This article is written by my friend Cindy who is a mother to 4 boys, one is autistic. This is her story on taking an autistic child to Disney World:
First I would like to give you a little bit of background about me and my family. I am a mom of 4 boys who love to travel and do tons of fun stuff with my boys. We frequent amusement parks, zoos, water parks, just about everywhere. When my second youngest (he was the youngest at the time) was 5 he was diagnosed as on the autism spectrum. This for a brief moment sent my world into a tailspin. How can we live with this? And I finally decided that you just do. You live with it, trying to make your child’s life and yours the best possible. No different from what or how I treat my other children. The year that Noah got diagnosed we had been planning our very first trip to California. How on earth were we going to do this I wondered? A four and a half hour flight? Hours in the parks? So that is when I decided to become a pro at planning vacations for my son. Hide him, and never do anything with him? NO way!! If you have a problem with his condition or his jumping up and down flapping his arms bothers you get over it. I have to live with it everyday and if I can do it everyday, you can handle it for a couple of uncomfortable moments. If you can’t you can walk away, we have every right to be here. Now a little disclaimer, I am no expert, every person with autism is different. I am just giving some ideas on things I have picked up in our travels to Disney and other places. Hoping that maybe it will give some ideas to help you on your trip.
First of all, as with any vacation PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!!! Many children with autism like to have a schedule and do not adjust well to change. This is true with my son. Soon as we start even thinking about going anywhere, I write and ask for any info they have to give me. I order the free Disney DVDs, this past visit I ordered the personalized maps of WDW. I got a couple of books about Disney with pictures and descriptions. Now this last trip was his 2nd trip to WDW (he has also been to Disneyland) so the experience was not really new to him. But if going for the first time, it can be overwhelming, for just about anyone, but especially for those on the autism spectrum. Introducing our trips to our son is the best way to prepare him. We look at the books and he picks out rides and places he would like to eat. When we went to California on that first trip after he was diagnosed, I wrote to Sea World and they sent a whole packet about the park. Posters and cards about the animals, just tons of information. It was really cool. I bet if you look online you can find a social story about going on vacation. These seem to help our son be introduced to different situations. They have them for everything, from going to the Dentist to going to a funeral.
OK so you are planning, where should you stay? I would definitely say on property if you can. Best place for us has been the fort wilderness cabins. They sleep 6 and they are single units so if your child has a meltdown you don’t have to worry about them bothering the rooms around you. If they jump on the bed, there is no one under you to complain. Many children are on a special diet. These have full kitchens for you to prepare meals. They get all the benefits of on property hotels like early entry and the stay late nights. I would steer away from the value resorts if your child has problems with noise and crowds. We stayed in one this past visit and it was OK, not too loud and I am sure that there are places where you can stay there that are quieter than others, ask when booking. Also if you are going in early December I would avoid these hotels at all costs, they have the Pop Warner cheerleading competition those weeks(not sure which week but I know it is early Dec) and there are tons of kids and it gets loud, Or so I have heard from parents that have gone on this trip. That leads into when to go. Best times if you can do it would be to go Late September, early October, early November, almost anytime between 2nd week in January to before spring break, then middle of april to late may. Ok so I think i just mentioned value season. Crowds are less, temps are better, and the combo of those two makes for a much more enjoyable vacation. I got an OK from the boys school for the vacation because I explained to the the difficulties of traveling during other times with him. The other boys all get straight A’s and made up their work almost before we left. Also if you have one that is really sensitive to textures and scents consider binging your own sheets, pillow and blanket for them. Some kids do not like the feel of other blankets. If you have the room I say bring it.
How are you going to get there? Flying may be a good choice. Again prepare your child about what is going to be going on when you are on the plane. Buy a book, or get one of those toddler movies about planes. If you do not have assigned seating I would make sure one person in your party gets on first and save your seats, I would get on as late as possible so that they are not sitting there for so long. Bring a DVD player (and earphones) with your child’s favorite movies. Tell your attendant about your child. I try to sit in the front row so there are no seats to be kicked in front of him, or I try to make sure someone from our family is in front of us. I think the same rules apply here as to with any child, bring snacks, things to occupy, their favorite blanket or toy. Whatever you can to make them comfortable. Also a change of clothes for both of you!
