Teenager with Down syndrome

jeremeyp

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
I have an 11 year old son with Down syndrome. We usually got to WDW every year. As he's grown out of strollers, we have switched to the Liberty Push Chair, which has worked great. Our trip this December will be the last time he can use it, though. It has a max weight of 100 lbs and he's getting very close to that.

He's completely ambulatory, but a stroller has been necessary because if he decides he wants to sit down, which could be anywhere, including the middle of a walkway, there is no moving him. We are going to try to have him walk some on this trip to see how it goes, though.

Once your child has grown out of strollers, what do you do? Have you rented a wheelchair? Any other ideas?

Thanks!
 
Have you considered one of the larger-sized special needs strollers? I believe Convaid has strollers for up to 200+ lbs. I don't know if you can rent them anywhere, and they are pricey to purchase but your insurance may cover it. Otherwise, I think a wheelchair is the next easiest option for rental.

Enjoy your vacation!
 
Our daughter is 33 with Down syndrome. She is capable of walking and very high functioning but complains constantly. I finally got my husband to agree several years ago to get her a wheelchair at the parks. What a difference it makes! Everyone has a much better experience as does she. The chair is 12 a day I think and less a day for multiple days. Plus if you park hop you can get a chair at multiple parks at no extra cost. I will never take her to a park without one.
 
Have you considered one of the larger-sized special needs strollers? I believe Convaid has strollers for up to 200+ lbs. I don't know if you can rent them anywhere, and they are pricey to purchase but your insurance may cover it. Otherwise, I think a wheelchair is the next easiest option for rental.

Enjoy your vacation!

Thank you! I wasn't familiar with those. We will look into them and talk to our doctor about getting approved through insurance.
 
Our daughter is 33 with Down syndrome. She is capable of walking and very high functioning but complains constantly. I finally got my husband to agree several years ago to get her a wheelchair at the parks. What a difference it makes! Everyone has a much better experience as does she. The chair is 12 a day I think and less a day for multiple days. Plus if you park hop you can get a chair at multiple parks at no extra cost. I will never take her to a park without one.

Thank you! I think we'll definitely have to go this route. I know my wife really wants him to be able to walk around the parks freely, but I just don't see that happening. Perhaps after he gets through puberty he'll be more cooperative. At nearly 100 lbs, I can no longer easily pick him up if he's uncooperative.
 
Thank you! I wasn't familiar with those. We will look into them and talk to our doctor about getting approved through insurance.

Depending on insurance, it may or may not be approved. I know our insurance would not approve one because my daughter doesn't need it for "everyday" use. But others have been more successful so it's worth a try.
 
Depending on insurance, it may or may not be approved. I know our insurance would not approve one because my daughter doesn't need it for "everyday" use. But others have been more successful so it's worth a try.

He's on Medicaid TEFRA (Katie Beckett Waiver) and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I'll talk to his developmental pediatrician about the likelihood it would get approved. Thanks again!
 


This may be the one lanejudy was thinking of: https://www.adaptivemall.com/metro18basic.html
It goes to 200 pounds. A narrower 16 inch one goes to 175.

www.Adaptivemall.com is a good place to check out equipment like that. They carry a lot of different products and have a lot of information about each product. Those special needs strollers are expensive, but if insurance won’t cover it, you might be able to find a used one on Craigslist.

You can always rent a regular wheelchair either from the parks or one of the offsite rental places. You could also look into purchasing a regular wheelchair or transport chair (less expensive than a special needs stroller).
 
We got the 18" Convaid chair for my adult son with Down Syndrome/Autism. It is still fairly heavy and does not collapse small, but it is a life saver. We use it only at the parks, day trips to zoos, aquariums, etc.

I just paid for it with his SSI money, did not try Medicaid.
 

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