autistic children at WDW

[lovemickeya]

I have a 3 yo Autistic son and was just wondering- if any of you have been to WDW with you autistic children? Is it as hard as I think it is going to be or is he going to enjoy himself?

 

[mbb]

Mom with 2 boys with ASD/PDD...they are 5, and we've been to WDW twice...and loved it!!!

Head on over to the DisAbilities Board...you'll find nothing but support and great tips for surviving "the Happiest Place on Earth!!!"

And pm me anytime....

...and as you'll notice -its one of those days for me...we're ON the Disabilities Board already...please someone have a chuckle with me!!!

 

[MEM]

My son is 9 and at the high end of the autism PDD spectrum. If your son is like mine, not only will he love WDW but his development will advance noticeably with each trip. I wrote a trip report on Mouseplanet about our experiences -- August 2001 POFQ and another of mine will appear there later this month. In addition to these wonderful disboards, try www.allearsnet.com -- Deb has a special section on WDW With Your Autistic Child. Also, Bob Sehlinger's latest Unofficial Guide to WDW also has a section related to this.

 

[SueM in MN]

Looks like you have already been very well invited to come in and make yourself comfy here.
One thing I want to point out about the allears site is that it says you need a doctor letter to get assistance for your child. What you do need is to be able to explain what sorts of difficulties you need assistance with. If you want to bring a letter to help you, that is your choice, but it's not required.
Here's
another website with a lot of helpful information, hints and general good ideas about how to manage at WDW.
And here's a link to a past thread on the disABILITIES Board that should help.
Feel free to ask as many questions as you want.

 

[TinkTatoo]

I have a son of 6 and a daughter of 5 both with Autism - we went to WDW last year and they loved it - so much so we are going again this year

As long as you plan ahead stay away from things that might upset him you should have a brilliant time

 

[s&k'smom]

Welcome. I have taken my DS who has a PDD diagnosis and he loved it. Especially swimming everyday. Actually the only thing he didn't like was really loud noises so we just avoided fireworks. All the CM's treated him wonderfully and you'll find lots of parents on these boards with many experiences to share. I say go and have a blast!

 

[MEM]

With regard to fireworks, my DS age 9 loves the visuals of them but not the noise. We solved this by using foam earplugs with DH huge hands clapped on top of them. DS can now enjoy Illuminations, Fantasmic and the MK Fireworks shows! He was obviously very pleased with himself once we found a way around the noise factor. He knew he was missing something special.

We have a tendency to strongly encourage our son to try things he appears to be afraid of -- many times he is just seeking confirmation that it will be all right. He was terrified at the thought of Test Track so we "bribed" him with Spaceship Earth -- "first TT, then SE." He was okay with that and now TT is one of his favorite attractions.

Only you know what is best for your child(ren) but my approach is to nudge DS out of his comfort zone ever so gradually. The results continue to amaze us.

 

[lentesta]

Hi lovemickeya,

I helped write the Unofficial Guide's section on special needs kids at WDW Let me know if there's anything we can do to help.

mbb - LOL.

Sincerely,

Len