Booked it and have questions (high functioning autism)

[berries]

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[Mary976]

I do not have answers to all your questions, but I wanted to let you know that I hope you have a wonderful time! Many people with the challenges you describe have really enjoyed their trips, provided that they have realistic expectations about how much they will be seeing/doing. It also helps to have a good plan, either by looking about on these boards, or using something like Tour Guide Mike or The Unofficial Guide. That being said, here are some specific answers for you.

Good luck!
Mary


I booked through Disney and the payment went through my account but so far no email? When should I receive the email?

Not sure, I would think soon? This might be a good question for the resort board.

I booked the Movie Resort with a preference for Toy Story. When will I find out where we are actually staying? Not until we arrive?

We have never found out until we arrived. Other may be able to chime in with a different experience, though.

We are not renting a car but would like to have breakfast in the room...is there a store so we can buy bagels, cereal, soy milk, etc in Disney?

Movies has a quick service area where you can buy food, but there is no grocery store per se. Also, some people have groceries delivered (check the resort board for details). FYI: the All Star resorts do not provide a fridge. They are $10 per day. You can get one free for medical reasons, but supposedly they will ask for a doctor's note for this (since it is a benefit not available to the general public) and sometimes those medical fridges are really tiny (like they only hold meds).

Can we request aisle seats at shows so we can leave is necessary? I was told by a family member that this is impossible.

If you have a GAC (see sticky for details) for special seating, I think you could get seats in the back. Aisle, I'm not sure.

My daughter loves Buzz Lightyear and I was excited to see the buzz lightyear's AstroBlaster ride....I see people talking about 4 yr olds going on this ride but my daughter is 8 years old and too short for it! She is 46 1/2" tall and the ride has a restriction for 52" tall. Is there any possibility of her riding it? I would hate to have them turn her away and would rather avoid it if she can't ride it.

The ride you mentioned is at DisneyQuest. The Buzz Ride in the Magic Kingdom AND the Toy Story ride in Hollywood Studios should both be fine for you both. But no, if you don't meet the height req, you absolutely cannot ride.

My daughter calms down when swimming but will the pool be warm enough for swimming in March? I need to know whether to pack swimsuits!

Yes, it is plenty warm. We swim and go to the water parks in March. Although you want to swim when it is sunny and not too windy. The pools are heated, but walking around in the air when you are wet may be chilly if it is overcast.

With the dr's note of my daughter's disability, will we get a free stroller?

I have never heard of this, so I don't believe so. However, you can get a GAC card/sticker so you can take a personal stroller through the lines with you. You might be able to rent a "special needs" stroller from an off-site company, though. Someone else here should know.

What are the best seats on the plane for her? Quietest spot in the plane with less traffic. (near the bathroom would probably not be good!) I really don't care about getting off quickly once we land as I am sure I will be getting out stuff together and need a few moments for that!

The quietest spot is usually in the back (bathrooms notwithstanding). Are you sure your daughter won't be upset by waiting so long to deplane? If that might be a problem, I'd recommend the bulkhead up front. Also, if she's upset, it's not like she could kick the back of anyone's seat if you're in the bulkhead.

I want to take squishy gel filled balls to keep her hands busy on the plane. I bought some new ones especially for that purpose but now I am told that they have to follow the 3 oz rule!! I don't know how many fluid ounces are in each one, will this be a problem through security??

You probably cannot take them. I had a friend who's gel-filled shoe inserts were confiscated. you can pack them in checked luggage though. Also, what about a stress ball made of foam rubber instead? They are not liquid, so it should be fine.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to both DisBoards and disABILITIES!

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information.

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

I can answer a few of the questions here right away.

First, you might want to look at Post #6 of the FAQs, dealing with the Guest Assistance Card (GAC). Having that will probably help, especially concerning seating at shows.

A doctor's not has no authority at WDW, and they don't give free strollers anyway. Post #2 of the FAQs has information about both at WDW and off-site stroller rentals.

