Child with Autism in the Parks

[kapiski]

My four year old son has aspergers, a high functioning form of autism. He has difficulty with loud noises, crowds of people, etc. I know.. but he's been before. I will bring earplugs with me, as I do wherever I go.

My real question - will Disneyland treat him as being in need of special assistance? If so, what do I need to bring to demonstrate his diagnosis?

Thank you!

Mark's Mom

[debijeanm]

I happened to be there on a scheduled special needs day. I guess my first suggestion would be to contact guest relations to see if there is another special needs day planned and, if not, what special services you can expect. I'd also check in at City Hall on your way in. Try www.disneyland.com, "Contact Us" for a start.

[sorcerormickey]

I would believe that if you brought a note from his doctor who diagnosed him they would treat him as being in need of special assistance. But one thing that I would do is call Disneyland and ask them your question... I am sure that they would be more then glad to help....

SM

[RU42]

Hi Mark's Mom,

Just let me say ditto to your situation; my son has the same conditions. Disney no longer treats this as special needs. We have brought in Dr's notes, etc and Disney refuses to allow any pass to be issued.

My son does well in some lines and others are a nightmare. So, we have learned when and when not to get into a certain line. You have the ear plugs covered and that is the best thing you can do. Some sort of simple line enjoyment is also good to keep his mind focused (leapster type of thing.)

Beware of Fantasmic and the Fireworks. When my son was Mark's age he really hated them even with ear plugs. He is older now and can handle those shows with the earplugs and now sometimes without them.

If there are other questions I can answer please ask away.

RU

[Chatterbug]

Just curious would sound canceling earphones and a small mp3 player possibly help? My brother used music while working with children with autism and it seemed to be beneficial. It's just the first thing that came to mind.

Good Luck Hope this is something they will address in the future.

CB

[Pixie]

My 8 year old son also has aspergers - when he was 4 we always rented or brought a stroller so he would not get too tired from all the walking. I always made sure we have plenty of healthy snacks. We still try to be in the park early in the day, take a break in the afternoon when it is crowded and loud, then go back in early evening. The only special assistance we have received from Disney is they compt us a stroller for the week when ours was stolen in the park (sometimes it's not the happiest place on earth - our stroller was never recovered) after I explained my son's condition - which was very considerate of them. The also gave us a sweatshirt, disposable camera, autograph books and bag to replace other items that were taken. Enjoy your visit.

[Piglet]

Originally Posted by ru42

Hi Mark's Mom,

Just let me say ditto to your situation; my son has the same conditions. Disney no longer treats this as special needs. We have brought in Dr's notes, etc and Disney refuses to allow any pass to be issued.

My son does well in some lines and others are a nightmare. So, we have learned when and when not to get into a certain line. You have the ear plugs covered and that is the best thing you can do. Some sort of simple line enjoyment is also good to keep his mind focused (leapster type of thing.)

Beware of Fantasmic and the Fireworks. When my son was Mark's age he really hated them even with ear plugs. He is older now and can handle those shows with the earplugs and now sometimes without them.

If there are other questions I can answer please ask away.

RU

You're sure right, RU. Last summer I was at City Hall, waiting to buy some Disney dollars, and I was behind a family who's child had autism. They refused to give them a pass for him. All they kept saying was, "You can use the fastpass option." I felt very sorry for them. I watched everybody else in line who had other situations (child with ADD, an elderly gentleman with arthritis in his knees, etc.) and NOBODY got passes. I guess they are very strict about who gets passes now. The thing is, these poor families trying to wait in lines must be miserable and so are their kids. And PS....I can't imagine it would be fun being behind them in a long queue line. I wish Disney would rethink this.

[RU42]

The problem was society. It was pretty easy to get passes and everyone did. So those who truly need passes cannot get them now. So, we suffer.

The rides a young person wants to go on does not have FP (basically all of Fantasyland.) And more and more of Disneyland is losing FP (Pirates, HM, Pooh, etc.)

