Flight of Passage for Autistic child

[Bella749]

My son is 8 and has moderate to severe Autism. He is non verbal and only understands and follows simple directions. He loves roller coasters, Soarin and loves wearing virtual reality headsets. I never rode FOP, but from everything I heard about it I know he would enjoy it. Is it possible for him to get off by himself or fall off? Does the chair move alot? Also, would I be in arm reach of him?

I would love to hear from someone that has a child similiar to mine that rode FOP. Thank you!

 

[LindySpirit]

He will be out of arm's reach, but he will be right next to you. Once he's clicked in, he can't get off without the ride ending. I would just tell the CM your concerns at loading. It is a remarkable ride.

 

[HopperFan]

We were going for AP Preview and had HUGE concerns regarding my son ...
... I couldn't get any clear answers from those who had been on it so we risked it.

You will be right next to him, you will be able to touch him and I even held my DS hand the first time.

My DS loves it, has been on multiple times. I can't even go to AK now if I don't plan to take him on it.

I will PM you our experience.

 

[Bella749]

We were going for AP Preview and had HUGE concerns regarding my son ...
... I couldn't get any clear answers from those who had been on it so we risked it.

You will be right next to him, you will be able to touch him and I even held my DS hand the first time.

My DS loves it, has been on multiple times. I can't even go to AK now if I don't plan to take him on it.

I will PM you our experience.

Thank You! That is great to hear and I look forward reading about your experience!

 

[SueM in MN]

This thread has a LOT of information, including pictures of the ride seats. The first page is mostly information from before the Pandora attractions opened, but most of the rest is experiences.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/pandora-rides.3593133/

My youngest DD is not autistic; she is physically disabled with multiple sensory issues. She loves Soaring, Test Track, Star Tours, Tower of Terror, but did not like Flights of Passage at all.
She had a seizure just before, but was fully recovered. She also did not have the 3D glasses on. She loved about the first 90 seconds, then she hated it. I think it was just too much sensory overload, including the position you are locked into (legs bent with feet down).
She was very secure in the seat and I was not concerned about her coming out of the seat. She was seated between my husband and I; we were both able to touch her easily.

Added - our experience on Flights of Passage is on page 8 of the linked thread

 

[Bella749]

This thread has a LOT of information, including pictures of the ride seats. The first page is mostly information from before the Pandora attractions opened, but most of the rest is experiences.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/pandora-rides.3593133/

My youngest DD is not autistic; she is physically disabled with multiple sensory issues. She loves Soaring, Test Track, Star Tours, Tower of Terror, but did not like Flights of Passage at all.
She had a seizure just before, but was fully recovered. She also did not have the 3D glasses on. She loved about the first 90 seconds, then she hated it. I think it was just too much sensory overload, including the position you are locked into (legs bent with feet down).
She was very secure in the seat and I was not concerned about her coming out of the seat. She was seated between my husband and I; we were both able to touch her easily.

Added - our experience on Flights of Passage is on page 8 of the linked thread

Thank you for the information!

 

[Dis703]

I just took my 6 year old who is on the spectrum (high functioning) and was concerned at first about how he would react. He was within arms reach and early on it seemed he was getting overwhelmed but I was able to reach over and reassure him that he couldn't fall as we weren't really in the air and I held his hand for a bit and he really ended up loving it. They aren't strapped into the seat, but there is a part that comes up behind the back and ankles to secure you into the seat. I do believe it would be possible to get out of it, but would probably take some effort.

I also forewarned him that it was going to look like we were going to crash into things sometimes and that something was going to jump out at us but that nothing will actually touch us. It was still shocking when it happened but I think it helped him to be prepared for it. I also told him he could close his eyes if it was too much but he didn't.

I think like with most things it's really individual but the ride part itself is also relatively short so I think it's worth a chance if you think he may like it.

 

[skyp4WDW]

If he likes Soarin; he will probably enjoy this ride. The one thing that might bother him is the way the restraint pushes into you from behind and holds you in your seat until the ride is over. I can imagine that the restraint definitely could bother some kids whether they're on the Spectrum or not.

 

[Bella749]

If he likes Soarin; he will probably enjoy this ride. The one thing that might bother him is the way the restraint pushes into you from behind and holds you in your seat until the ride is over. I can imagine that the restraint definitely could bother some kids whether they're on the Spectrum or not.

Yes, he loves Soarin and anything that moves or feels like your moving fast. I think he should be okay with the restraints. The restraints on the other rides never seemed to bother him so hopefully this ride won't either.

 

[gap2368]

Yes, he loves Soarin and anything that moves or feels like your moving fast. I think he should be okay with the restraints. The restraints on the other rides never seemed to bother him so hopefully this ride won't either.

There is a test set out front of the ride the part that comes up to your back cam push kind of hard on your back. For me this is the worst part I sit up some until the restaurant locks and this way I have a little room in the upper abdaman area

 

[PatMcDuck]

My son is an autistic adult, also Down Syndrome, non-verbal for the most part. We also had concerns, but he rides everything, including all the big coasters at Universal plus everything at WDW. He did fine. We were worried about whether he would hold onto the handlebars, or if he would try to get out and stand up or something. He never does that, but this was new. Our first ride with him was only ok for US, as me and my husband kept looking at him. (We could reach out and touch him if necessary).

He has since ridden a couple more times, and we now can enjoy the attraction without worrying about him.