I know at the water parks we keep the temperatures at least 80 year round; I think all the pools are heated also

I just checked the Internal Disney Official site and there are noi height restrictions for the Buzz Lightyear attraction.

There is no grocery store as such at WDW. You can get prepackaged breakfast items at the food court, or pastries and have them boxed. At the locations with Disney Vacation Club they do have a small "general store", but it is complicated to get to from a Value Resort using Disney Transportation.

I hope this information helps as a start.

 

[pudge the fish]

I would pack cereal and bagels-
Soy milk is available at some places- like the main street bakery in MK - I would call the special diet needs number or email them and ask if soy is available . I don't know if it's available at the movies food court on a normal basis but I know we asked for it in advance and it was available for us at our last stay. but that has been 3 mos ago and things change.

 

[mechurchlady]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/childswap.htm
That is info on the child swapping pass you can use if your daughter is too short for a ride.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713
Post 7 lists the disabled services available for rooms like bed rails and rubber pads for the bed.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmovie.htm
That is a map of the resort. Toy story rooms start with 9 and 0. They are close to the food court and busses. There is one pool located in the middle of the resort and near the playground and laundry. The other is by Mighty Ducks at the opposite end (north) of Toy Story buildings.

Height Limits
These are the only rides your daughter could not go on.
MGM Studios Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith 48"
Animal Kingdom Primeval Whirl 48"
Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland Indy Speedway 52"
Blizzard Beach Downhill Double Dipper 48"
Blizzard Beach Summit Plummet 48"
Typhoon Lagoon Bay Slide 52"
Typhoon Lagoon Humunga Kowabunga 48"
DisneyQuest Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlaster 51"
DisneyQuest Cyberspace Mountain 51"
DisneyQuest Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam 48"

Food
You can ship to your resort a box of stuff you will need for eating. You can have the food delivered to your room for a fee. You can take a taxi to go shopping. You can take with you on the plane any foods that are special medical foods. Fill that suitcase up with a box of cereal then drag the suitcase home full of souvenirs.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2082348
They discuss All Star Movie Resort and food. They do have a microwave and toasters to the side for resort guests to use even if they are not buying food at the food court. For $10 a day you can get a fridge in your room according to that thread.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?Restaurant.ID=346
Menu for the resort.

Airplanes
http://www.seatguru.com/
It depends on where the motors are located. If the engines are in the back then that is the noisiest spot. At the TAC tell them that she is special needs and must stay in the harness for safety reasons, a runner. AT boarding explain that you need to get the child on and off first because of special needs. Not sure about letting the gel filled squishies on board but they are a medical necessity so could be allowed. Definitely call and ask for a bulkhead seat due to your child's disabilities.

GAC
You can get a GAC for certain limitations and if nothing else can explain to a CM that you need an aisle seat or back row. If you get a GAC then be prepare to state what the child's limitations are such as cannot wait in lines because of xxxx or need for a separate waiting area. Pushchairs are available at Orlando Strollers and you could strap her in and get a GAC for a stroller as a wheelchair. No doctor's note is needed for any disable service, that is the law. The exception to that law is if the person gets something beyond what others get such as free admission like at National Parks.
Sorry but no free strollers even with a doctor's note.

 

[flynnmnstr]

Hi! This is a great site for info gathering it really helped us on our earlier trips with our DS (high functioning autism).

My only suggestions is that without giving away that you are going to Disney you might want to prep her a little by showing her some pictures of what to expect. You Tube has lots of videos of the rides and parades. The disney site even has some short videos. Disney is very sensory overwhelming and the prepping may help. And remember go with the flow and just have fun. Not on our son's first trip but one of our earlier ones he decided that he wasn't going on anything that took place inside-- we spent the whole week on Dumbo, the Carousel and Goofy's Barnstormer.. not kidding.

Definitely use a stroller for those moments where she might just need to relax and calm down. I forget the rental company that rents special needs ones but I think they go up to like 140lbs so much roomier for bigger kids. And I think they range from like 60-100 for a week (just search for it in this forum). We have a Maclaren Major that we got used from a fellow dis member but I have seen them on craigslist or ebay every once in a while if you get lucky.