So, the pendulum was too far one way, in an overreaction Disney took it completely to the other side. I hoped they would come back down in the middle somewhere but they never have.

And based on your last thought, if the queue is too long we have to bypass the ride. We don't do the, one person in line and then at last minute 3 more people jump in line. The long queue is horrible for us and as you imagined, it isn't a picnic for those around us.

Fortunately, my son is older now and his tolerance to long lines and noises has improved over the years.

RU

[AlexLoup]

My little sis is Autisic, and for most part she is fine at Disneyland. It's usually my job to take care of her, but since she is willing to ride anything it's just great. She never like CB. I was the one that kept her busy with other things, we talked, we played games, and sometimes we just looked at the queues themselves (like Indy) but I think it depends on the family.

[scorchy96]

Just to add onto everybody's suggestions, you might want to try calling the park ahead of time and asking when they expect to be the least busy so you can plan your trip around that timeframe.

[kapiski]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. I will call the park in advance and ask about a special needs day and, if none, their suggestions for a quieter day of the week (we have 10 days to pick from). I like the Leapster idea - it has saved many a meal when dining out. I will definitely bring one.

Thanks again!

[Piglet]

I hope you all have a wonderful time at Disneyland!!

[ChrisH]

We have been going to Disneyland for that past 7 years with my high-functioning autistic son who is now 10 (technically, it's called Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified). He absolutely adores the place, but has issues with waiting in lines and noises, and will "melt down" on the spot if he gets overwhelmed. Noises cause him physical pain, it is heartbreaking to see.

Last year we too were denied for the first time a Special Assistance pass. Needless to say, we were furious, and my wife was ready to blow. As we were leaving (actually ready to just leave the park period) my wife angrily blurted out "If he gets violent in line and hits someone, well, I warned you!" Not one minute later we left with pass in hand.

Now my son is NOT violent, but it did work.

[HMF]

Thats absolutely horrible! Disney should understand that some people have disabilities. And Disney should accomedate to people with special needs.

[Piglet]

Originally Posted by ChrisH

We have been going to Disneyland for that past 7 years with my high-functioning autistic son who is now 10 (technically, it's called Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified). He absolutely adores the place, but has issues with waiting in lines and noises, and will "melt down" on the spot if he gets overwhelmed. Noises cause him physical pain, it is heartbreaking to see.

Last year we too were denied for the first time a Special Assistance pass. Needless to say, we were furious, and my wife was ready to blow. As we were leaving (actually ready to just leave the park period) my wife angrily blurted out "If he gets violent in line and hits someone, well, I warned you!" Not one minute later we left with pass in hand.

Now my son is NOT violent, but it did work.

It just infuriates me that you had to resort to that to get the pass you SHOULD have easily been able to get for your son in the first place! Then you had to start your day at "the happiest place on earth" full of tension. I'm so sorry. If I worked in guest relations, I would give out passes--no questions asked-- to people in your situation and just take my chances with my supervisor getting mad at me. Can you tell I worked for many years at Nordstrom, where customer service is TOP priority??

Okay, I know I completely wasted my time, but I just sent the following email to Guest Relations in hope that things might change for all of you. Reading through this thread breaks my heart. Here is what I sent:

I am very upset at Disneyland's policy of refusing Special Needs passes to the people who truly need them: children with Autism and ADHD. Are you aware that these children can not physically tolerate waiting in long lines and large crowds?? Are you also aware that other guests' safety is at risk if they "have a meltdown?" Does this mean that they are not entitled to a fun and happy experience at Disneyland because of their disability?? Isn't this a HUGE form of discrimination?? I thank God that my children are all healthy with no special needs, but there are lots of families out there who love Disneyland as much as I do, but will never have the wonderful experiences I have at the park because you refuse to accomodate them. I URGE YOU to please rethink your current policy!!!