellier and a pic of it. Then attractions we would love to ride and see. During the day he would pull it out of our backpack and look at it to see what we would do next, etc. Hope this helps. Hope your trip is magical for your whole family, but definitely get and use the GAC.

 

[JESW]

My ds15 is an Aspie and has been going to WDW since he was 22 months old - just got back yesterday from another trip.

We have never used a GAC since he didn't need one so I can't comment on that. What has worked for ds is that we let him carry his gameboy with him wherever he goes as a distraction. Now he carries his ipod more with headphones so his music can calm him down and distract him. Ds also loves to draw so if you ever saw him at a park he would most likely be carrying a sketch book.

Pin trading is also something that has worked well for him as a distraction. I buy lots from Pincastle.com and I let him trade them for whatever he wants - it's the thrill of the hunt for him to find pins he likes and I always find it interesting what he trades for. When he was younger it was a great way for him to interact with strangers, make eye contact, etc.

If the heat bothers him buy a misting fan at the park or bring one of your own - that way he has control.

My ds never had issues with the 3D shows but he does tire easily so we always had to have a plan B. We stay on-site so it is easy for one of us to take him back to the room. If your ds likes water then bring him over to the jumping fountains near the Honey I Shrunk the Audience show in EPCOT. When ds was younger he spent a lot of time there watching and getting wet - it calmed him down.

Put a camera or a video camera in his hands and let him record his vacation. During different trips ds would bring various plushies (sometimes Pokemon characters) and he would take pictures of them in funny places - like putting a Pokemon character in a group with a bunch of Mickey plushies and taking a picture - he loved that stuff! We also found that a lot of the cm's would be good sports and hold the plushie while he took a picture - the cm's at Haunted Mansion were the best! Now that he is older he brings the video camera and tapes things he likes and then incorporates them into his videos at home.

On your first day but the book about hidden Mickey's in the park and give him the assignment to find as many as he can. Bring quarters and new pennies and collect pressed pennies at various locations. When at the MK or Epcot go out of the park and do the monorail loop a couple of times if he likes movement.

Is there something he likes like Pokemon cards that you can reward him with every day? When ds was much younger he got a new matchbox car every day. For a few years ds got a new lego set (at Downtown Disney) if he had good behavior.

Buy glow sticks so he can have something to distract him at the parks at night. Maybe some small bottles of bubbles - I know that other people have commented that they don't like bubbles blown on them but there are places where he can use them without bothering others.

I am trying to wrack my brain thinking of the things we did with ds...I'll let you know if I think of more. Just don't expect him to like it all the time. The parks are hot, crowded, over-stimulating and many other things that don't go over well with these kids. Our son has been in an incredible program since 6th grade (he's in 9th now) and our vacations have gotten so much better since he has gotten older and learned ways to get through certain situations.

Good luck to you all and I hope you have a fun trip!!

Jill