OK so you’ve made your reservations to go now what? More planning. If your child is able ask them what kind of rides they want to ride. There are many dark rides, and my son is not a big fan of those. To make him less scared we got him a small flashlight to turn on and flash on his feet if he became scared. Or we also had glow stick necklaces at the dollar store that he wore if he got scared. These worked well with him, but he would not ride Pirates of Caribbean, and did not like haunted mansion. Another thing that my son didn’t like at the time was any movies (we hadn’t seen a movie in the theater in about 4 years) so other children may have problems with the movie type attractions, like Philharmagic, Muppetvision, Honey I Shrunk the Audience and Tough to be a Bug. There are lots of stimulation in these movies which may prove to be too much. If you try these movies I would see about sitting near the exit(talk to a attendant beforehand) so if they become frightened you can leave without much of a disturbance. Also one that I can say that after talking to others with children who have gone to WDW Stitches great escape is not a good one for them. If you have an adventurous child try the barnstormer and work from there. My son just started riding roller-coaster’s(which is great for us because everyone rides in our family :) )There are lots of mild rides in the Magic kingdom for them and it is my sons favorite park. Epcot is nice and you can have your kids make masks (for free) and take them all around the park and collect little “charms” for their mask. Sometimes this a good time to break from the hustle of the park because I rarely saw these tables busy. They are also a good place to rest since most are in air conditioned buildings and have tables and chairs. Hollywood studios has a lot of shows that may prove to be too much for your child, unless, like mine, they like loud noises. A couple of stunt shows and although Fantasmmic is a wonderful show, it can be kinda loud and scary for some kids. The playhouse disney show was one of my sons favorite. Simple and musical, he really enjoyed it and we enjoyed the break from the heat. Animal Kingdom is great if they like zoos and animals. My son LOVES the Lion King show and even got up there and danced with them. (lots of tears there).
Best advice ever…get a disability pass. You can get it at guest services, just tell them that you have a child with autism or whatever disability they have. They will give you a pass for that child and 6 members of their family to go through the fast pass entrance or another special entrance, for the attraction. You may have to wait a little but you avoid most of the line with all those people and that is where my son has had meltdowns before because too many people in too small of place.
More good advice, this goes for everyone, take a break, come back to the room, swim, decompress, do some therapy if needed, nap, whatever you need to do. This helps everyone. We return to the park refreshed and ready to go.
Another bit of advice, take your own car (or rent one) Lots of people on a bus could lead to a melt down, one day we did want to take the bus back from Hollywood studios and it took us 45 minutes to get on a bus. And that was during a slow season. Strollers on the buses are not a fun thing either.
Couple things we got for our son when we go on vacation is they have these temporary tattoos that say I have autism, if I’m lost please help me be found. and you can write your cell number on them. Very helpful for little ones who either do not talk or do not know phone numbers(i can’t even remember my husbands number…lol) When he was little(4/5) we got one of those backpack leashes, for when he wanted to walk, or we were in line. Little sweaty hands can slip out very easily combo that with a horde of people leaving a show it could end in separation. Some people bring headsets for their kids to block out sounds of fireworks. Not sure where they get these but I did see them in a gift shop when we went to the time trials for the Indy 500. So maybe check a racing website.a When he was younger we got him one of those backpack leashes, now I know some people have problems with having a child on a “leash” but my son HATED holding hands and made it really difficult to hold onto his hand. Most of the time he was in a stroller but there were times when he had to walk. This “backpack” was winderful for those times. He could walk freely more or less and I still had a hold of him. I think it also helped give him a little squeeze, he likes pressure so I think this helped relieve stress sometimes. THey are pretty strong and never came apart from him pulling on it.
