Which Water Park for 4y.o. hfa/aspergers?

jndmommy

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Trying to figure out which water park to try first with my ds (4) who is hfa/aspergers. I know since we are going in August the water parks will be packed. But, I want to at least give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, we'll head back to the resort pool. Just looking for moms opinions who have taken their asd children there. Thanks :thumbsup2
 
I don't have any ASD kids (well, I don't have any kids yet), but I just thought I'd throw in what I know about the water parks.

Both of the water parks have a play area for younger children. I used to love the one at Typhoon Lagoon, but have never been to the one at Blizzard Beach, as I was a little too big by the time it was built! BB also has an area for older kids, which your daughter might be old enough for.

Both parks also have a lazy river going around the outside of the park, that you ride around in tubes. These could be good to chill out in, but can get a bit crowded during busy times.

The wave pools in the two parks are a bit different. The one at Typhoon Lagoon is huge (I think it's the largest man-made wave pool in the world) and has fairly big waves. However, you can choose how big a wave you deal with, by where you stand. You can have anything from a little bit of water swooshing around your toes, to waves taller than you are. BB on the other hand, has a smaller wave pool, with gentle bobbing waves. There are also rubber rings to sit in (like the ones on the lazy river) which you can float in, but they are limited, so you may have to wait for one.

If he's a thrill seeker, there are a lot of slides, but I think most (if not all) have height restrictions, so you might want to research that before you get him in line.

Hope this helps as a general overview of the two parks. If you want to avoid crowds, definitely don't go to them on the weekends, as they're a lot more crowded then. Also, if you can, try to go on a slightly over-cast day. This will mean you run the risk of the park being closed for storms, but I've found that they tend to be quieter on these days (though in August it may still be fairly busy).

Good luck and have a great trip!`:thumbsup2
 
I would think your son will like Blizzard Beach a lot, since it's really well themed. He might think it's silly that it's "snow" in the summer...my son is also HFA (and I think Aspergers) and he is 3.5 y/o. He is TOTALLY amused by things that are opposite of what they should be, so I think he would find Blizzard Beach hilarious.

Blizzard Beach also has a really good kid's area.

Typhoon Lagoon is okay, but it's too big and the wave pool is too intense for a 4 year old. BB has a nice "bobbing waves" pool that is better.
 
Thanks for the input. BB sounds like a first step then into the water parks for ds. Needed some help on deciding where to start. Thanks again.
 

Obviously, as I don't know your son, I don't really know what would suit him best, but I'll throw out some suggestions on possible ways to tackle the parks and you can see what sticks.

I would suggest you start on the lazy river. That way he's got a fairly gentle introduction to the water park, some time to get used to the theming and the place in general, without being too overwhelmed. It's also got some nice talking points as you go around, such as a snow covered house with a sick alligator inside (he sneezes so hard that water comes out of the chimney), which are funny without being 'too much'. Also, if you're at the park from rope-drop, I would think the lazy river would be comparatively quiet, because most people rush straight for the thrill rides, and leave the calmer stuff for later. They have kids rings available that have a 'seat' in them (basically a rubber ring with plastic filling in the hole in the middle) which you could hold on to to make sure you didn't get separated, or you could share a double ring (figure of 8 type shape).

It might also be good to balance out the high stimulation stuff, such as the kids area and the family raft ride, with calmer stuff, like the lazy river and the bobbing waves. If there is a line for the family raft ride, you can try and distract him by looking at the view: because it's so high up, and Florida is so flat, you can see for miles and miles up there. Also, the queue moves fairly swiftly, so he shouldn't need to be distracted for too long. If you are a group of two (if you decide to split up at the park), they may ask you if you would be OK to share your raft with someone else. The advantage of sharing is that the extra weight makes it go faster, the disadvantage is that your son may not be happy sharing with strangers.

Some of the rides have height restrictions, so you might want to check them out before he gets excited about an attraction. The height restrictions are at the bottom of each ride description on the Blizzard Beach section of the Disney webpage (that link is the UK website, but the information should be identical on the US one). If there is no restriction listed, then that ride doesn't have one. I think the best thing to do would be to familiarise yourself with the park first, then mentally walk through a day there, finding any potential problems and, if possible, avoiding them. There are photos or videos of most, if not all, attractions in the park on that link, so they should help you find 'trouble spots'.

EDIT: Just in case he really gets into water parks, here's the link to the Typhoon Lagoon page.

I think it would be good to make sure you get into the water quickly, with the smallest risk of a meltdown due to delays (changing, getting towels, getting lockers, etc). If everyone is wearing their swimming costumes under their day clothes, you can just pull off shorts and T-shirts, then be ready to get in the water. Then one of you can take the kids into the water, while the other adult gets the lockers and towels sorted. That way your son doesn't have to wait in line any more than necessary. I'd also recommend you all wear old T-shirts over your swimming things, to try and prevent burning (as well as water resistant suncream, of course). It's not really a HFA-specific tip, just one that my family have picked up. A burnt kid is not a happy kid, and will probably increase the risk of meltdowns! :scared1:

Hope this lot helps a bit! If you need anything more, we'll do what we can to answer questions! :goodvibes
 
My son (10) has OCD with anxiety and ADHD. We went to Typhoon Lagoon on our last trip which was Aug 2006. We stayed on-site and went to the early entry. We had about a 10 minute wait until the gates open and then after we got in, it was very nice. We stayed at the park until arounds 2 or so. That first part of the morning, was really nice. T

he only problem we had was doing the snorkeling. He was so exciting to go swim with the fish and so on, but once we got in, it was a nightmare. He didn't like the temperature of the water and he said he could "taste" the salt water and he had a melt down in the tank there. He sat on a rock he wasn't supposed to and he was really freaked out. The life guards were awesome and got him to safety. I did get one brief look down at the fish below.
 
BB is our favorite. There are two great kid areas. My kids love it there. My DS likes the double tube rides. It is fun to go down together.
 
We haven't been to any of the waterparks at Disney yet.. We have been to Water Country USA in Virginia a few times.. Is there anywhere at the Disney parks that a 12 yr old can just hang out and waterplay??? He doesn't like any of the slides, waves or anything fast, scary. He may enjoy the lazy river ( does at Water Country) id not crowded. We used to hang out at the kid's area at Water Country but now he is too big.
 
There's the Ski Patrol Training Camp, which is designed for older kids. It has various things to play on, walk over or slide down (not been there myself, but have heard positive reviews). There are also the wave pools at each park, BB having small bobbing waves, TL with larger waves.

HTH! :thumbsup2
 














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