Airport security is always the worst part of the trip-- its chaotic and face paced and crazy. Just stay calm and move at your own pace --forget the evil stares you get behind you. Get everything on the belt first. You walk through first. Then have your daughter walk through that way is something beeps or blips she not already through security. Many times if they see a kid struggling they will help you out.

Just have fun .....and don't worry too much about what can go wrong.

 

[Tiiiigergirl]

The battle between telling and not telling. If you tell then you can prepare but but the anxiety kicks in and also you might miss something important and then....THE MELTDOWN.

If you don't tell then they might freak out at not knowing and then....THE MELTDOWN.

The thing that I have finally figured out is that the first time my son experiences something, he imprints. This then becomes the right way. Then everytime after had better be like that because the first time was. The first time we took our son to Disney, I made him a little booklet and gave it to him I think 2 weeks before we left. It discussed in general terms with pictures and words what we would be doing and every night before we left I read it to him. Then during our journey I showed him where we were. I left things vague about which days we were doing which parks because things happen and I wanted the flexibility.

I've made a couple of these booklets for him with great success.

BUT I think the most important part especially for my son since he was adopted as an older child but I think probably good for most kids is that I always included a picture of our home on the last page. This let him know that we were coming back home and he didn't have to worry about that.

Giving her a brochure to look at might be fun. We looked at a lot of travel videos as a family just for fun and that could prep her. If she is like most autistic children she won't come right out and ask if you are going even if she suspects. And actually if she is young, her thinking is probably linear enough that you can tell her that you are all going to watch the video for fun and enjoyment and she would not even think twice about it. And then you could give her your booklet during your flight.

I agree that the telling v not telling is tough and only you can decide because you know best. Now that my son is almost 16 my benchmark is if telling him serves any positive purpose for him or me. If the answer is no then I don't.

 

[mom2nji]

I have an 8 yo DS with moderate ASD. He is very noise sensitve, but for some odd reason the parks dont bother him.
I have no help on the booking info as we live here.
But I have lots of tips for getting through the parks! We are passholders and go A LOT.
As soon as you arrive ask about the guest assitance card. We have never had an issue getting one when we tell them he has Autism. The first time I brought the first page of his IEP just in case they asked for proof. But they didnt, I guess the hand flapping a mile a minute and the tip toe walking didnt leave much room for wondering, lol.
Cast members are SUPER helpful with getting around crowds and big lines. The card is not meant to be a direct jump to the front of the line, but does help a lot with our son's needs. Dont ever be afraid to ask a cast member for help. As far as shows go, we usually go into the handicap ent. (show them the GAC and explain the autism and crowd issues, though I usually dont have to explain much) there are much smaller crowds there. They are always understanding and give us aisle seats near exits. Dont stress too much, it will be a BLAST!

 

[bookwormde]

Wow I do not think I would ever be “brave” enough to spring that type of “surprise” on my DS9 (Aspergers), while most of the time he would be alright the times when he would not be would be quite a challenge and occasionally unworkable. Over thinking is what we do so I never worry about that, as for the anxiety I have found it a useful exercise to work through the root causes and create familiarity and understanding to reduce or overcome that portion.

As for airport screening, my suggestion would be to “brief” the TSA personnel before you go through the scanner and if they will not let you and your daughter go through together, then go through first facing towards your daughter and have her follow you. This has the advantage of if she takes off you can go back through the scanner and catch her an then will just need to be rescreened, the big problems occur when the child goes through first an takes off and you can not follow because you have not been screened.

As for the gel filled sensory supports they would likely be an issue, while you do not need a doctors note for WDW if you are going to try to take them if would be helpful to have a prescriptive note for them as a medical device, even then if you get an under trained TSA agent you may still have a problem.