Characters~ My son seemed to like the human characters, like Cinderella, Sleeping Beuty,ect. Sometimes the big huge stuffed animals can be frighting to any kid but sometimes for these kids as well. If you tell the character handler your situation they will be accommodating and tell the character about your child so as not to approach it or try to touch it if the child is not ready or want to. Some of my best photos are just of my son staring at Mickey. My sons favorite character is Cinderella, he even danced with her when we ate at 1900 park faire.(more tears!) So if your child has never experienced characters before maybe start off with the human characters.
Food~Many children are on restricted diets. So eating is sometimes difficult when on the go. When making advance dining reservations, tell the agent about your restrictions. I believe they will note it on your reservation. Also when you get into the restaurant, tell your server about your restrictions, sometimes they will go get a chef who, if you are at a buffet, will tell you what you can and cannot eat. My son is not on any restrictions, but my niece has Celiacs and when they went they found lots to eat and the chefs were very good at getting her food that she could eat. Also helps if you stay in a place with a kitchen. Like in the cabins at fort wilderness. Also I believe that they allow you to take small snacks into the park. So if you can, pack a couple in your bad so that you have something on hand. You may be able to request info about ingredients and food offerings at certain restaurants if you ask. You can also check out All Ears for the menus ahead of time.
OK well I think I have touched on all the important stuff, if you have any questions please fell free to contact Kristin to get my email address. I’d love to be able to make your vacation more enjoyable. Also if you have any tips to share please do. Life is all about learning from others.
Disney World is the Most Magical Place On Earth. Be sure to learn how to make the most of your trip by reading the Disney World Training series. You can also browse all the articles I have written in an easy to use outline. And if you are ready to book your trip, be sure to read about the perks of using an authorized Disney vacation planner (plus it’s FREE!).
Cindy says
I just realized I never reported on how our trip was last year to Florida with my son and using the passes at Universal, Sea World and LEGOLAND. We had an amazing trip and the passes helped us so much at Universal. They worked a bit differently at Universal and LEGOLAND. If the wait was over a half hour they gave you a time to come back at (usually whatever the wait time of the ride was) and you could only have one ride “waiting” at a time. we only had to use that on Harry Potter (which I was super surprised he wanted to go on) it seems like a fair way of doing the passes. All the passes allowed 6 guests through and sometimes they would let all 8 of us go (my parents or myself and one of the other boys would go towards the regular line and they would tell us all to go through) Sea World really wasn’t too busy so we didn’t have to use any passes that day. LEGOLAND was pretty busy with school trips (yeah I would avoid that place anytime during the week at the end of May but the weekends were nearly empty according to my cousin) they did the same thing as Universal and gave us times to come back to the ride. After I wrote this article I also found out that many of the big amusement parks (six flags, Cedar Fair. Holiday World, are the ones I know for sure) offer guest assistance passes. Holiday World even has a discount for guests with disabilities. Now we are in the middle of planning something none of the boys have ever done, a 7 day cruise! We are taking a royal Caribbean dreamworks cruise next year. Super excited about it and my son has decided he wants to try ziplining….guess I’d better loose some weight so I can join them :)
Krystal says
Thank you for this article. My daughter is almost 4 and is resently diagnosed with CDD (childhood disintregrative disorder) I am planning a trip next year for disney world and have been looking for tips and found this article. One thing I am happy to see is that you used the backpack leash type thing with an older child. I could only find people suggesting it with 2 year olds. My daughter loves to walk herself and likes to run away so the leash would be good for her. thanks again.
Brandi says
Thank you sooooo much for this post. My son was diagnosed with Autism last year when he was 3 and we are going to wait until he is 8 to take him to Disney. He also has an issue with loud noises, so I think taking him at 5 like we wanted to would be too much for him. These tips make me feel so much better about the trip. I’m going to pin it and make sure to plan, plan plan!
cindy says
thanks for the advice about IOA. weve been there before but it b was a long time ago. did they tell u about the discount there? my older boys r huge.coaster fans so it will b good for them. my son on the spectrum is used to going to amusement parks so hopefully this will b a good experience. we r going for 2-3 days too so that should help a bit.
