Autism and WDW?

[disney.tink]

DS8 is autistic and finds it hard to cope in a lot of social situations, we should be going to WDW in september but i cant even imagine how he would act around crowds. Even if we have a couple of people over to the house he gets loud and has one of his meltdowns, so i dont know if standing in lines for so long are a good idea :(

I know a lot of people here are in a similar situation but i was just wondering if there is anything we can do to make it easier for him, ive heard about the GAC but i don't really understand how it works, where do you go whilse waiting to ride? and where do you get them from and how?

Also wondering about the strollers at wdw, he is 8 at the moment coming up to 9 but he is quite tall for his age. i know this would help him but would he be to big for the stollers and are disney ok with older children using them?

Any help would be appreciated! :mickeybou

[TinkTatoo]

Hi and welcome to the Dibb :wavey:

I have two kids with autism and there are quite a few Dibbers with kids on the spectrum. Have a look at this thread (http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=89187) which will give you some info in the GAC

The strollers are like a hard plastic type but if your DS is tall he might not fit in one comfortably (they do a double one which is larger) but it still might not fit.

We find the best idea for us is to get to the parks for opening when there are less people there and go on as many rides as we can. DS gets stressed in crowds so when he has had enough we have to leave the park and just go back to our hotel / villa and let him chill out for a while.

[pigginpink]

Same here we did the GAC card last year and they let us use the fast track system on all the rides he wanted to go on and when he had enough we just went back to the villa and the pool, he will not go to any of the shopping malls unless he wants something so sometimes his big brother baby sat which was a god send. Luckily for us Dan did let his brother and sister do somethings he may not of liked, so we were so proud of him.

[disney.tink]

Thanks both! :) its made me feel a lot better now that i have some advice from people that have been there before.

I know he may surprise us (like he usually does) and just take to everything really well, but its good to know that we can use the GAC if we really need to.

does anyone know if there are similar things put in place at universal and seaworld? and would you advise going to the water parks?

Oh and one more question (i think:o: ) what should we say when we go to guest services, i am going to take a doctors letter, but will the CM's understand what i am asking for/talking about?

[Jedi_Angie]

Seriously, have a trawl through the ASD/autism threads on this board. There are loads! :)

Re. Universal - they have something similar, just ask at guest assistance when you arrive. Haven't been to Seaworld in a few years: don't remember a GAC card, but the park was quiet when we went, so I think we didn't bother asking for one.

Re. strollers - my youngest will be 10 in a couple of weeks, and he still fit into the single Disney stroller last October (he likes it as a place to hide). But he's been using them since he was 6 and would probably go a bit bonkers if we got a double (and I don't fancy man-handling one of those if I can avoid it). Have a look at the strollers when you get there - you're the best judge of what your child will like. :)

Re. water parks - my son loves them, although I have to follow him everywhere, even though he can swim, as he can't communicate.

Re. asking for a GAC - we always take a doctor's letter with us, although they don't want to see them now. Make sure you take your child in with you to Guest Services (rather than leave them with another member of your party) and just explain to the CM that your son has autism and doesn't cope well with crowds, etc., and ask what they can do to help him. They're always pretty helpful. :)

And finally - have a great holiday!

[spenners]

Yes Seaworld have a similar system just go to guest services. We have a DD14 with autism and the GAC makes the holiday much easier. Have a good time :thumbs-up

[Big_Mark]

This may help
http://allearsnet.com/pl/dis_aut.htm

[Jedi_Angie]

Ooh, one more thing about water parks - they DON'T use GACs. So your child has to queue with everyone else. My son is getting better and better at coping with this, although he still gets a bit ansty sometimes. The first couple of years we went, we didn't even bother trying the water parks, as we knew he wouldn't cope.