One thing to remember is that you can get a disability preboard pass (typically at customer services in the concourse) from the airline which will allow you and your daughter to board before all the non disabled passengers and get settled before all the commotion of the “rush”. We generally sit near the back of the airplane since it is quieter at boarding and we can wait till the plane is “empty” to exit without a lot of people going by us.

bookwormde

 

[ireland_nicole]

Please, please consider rethinking your surprise idea. I speak from experience, and I don't mean a pleasant one... Last Sept. we had little choice but to "surprise" DD w/ our Disney trip. Although the trip was booked, and we had planned on them getting a postcard from Mickey and Minnie (thanks to the FG who helped us out ) in mid august, giving us about 3 weeks to do all the planning, worrying, fussing, etc.

However, The first week of August DD started having seizures. When we got out of the hospital her Neuro said that we had to have another EEG before he could clear her for travel. That EEG was scheduled for less than 48 hours before our trip. Rather than have her overly ramped up for the final night before the trip, we decided to tell DD(ASD/ADHD, and other med. stuff) and DS(SPD/ADHD) when we were in the car on the way. Big mistake, Big Huge; they melted down for well over an hour, couldn't understand how they could miss school, why we weren't doing what we planned for the weekend, it was just a mess. They didn't get "excited" about it until we were there- trust me, it was a very long 20 hour car ride. I'm not saying your DD is going to react like mine, but please, for your own sanity, don't assume the surprise will be welcomed.

I agree that the stroller as wheelchair has been a godsend more times than I can count. Although your DD probably won't need a special needs stroller at her size, they are available from a couple of offsite companies. We have used www.orlandostrollerrentals.com for "standard" strollers and they also have special needs ones. The owner, Shannon, was absolutely wonderful and we couldn't imagine getting a stroller from anyone else.

For planes,cars, parks, etc. We pack a hip pack (fanny pack) with survival gear. a cheap Mp3 player, deck of cards, couple of fidgets from the Disney store, ear plugs, sunglasses, a small notebook and mini markers or pens, and a leapster. my kids love being able to control their level of stimulus, and it really works well

 

[berries]

You guys are scaring me! LOL Seriously I know what you mean. It all sounds good in my head and then come down to it, it turns out to be the worst idea possible! I have had that sick feeling like wow I messed up bigtime and felt the disappointment of something I expected her to really enjoy and she couldn't stand it. I am hoping this will be different. For one reason...she has been begging to go to WDW from the commercials. It is the first time she has requested something she saw on tv. I told her it was really expensive and we couldn't just go this second which made her really mad. This has been going on for months now.

So hopefully it will turn out okay! I am expecting her to be amped up after finding out so don't want her jumping around during the plane ride. My child has 2 emotions, really really happy/excited or really really mad/upset.

I have a ton of guidebooks checked out from the library and told her that I am preparing for when we have enough money to go. So she is seeing lots about WDW lately. Plus the video.

She doesn't get into too many characters but the ones she likes, I found a character meal and was able to get a reservation!! I didn't think I could since I booked so late but it worked out. Little Einsteins.

I can't get maps beforehand b/c we booked so late. Hard to plan without park maps!

In my mind, preparing for the plane ride is big enough for her. And I worry if we are thrown off the plane Can you imagine how horrible if she knew we couldn't get to WDW??? Yikes! I have heard of kids not being able to fly because of tantrums, etc. I have a drs letter plus forewarned them about my daughter so I hope things go okay! She can get loud and does often. I am loading songs on the mp3 player (also new to her) and imagine her screaming as loudly as she can along with the songs. If she does, I guess we will have to change activities.

Everything is going to be okay! Grandma notwithstanding...I worry about her getting fussy if dd has a meltdown! I appreciate the extra hand, really I do. LOL But she does tend to get cranky.

Thank you guys for the additional tips. I am reading everything I can get my hands on! Oh and I called and they added the fridge on for free because of her allergy!

 

[Bugsmom73]

Garden Grocer has a nice delivery service.

I would prepare her, make picture schedules, how to get on and off the airplanes, what is expected in security, etc. We always feel like we over prepare but DS has been as good as any NT kid on vacation is. The hardest wait for us is the airport.