Tiffiny says
Discount? No, we paid full price for everything. Do they have a discount on tickets for those with disabilities? Please tell. That would have been nice to have some sort of discount. Given the number of children I have it was a terribly expensive day for us.
I’m glad you’ve had better experiences at IOA. My boys generally love roller coasters too (they could not get enough of Manta at Sea World two years ago), and they enjoyed the Dueling Dragons in the Harry Potter area, but the wait times for Forbidden Journey and Pterodactyl Flyers was what did them in.
It’s interesting to me how one or two unhelpful/ not forthcoming employees can color the whole experience.
Tiffiny says
I got an email notice that there was more discussion on this post–wanted to update. We took the kids back to WDW at the end of Oct/ beginning of November (got the free dining plan) and got disability passes. It was our best Disney trip ever. My third boy was diagnosed PDD-NOS (on the spectrum) and ADHD right after we got back, and with now having three children diagnosed on the spectrum (they want us to look into genetic testing), we definitely appreciated the passes. They were kind enough because of my circumstances with three Autistic children in one family to write up the passes in such a way that my whole family was covered (I have five chidren-so seven of us total).
In my previous comment I mentioned how we had used the DS games as line bribes, and it was the only way to avoid meltdowns–however the children did not engage in anything but the games.
This time, with the use of the passes, we had no meltdowns in line and we engaged in discussions as we waited! (As much as they engage). I felt like dancing with joy. My youngest (the one just diagnosed) fell in love with the Peter Pan ride and wanted to ride over and over again. It was such a blessing.
We also knew which rides to avoid thanks to previous research. (Dark, loud rides do one of the boys in).
I called Universal Islands of Adventure to inquire about their passes. We were told to go to the guest services desk when we arrived. The person on the phone was most helpful in telling me which rides might be overwhelming for my autistic children. I appreciated the heads up. There are an alarming amount of rides that will overstimulate autistic kids. Being forewarned, we discussed whether we should go. My children are HUGE Harry Potter fans, and it gave me time to prepare them for what they would encounter in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. They were determined to go on it anyway.
However, another warning–if you go to UIoA on a slow day, they do not issue disability passes. If their computers say their wait times are about 20 minutes, they will not issue them. AND if the passes are not valid on rides like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (our sole reason for our going to the park). I would have appreciated the fore-knowledge that their disability passes are limited.
Despite everything, we pushed on. There was a worker at the entrance turning away too short children. As a result my husband ventured forward with all but our youngest only to wait over 45 min-1 hour to get on the ride. At one point there were tears from children. (We were texting each other). I had to wait an additional 45 min-1 hour because the worker at the gate did not tell us we could all wait in line together and do a child-swap. I understand now that they have a nice area for you to wait in while you swap. Why??? Why didn’t he tell us? Why didn’t I think to ask?
There were two nice workers we encountered–Elizabeth with the curly hair who gave us the equivalent of a fast pass certificate for our youngest because he was not of the proper height. We are to bring it back with us should we ever visit the park again and he is of the proper height. I got this certificate when all was said and done and I had ventured back into the gift shop at the end of the ride. The other nice individual was Bruce who saw my frustration and issued us a special pass good for another turn on Harry Potter. However by that time, the children were over-tired, over-stimulated, fed up and unwilling to give it another go. The wait for Pterodactyl Flyers (another extremely long wait with only three functioning flyers) finished off our frustration level with the park. The one redeeming thing about the day (besides Bruce and Elizabeth), was that my second oldest and with Aspergers, ADHD and ODD, who had been saving all his money for a wand (and didn’t spend it at Disney despite the many temptations) was selected as the “Wand Child” at Ollivanders. This was after I waited in the line solo while my husband kept the kids busy. I warned the nice people behind me I was going to be bringing in my children into the line when the wait got shorter because of their Autism. They kindly understood.
Needless to say, I don’t really recommend Universal Islands of Adventure to other families with Autistic children. I don’t even recommend it to families with small children or anyone who is not into roller coasters or major thrill rides as that makes up the majority of what is available.