[melspice]

Hiya! My son Ben turned 18 on Christmas Eve, and we took him to WDW as his 18th pressie. He is severely autistic, and has problems with crowds, but for some reason copes ok at WDW. If he gets agitated we just head back to the villa and chill.When he was younger, he had a Maclaren (sp) buggy, and when he got too big, he had a childs wheelchair. He has epilepsy too, so this helped if he had a seizure, ie he wouldn't fall on the floor. However, he grew! He's now 6' 6", and refuses to use a wheelchair. So we just play it by ear and don't let him get over stimulated, so allow him to choose the pace of the day. Have you thought about a wheelchair as opposed to a stroller? It may save him getting overheated walking round, but it's if he will accept it. The GAC is invaluable, and the CM will understand, though take a note from GP just in case. We first took Ben for his 7th b'day, and they were so helpful then, but I think a lot of people took advantage of the GAC, ie grandmas in wheelchair with 18 relatives :erm: Just go to Guest Relations when you enter the parks,explain your son's problems,and the CMs will give you the info you need. They will give you a card, which is good for all parks the length of your stay, and all you do is show it to the CM at the entrance to the ride. They will guide you either through the disabled entrance or the fast pass, depending which ride it is. They really will understand, and don't worry if you feel like you're jumping the queue cos you're not, they have a way of making everyone queueing understand.And to be honest, you don't feel like you do in UK, cos most people in US understand, and keep their opinions to themselves....apart from the big loudmouth at Orlando Airport, who shouted at my son to "get in the queue like everyone else, and not the disabled queue".Think he was Texan. My son then through a fit when asked to remove his shoes to go through security. Loudmouth soon shut up. Which is another point, if anyone has a child with problems removing shoes or any other item of clothing at security, please make security aware.

Sorry for my long ramble! Been absent due to ill health, but almost back to normal now! Have a wonderful time, cos I know you will!

xxMel

[disney.tink]

Hiya! My son Ben turned 18 on Christmas Eve, and we took him to WDW as his 18th pressie. He is severely autistic, and has problems with crowds, but for some reason copes ok at WDW. If he gets agitated we just head back to the villa and chill.When he was younger, he had a Maclaren (sp) buggy, and when he got too big, he had a childs wheelchair. He has epilepsy too, so this helped if he had a seizure, ie he wouldn't fall on the floor. However, he grew! He's now 6' 6", and refuses to use a wheelchair. So we just play it by ear and don't let him get over stimulated, so allow him to choose the pace of the day. Have you thought about a wheelchair as opposed to a stroller? It may save him getting overheated walking round, but it's if he will accept it. The GAC is invaluable, and the CM will understand, though take a note from GP just in case. We first took Ben for his 7th b'day, and they were so helpful then, but I think a lot of people took advantage of the GAC, ie grandmas in wheelchair with 18 relatives :erm: Just go to Guest Relations when you enter the parks,explain your son's problems,and the CMs will give you the info you need. They will give you a card, which is good for all parks the length of your stay, and all you do is show it to the CM at the entrance to the ride. They will guide you either through the disabled entrance or the fast pass, depending which ride it is. They really will understand, and don't worry if you feel like you're jumping the queue cos you're not, they have a way of making everyone queueing understand.And to be honest, you don't feel like you do in UK, cos most people in US understand, and keep their opinions to themselves....apart from the big loudmouth at Orlando Airport, who shouted at my son to "get in the queue like everyone else, and not the disabled queue".Think he was Texan. My son then through a fit when asked to remove his shoes to go through security. Loudmouth soon shut up. Which is another point, if anyone has a child with problems removing shoes or any other item of clothing at security, please make security aware.

Sorry for my long ramble! Been absent due to ill health, but almost back to normal now! Have a wonderful time, cos I know you will!

xxMel


Thanks for help and Im glad to here your getting better! :thumbs-up

[rizzy135]

DS8 is autistic and finds it hard to cope in a lot of social situations, we should be going to WDW in september but i cant even imagine how he would act around crowds. Even if we have a couple of people over to the house he gets loud and has one of his meltdowns, so i dont know if standing in lines for so long are a good idea :(

I know a lot of people here are in a similar situation but i was just wondering if there is anything we can do to make it easier for him, ive heard about the GAC but i don't really understand how it works, where do you go whilse waiting to ride? and where do you get them from and how?

Also wondering about the strollers at wdw, he is 8 at the moment coming up to 9 but he is quite tall for his age. i know this would help him but would he be to big for the stollers and are disney ok with older children using them?