 

[BeckyScott]

As far as seating during shows, we had the GAC and I asked for an aisle seat or in disabled seating "just in case he starts to freak out". (putting it that way seemed to work for the CM's) It wasn't ever a big deal. If you think about it, most of the shows people don't want the aisle seats, they want the center, so it's not like you have to fight for the seat.

 

[mechurchlady]

You have to calm down. Kids are worse than dogs when it comes to feeding off of emotions. If mom is fretting then the kid frets. They will not kick you off the play for a tantrum. That is your irrational thoughts building and feeding seeds of irrational thoughts into a full down mommy shut down. Have you tried swaddling where you wrap the kid in a blanket? That sometimes works.

Look in FAQs for the info on allergen free dining in the parks. Note on ADRs and get the info before hand so you know what she can have without problems. French fries are a worry as some places may use soy oil. Call and get a list sent to you of allergen free foods or what ever her allergies are.

Breath in and out, repeat over and over and calm down. The key to the trip is knowledge. You will be in AK and potty time hits so you immediately know where one is. Mom is hungry so you know what your kid can eat and where. Hey look that ride is closed for a while so lets go to Pirates. At DLR there was a monsoon type rainstorm. My next ride was bobsleds but we had to go shopping. I knew where to go. Then I had a back up which was dole whips then the saloon then pirates. No looking at maps or anything as I was prepared.

As for mom tell her that you got one kid and if she has a meltdown that mom is to help out like getting the check in a restaurant or keeping people away from you while you are with the kid. Make sure she wants to help you and get her hyped and ready.

 

[berries]

That is the plan! My mom will get the food and bring it to the table. Trying to think ahead and plan what ifs. I am so glad to find out about the baby centers. Sounds like a good place to chill if dd needs to.

 

[bookwormde]

For the most part you can relax about her enjoying WDW, it is very rare for our children not to really blossom there with adequate preparation and a measured pace. The only concern I have is making it a “surprise” since that adds a layer of risk. Then again if your child has enjoyed major surprises in the past it may not be an issue.

Just relax and be prepared to “go with the flow”, you should be fine.

bookwormde

 

[kris'disneymom]

my son is moderately-severly autistic and is obsessed with wdw. a few tips that work for him,
we use a wheelchair (stroller when smaller) he can look around when he wants or put his head down when overwhelmed. the cms also are more accommodating when they see a wheelchair.
he has a pouch with some security items and earplugs on a string from the hardware store. before entering any attraction he can get them out and put in himself.
when you enter always ask the CM at the entrance.
at shows tell them where you want to sit, handicap enter first you will have choice. if they are resistant, tell them if your child has a melt down this will be for everyone's benefit for you to have aisle seat, etc.
you can print park maps from online web sites. just google disney maps. you will get the actual maps from the parks, my son does this all the time.
and have fun!

 

[blondietink]

My DS, age 17 tomorrow , HATES surprises. He loves planning and looking forward to going different places. Of course, you know your daughter, but personally I would never go somplace without lots of preparation in advance with my DS knowing everything. Good luck.

 

[berries]

I don't think I have surprised her with anything before. I always prepare her ahead of time for everything. Talking about it in the car on the way about what she will see or hear. Warning her the day before. But with the flight too...I worry it will be too much to digest at once. I am talking about WDW as she knows we are saving up for a trip to WDW. I may change my mind before we go and tell her! I can't keep a secret too well and I am excited. I just know she will have a good time!

Oh and we go to lots of new places so it isn't new that we are going somewhere we haven't been before! She is pretty much used to traveling but normally we go by car.

I bought the hotel door stop alarm after getting locked out of our hotel room when I chased her down the hallway in my pajamas. She is tall enough now to unlock the doors!!

 

[toodycat]

I would recommend prepping your daughter a little before the trip. I have a high functioning son with PDD-NOS who has been to WDW about seven times. He liked it the least the time we surprised him. It took him so long to get adjusted to the idea that by the time he was pleased, we were leaving. He enjoys WDW, but definitely can't marathon it. We always return to the hotel midday for a swim to let him decompress a bit. Have a wonderful time.