All in all I have high praises for our Disney cast members handle disabilities. Universal could learn a thing or two from them. Next time I venture to an amusement park I will do more research before hand and find out what restrictions apply to any disability pass they might offer.
Cindy says
You are welcome! I am glad that Kristen allowed me to write it! If I’ve helped one person I feel good about it! We are excited about our upcoming trip in may. My son has already made his “travel guide”. His special ed teacher is so wonderful. Everytime we take a trip she plans her lessons for him around things related to the trip and they make a guide book. It is a sneaky way to fit in his spelling and stuff but it works out so nicely!!
Elizabeth says
Thank you, thank you for this article! I have a 4 yr old son with autism. And thank you, Kristin, for encouraging your readers to check out your planning pages during your “I’m Couponing to Disney” week, or I probably would never have found this article!
cindy says
thanks! good luck! we are headed to florida in may but are doing universal, sea world, & legoland and 2 days at disney. I have found out that all those parks (plus six flags, cedar fair park, & holiday world) all offer some sort of disability pass. I also found out that universal has a disability discount of 15% on some of thier tickets.
3mily says
My husband and I were debating whether or not we should take our 6 year old son with Asperger’s with us, my husband, 4 yr old daughter and me, to Magic Kingdom. Our youngest son (18 mo) will be staying at the resort with my parents. After reading this post – and then checking with the Disney website for the fine print – I’ve made an appointment with his doctor to get a note for the disability pass. He’s sound sensitive (among other things) and I didn’t know if it would really be worth the meltdowns. Thanks to this post – NO JOKE – my son will be going to Magic Kingdom. Today is Autism Awareness Day and I wish you would repost your original post on your facebook. More kids on the autism spectrum should be able to experience everything childhood has to offer – without all of the stress to their system, and the disability passes at Disney are one giant leap toward that goal.
Megan says
We went to WDW earlier this month with our typical 6 year old and our 9 year old with autism and digeorge syndrome. She has mr as well. She has a wheel chair because she can’t walk long distances but she is ambulatory. She is also in diapers and has a feeding tube. She has a severe dairy allergy and eats mostly baby food. Disney was wonderful! We got a disability pass for her, they did not charge us for her at character meals (she did not eat any of the food). The characters were amazing with her, they worked really hard to engage her. She prefers just to ignore new and strange things. The only melt down we had all week was with our typical child. The diapers was a huge concern. I was worried about where to change her. Epcot had the best companion bathrooms with changing tables that are big enough for a 9 year old, for sure. All the parks have companion bathrooms some are better than others. We did bring a bunch of those blue changing pads and worse case we laid them on the floor and changed her on them. It was great that the hotels have washer and dryers. It felt like her diapers leaked out a lot. I am sure it was the first few days getting into the routine. The best thing about the wheel chair for her was it gave her personal space so when we were watching parades or anything else it kept people out of her space so she was more comfortable. The cast members really were amazing! We are already planning our next trip! My daughter likes to spin and things that spin. We picked up a couple of great new toys while we were there and she LOVED going on the tea cups. The best picture I have of her for the past couple of years is her sitting on the tea cups waiting for it to go. She was chewing on a toy but you can see the excitement in her eyes and her smile.
Tiffiny says
I loved this article. I have two boys diagnosed with Asperger’s. The oldest especially has a hard time with noises. The second one also has ADHD and has an extremely hard time waiting. I also have a another boy who is in the process of diagnosis…
I wish I had seen this last summer when we took the kids to WDW. We bribed them with their Nintendo DS games (they can tune things out with them), but it bothered me having them. A therapist I know just recently told me video games can be some of the worst things for children with Asperger’s. I think we’ll look into the disability passes next time we go.
Vicky Cox says
Another great mobile phone option is …disneyparks.com/mobilemagic…it is free & it will give you times & waits for all!!!
Amy B says
Awesome article! I have a little cousin who is 4 (and autistic) I will be sure to send this to his grandma & mom…they’d love to bring him down here to Disney!