Any help would be appreciated! :mickeybou

Hi
My son is 10 & will be 11 in August he is autistic & i'm amazed how well he copes at the parks (they always suprise you don't they!).
The first time we went we got him a stroller he wasn't keen on sitting in it as he kept saying they were for babies !, but he did sit in it with some effort on our part.
Last year we didn't get a stroller just made sure we kept a eye on him in case he ran off !.
We haven't used a GAC before as i only found out about them this year, still thinking about it, not sure if it would really be of any benefit or not but might get one just in case.
He is quite sensitive to loud noise, the 3D shows we saw he did wear the glasses but sat with his fingers in his ears but he enjoyed them.
All i can say is play it by ear, you know whats it like no two days are the same & it seems to be what sort of mood they wake up in !.
Enjoy your holiday

[mazz]

so sorry to hear you have not been well Mel, hope you are feeling much better soon:)

from what i've been reading on the US forums they are so getting better at the GAC and those who still seek to abuse the system are getting their come uppance

the max people for the GAC is now 5 plus the person it is issued for

on entering the park you need to visit guest services and you will need to be able to explain your childs needs/difficulties (just basic details are usually enough) and then they will issue you the GAC relevant to meet those needs

they usually take one look at my child and know what i'm about to say before i open my mouth:blush:

doing the parks is a fine art if you have a child with autism they are lots of tips

my top tips would be

ask about the GAC and pick up a guide book for guests with disabilities
tour the parks anti clockwise
use fastpass whenever possible
know when to quit and call it a day
use the medical centres as a place for time out (the staff in here are really helpful so if you need to take some time out from all the sensory stimulation they totally understand)
avoid extra magic hours as these are when the parks are often the busiest

i'm sure i've loads more tips that will pop into my head later so when i remember amongst this chaos of packing i will log back on :confused2

oh yes and for the flight

new ds games or similar always seem to help and ask your airline if it's possible to preboard you and your family so you can get your child settled, Virgin are great with this and you can check in prem econ too with them :) First Choice, who we are going with this trip didn't seem to understand this request until they realised we had a blue badge
i would also highly recommend "Kalms" for you if you think you may be stressed or failing that then a few glasses of wine will do the same trick:erm:;)

one thing for sure WDW is a magical place that you will most certainly want to visit again :thumbs-up

[Worgie]

We got back a couple of weeks ago. Our youngest has autism and struggles in queues and such. Disney are really good and the GAC does really cut the wait time a lot, which means we can scoot around the parks fairly quickly and this is most useful as when my little one has had enough, he really has had enough and we have to leave immediately to avoid a meltdown.
Universal is not quite as good as, although they do proivde a fasttrack card, you have to queue at Guest Services every time you go to get a new one. Also, these cards are available to all Universal Hotel guests free of charge and can be bought by other guests for a small(ish) fee. Hence on some rides the fast track queue was nearly as long as the normal queue.
My son is nearly 8 and we used a buggy for him as he has a current obsession with signs and will dart off quickly if he sees a sign which takes his fancy. We managed fine with the disney buggys but I'm not sure about next time...wishful thinking!
Louise.

[spestell]

Hi, we find the Guest Assistance Card absolutely invaluable. We have taken our son 4 times since he was 8. He is now 18, and we last went when he was 16. When he was 8 he used the strollers at the parks, and our maclaren buggy which was also invaluable as that was his security. When he got to the stage where he didn't want to be in a buggy, we hired him a wheelchair to help him cope with the heat, as he is not too good with it. Without the GAC we would not be able to go to disney as he could not cope with the queues and the heat. The cast members at Disney and Universal are extremely understanding and friendly and will go that extra mile for something you need. Last time we went the new everest ride had opened at Animal Kingdom and the queues were huge and in full sun. There was no fast pass queue either, so my husband had a word with the cast member at the gate and within minutes we were on the ride, fantastic!! So don;t worry about anything as they will work it out for you and the only members of the public that we find stare or say something unpleasant are British! Have a great time, I know you will.