Kandace says
@ Cindy – thank you so much for your help! That is really nice of you!
Cindy says
I emailed 6 flags about this. I’ll let you know when or if they respond.
Adam says
We have a 4 year old with autism, and have season passes to Six Flags over Texas. Each time we go, we go to guest services and they give us a disability pass. We never bring a note, I just mention that our son has autism.
This pass allows us to go through the alternate/disability entrance on every ride. It works for him and up to 6 guests. It is a lifesaver for us.
Kandace says
This article is wonderful! I have never been to Disney but I would love to go. I am 22 years old, and I have an autistic brother who has never been either… he was diagnosed when he was really young so we know some coping skills, but to find out about the disability pass is great. He gets so nervous in huge crowds. We are from the Dallas area and sometimes going to Six Flags Over Texas can make him have a big breakdown, so would anyone know if all parks have a “disability” pass for him?
Cindy says
So far Disney is the only park that I have found to have this pass. You can contact the park and ask, but as far as I know the 6 flags by us(chicago) doesn’t have anything like that. It would be wonderful if they did though. Hmmm….maybe a new project for me to take on. We try to go when they report that the days are the slowest (during the week, early in the season or fall) when we go to other amusement parks. We have had great success going to the parks by us in early May, and late September.
Adam says
We have a 4 year old with autism. They do have a disability card at Six Flags over Texas. We have season passes and have used it several times this year. Just go to guest services to the right of the gate when you enter the park. All I have to do is mention our son has autism, no note or anything required, even though I usually have my son there with me so they can at least see him.
It allows him and up to 6 guests to go through line though the disability/alternate entrance, which is usually the rides exit. We never have to wait more than a couple of minutes to ride.
Melissa says
We have the Peltor Kids Junior earmuffs. They are comfortable and do a good job muffling sounds.
http://www.amazon.com/Peltor-90553-Junior-Earmuff-Pink/dp/B001ET5XAS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1280517019&sr=8-2
You can also get child sized earmuffs at sporting goods stores, like Sportsman’s Warehouse. Hope this helps!
Cindy says
Thanks! I did see them at the gift shop when we went to the Indy trials but haven’t seen them anywhere. My nephew (also autistic) does not like loud noises so I am going to tell my SIL about this site.
Lori says
Great article Cindy! As your childhood friend, I am so proud of the wonderful mom you are! All of your boys, Mike included :), are so lucky to have you! Your article will help numerous people!
Cindy says
Thanks Lori! You’re not so bad yourself ;)!! That was the whole idea, everyone helping everyone else…what a novel idea huh?! If I could help a couple of people feel that they are not alone in this then I feel successful!
Molly says
Thank you for the article! I have a 6 yr old with autism. He regressed when he was 2 into a severe, non-responsive, non-verbal state. It was scary and overwhelming, I felt really lost too, and then I had a stroke. So my son & then began to heal together. He’s doing much better now. I’m happy to share his blog with you guys: http://zaviersjourney.blogspot.com
Ann Marie says
Molly….what a cutie you have there! I checked out your blog and your Thank you video brought tears to my eyes. You all did such a beautiful job on putting that together….how inspiring!
Mary says
Re: the disability pass: you can simply bring a letter from your physician or OT stating that your child has a medical conditions which makes standing in lines quite difficult. It does not need to state the child’s condition (privacy laws). Also, when requesting your pass if at least one of your children is still in a stroller you can get what is called a “stroller as a wheelchair” tag for your stroller. Although we need the disability pass for our 6 year old, we get the “stroller as a wheelchair” tag to put on our 4 year old’s stroller as this greatly assists us in helping get on rides/keeping the kids ‘corralled’ in case our 6 year old is having a difficult time. In addition, with this tag you are able to literally get right up to the ride, thus further reducing the wait times and potential issues that a wait might bring about.
Before I knew about the disability pass we took both children to Disney and it was so horridly stressful that I was literally crying when driving home. It is definitely a ‘must’ for parents of special needs children.
Cindy says
I didn’t even have to show any papers, I did have them however butthey never asked. I’m glad that you didn’t give up and not go back. Sometimes that is what people do. I guess I didn’t even mention my secret weapon…my parents!! They come with us on almost every big vacation. Without them I would havenever been able to handle all 4 kids and enjoy myself. Having someone there to help with the kids is such a blessing. We each pick a buddy for the day, and that is who thier riding partner is usually for the day. Luckily we all like to ride everything, so if one of the older boys is Nana or Papas partner and they want to ride tower of terror or rock-n-roller coaster they will ride too.
Tricia says
Thank you for posting this. I am the mom of an almost 4yr old boy who has recently been diagnosed with autism. Since he was born, we have had lots of problems. Sometimes just being in a shoe store can be a full meltdown. I have been wanting to take the kids to Disney but have been wonderind if he could handle it. You have lots of great tips. I am aiming at going next October. Maybe we will even try to go to the halloween party event. Thanks for the tips. It feels as though i am on a boat mid ocean with no help.
Cindy says
I kow exactly how you feel! But as you go on you will realize there aer so many others on that boat! I have found so many wonderfful friends on this journey that I would’ve never found otherwise. Look for support groups in your area, and special groups. I live in Indiana outside of chicago and there are 2 wonderful ones here, one of which I just took the secretary postition. They provide all sorts of great opprotunities, like free days at the fair, waterpark, different seminars, a special easter egg hunt, all usually free of chatge. I found most of my info on these on the web.
We have been to the halloween party twice and both times it was womderful! Make sure everyone dresses up! First time we all(at that time there was 7 of us) Dressed like the cast from beauty and the beast, we had Belle,2 beasts(my hibby and youngest) Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs Potts and Bells Father. The last time(last Oct) we were the toy story gang This time there was 8 of us and we had Buzz, Woody, Sarge, an alien, Mr and Mrs Potatohead(I made thier costumes and my paretns got the best compliments on them) Jessie and hubby was Sid(he hates dressing up). It is sooo much fun to dress up! Just be forewarned that it can get downrigth HOT in the costumes so try to pick some that are thin or bring a change of clothes!
Meghan says
You can order ear muffs (hearing protection) for children at http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ear-muffs-for-children.html. We use these when we bring our children to Indy 500 practice and qualifying. They work really well and are the perfect size for even very young children.
Cindy says
I did see ones like that when we were at the Indy track too. Loud noises don’t bother my son but my nephew(who is also autistic) hates them. I am going to tell SIL about this site. Especially since he loves race cars and they want to take him to the races but afraid how he will do with the noises.
Meghan says
I forgot to mention that we put these on the kids before we even get out of the car if the cars are already running when we arrive. It seems to prevent a lot of anxiety if the kids never hear the loud noise. At WDW, I would suggest putting them on before the parades or fireworks start for the same reason. If you have a child who is bothered by noise, just put them on before you have a problem. I’ve seen quite a few children wearing them at WDW.
Randi says
Thank you for bringing light to a subject that many of us question frequently. My nephew is autistic, and I am usually the one that will “brave the tantrums” and take him some where new. I never thought to ask for a disability pass, but boy I wish I would have. I can’t even tell you how many lines we’ve gotten out of because he just couldn’t handle standing there any longer.
jenny says
Thank you for the information! Before our daughter started having seizures my husband paid extra for us to avoid the lines and get v.I.p. treatment and it made the experience so much better with three little ones. When we go back we will def get this disability pass.
Tallymomma says
Ahhhhh, thank you, thank you! My little buddy who is 6 is moderately autistic and the rest of the family are going to Disney in November to use our give a day get a day passes (yes he got his own) and I was desperately looking for information on what to do, where to get this “pass” everyone was talking about. This helps tremendously in where to stay and what to expect. I also used http://www.touringplans.com to help me plan out my vacation as to shortest times and avoiding overly crowded. Thank you for the perspective and hopefully we all have a smooth trip to Disney.
CIndy says
Good luck! We have found that my son has some of the biggest breakthroughs when we are there. Hope that you have a wondeful trip. We have gone there in Novmber as well. Good weather and not too bad crowd wise, except for those couple days around Thanksgiving.
Kimberly says
Great article! We have traveled to Disneyland with my brother, who also has autism, and you are so right – get a hotel close to the park and take breaks! It helps my brother to stay relaxed. 12 hours of noises and lines is too much, and the middle of the day is the most crowded anyway. Starting early in the day, coming back to the room for a nap/rest in the early afternoon, and going back in the evening seemed to be the best for it. If you can prevent a meltdown, it’s worth it – and your child will look forward to going back again!!
Lisa says
I learned about the disability pass after we went the first time.It has made a huge difference since then,because he doesn’t usually have enough time to get to melt down stage.Thanks for the other hints for future trips.
Ann Marie says
Awesome advice. I have twin 6 year olds one is on the Spectrum, high functioning Aspergers type. We just got back from a birthday trip at WDW. Didn’t get the disability pass but talked with a family that did and will do that next time as we just didn’t ride rides that we had to wait more the 25 minutes or so….so I could see where that would come in handy.
Cindy says
We didn’t get the pass until 1/2 way through our last visit, thought I would like to try to have him as normal of an experience as possible. But after some bad experiences I decided to get one. SO wish I would’ve gotten it the first day. Now I know. Live and learn!
lori says
thanks for sharing. I love the disability pass. my 3 year old has epilepsy and standing for 2 and 3 hours hoping he doesn’t seize was a huge fear of mine! The staff was awesome and we rarely waited more than 5 minutes. They see it as a liability if they can’t get through the cording and lines to get medical help to someone, so they would rather you use a disability pass for special needs. We do every year and don’t regret it one bit!
Careen says
I am a mom of 5 1/2 year old twin boys and a 3 1/2 year old. The twins are both on the spectrum (one more like Aspergers and the other low-moderate functioning.
It is important, in our family, to constantly talk about what is going to happen next, and after that and after that. In addition, allowing our children to carry a chosen toy, for that day/trip….. seems to help them deal with the constant changes (sights and sounds).
When all else fails, I just pull up a piece of the ground/floor, sit my child in my lap and talk softly with him, as I rock. I don’t care what others think, I am taking the time to love and care for my son and, like you said, if they feel uncomfortable, they can walk away.
Oh, btw, our children have worn medical bracelets since they were about 3 years old. We use them as I.D. bracelets, with the child’s name, mine, my husbands, his parents names and phone numbers on them. And, on the front, it says “I’m Autistic. I may not respond appropriately.”
When I took the kids to visit the local fire station a few months back, one of the paramedics saw them and asked if all the kids were allergic to meds. I said no, we were using them as I.D.. He happened to have taken a look at the front of one of them and said “That is such a great idea!” and went on to say that more parents should do that more often as it is a great benefit should the parents not be around for some reason (child ran off, child is at school and there is an accident and they can’t get ahold of the parents).
Cindy says
When you mentioned the sitting and rocking with your child I forgot to say that you may want to bring a blanket to sit on like for parades or situations like this. My son hates to sit on the ground, so we always make sure we put one in our backpack.
ID braclets are wonderful ideas for kids, everytime I try to put one on him he screams, so the tatoos work good for us. I know that there is also stickers that you can get for your house and car that says someone in this house/car has autism and may not respond.(or something like that) I have them on my car and on the front window of our house,. I got them at a seminar. A good idea I think for those just incase of an emergency times.
Caree says
Oh yes, I forgot about the bumper stickers. I have one of those too. They have them as bold as the yellow diamond “hazard” type all the way to Autism puzzles (talk about a “spectrum”). I have one on my car as well. I had not thought about for my home. I am going to have to do that.
I recently purchased my new on (the old one was ripping and discoloring terribly, from CafePress but all you need to do is google Autism Window Stickers or Autism Bumper Stickers.