Have you taken your Aspie child to Disneyland?

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Did they get overwhelmed? We're going next month and I'm just wondering how long they could handle that much stimulation? I see lots of breaks and jaunts back to the hotel for mellow time but who knows.

Just wondering if anyone has Disneyland stories to share...

Thanks.

i been to mgm studios, universal studios and epcott


i know i wouldnt go on rides so someone had to sit out to watch me

and if i found something that i was interested i wouldnt be allowed to partake

and there was so many people at shows and stuff that it was hard to see a lot of it

and the fire in some places was scary

so i never been to disneyland but the places that i had gone to were more scary than fun.

My son is light Aspie and he enjoyed Disneyland, even though he didn't go on many rides. Rides really scare him, possibly because of the control issue. The real calm ones were fine with him, like Small World, and the Peter Pan ride. I think my son had the most fun on Huck Fin's Island, where he was just free to explore. He also liked the canoes, where everyone has to row. Since California Adventure was much less crowded, we also spent a good amount of time there. In general, my son doesn't seem to mind crowds (in many areas he is a sensory seeker), but they clearly stress him and increase the odds of melt downs, so we are very careful to pace it all. We never went back to the hotel mid-day, but we would find calmer places to sit and eat for a while, and if you are close enough I think a mid-day rest back in the room would probably be wise. Overall, we tried not to push it all too much - if you don't see and do everything, it shouldn't matter. Give yourself 2 or 3 days and take a leisurely pace. Oh, and have some ideas on what to do while waiting in line - my son has difficulty when the wait times get lengthy. Standing in line isn't exactly the most pleasant thing in the world.

Just FYI, we seem to have picked up bed bugs at our hotel near Disneyland. Apparently they are an issue in Southern California, so careful unpacking when you return home may be wise.

Best advice I can give you is to stay at a Disney resort hotel. It is worth the extra cost for the convenience of being able to just hop in the monorail and go back to your hotel for a break. My AS daughter loves Disneyland, as do my other 2 kids. Take it slow, give yourself at least 2-3 days at Disneyland and another at CA Adventure if you plan to go there too.

How old is your son? What you plan to do really depends on his age. Planning it out in advance can make a huge difference. We limited our days at Disneyland to 2 and hit 1/2 the park one day and the other 1/2 on the other. Then we went to CA Adventure the 3rd day. We managed to do just about everything in the park with a 9, 3, and 4 y/o last Spring.

My daugter will have just turned 8 when we go. We have a 5 day pass so I can take it nice and slow and our hotel is right across the street. Sounds like what I planned is what you're all suggesting. Good to hear. My daugter doesn't like rides much either, she likes mellow ones like swings and merry go rounds but I took her on a rollercoaster last summer and I dont think she'll be doing that again...lol

We went to Disney Land when my son was about 18 months old, and then just 2 months ago when he was 2 1/2 years old. BTW he hasn't been diagnosed specifically as Aspie, the general feeling is more Sensory Integration Disorder, but still about the same place on the spectrum.

When he was 18 months old we spent the whole day at Disneyland, and he even slept for a bit in his stroller. He had a huge problem with standing in line, so we usually had to hold him and he would scream and cry and kick. Everyone looked at us like we were the worst parents in the world. But once he got on the rides, he was great. He loved Mr. Toad's Wild Ride because it had a wheel on it.

We went to Disney World for 3 days, but ended up just going in the mornings because in the afternoons he took a nap and then we tried to take it easy with him, going in the resort pool and walking along the "beach". He became incredibly attached to his stroller, and spent all his walking time firmly pushing it along. He couldn't be bothered with anything else, and it again was a struggle to get him to let go of his stroller and wait in line. Because we went in the mornings, the lines were pretty quick, and he did love the rides a lot. But eating was tough, restaurants were packed so we brought back much of our food to our room to eat. The one time we tried to go out and order a nice meal he freaked out about 2 minutes after we got our plates, so a good $70 meal went cold. The best part, by far, was the character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. He liked the food, the place wasn't that noisy or crowded, so he actually ate. And he LOVED Stitch so much! Most of the time in the parks he was too overwhelmed to notice, but when they came to the table he really did well with them.

I don't think we'll be taking him to any theme parks anytime soon though, overall I though the trip was a waste of money for how little we were able to be at the park, and he didn't seem to enjoy himself as much as I would have hoped.

Last edited by Mage on 10 Mar 2008, 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I live in florida. I have been to Disney World, MGM, EPCOT, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens and just about every theme park that is imaginable that stems from them.

I was always the one to hold the map. If we wanted to see 8 things, I was the one that figured out how to get them all done and which one to see first so that we could get to all of them in an orderly fashion. So If your child is old enough, maybe letting her focus on the map will help her block out some of the sensory overload.

There were some days where I just didn't want to go on certain rides, so I didn't. So people would take turns sitting out. Sometimes, we would schedule two rides of the same thing so everyone that wanted to go on something could go, while I still didn't have to ride something.

I love rollercoasters, I do have sensory issues, but some rollercoasters send you into hard G's that actually cause some sensory deprivation. The only parts of coasters that I don't like is when they do short, fast drops, where my stomache drops out, those always seem to get me.

Getting to the park early is a big key to a good day. Get there and be in the park when it first opens, there are fewer people. a lot of people say "oh, we're on vacation we can sleep in and wake up whenever we want to." Then they are rushing and the ticket lines get crowded. If you are there early, (like the first ones at the gate) you can take your time, see what you want to see, and have time to take those breaks if they are needed. Also, you get parking much closer to the gates the earlier you get there.

And be prepared, if they still have "it's a small world" over in Disneyland. You may be hearing "It's a small world after all... It's a small world after all... It's a small world after all... it's a small, small world." for the rest of the day. I know I still go into "Imagination...Imagination..." and I haven't been on that ride in 6 years.

Kit, good point about the map! My AS son is ALWAYS our map holder and direction leader. Now that you mention it, it is probably his way of gaining control over the situation. Lol, it has become such a pattern that I don't even think about it anymore.

Taken my two to Disney Land Paris, they also like to control where to go and what to do.. So I found it great to sit down quietly some where before setting out and we decided what we were going to do first, found this worked with mine anyway..

Also lunch time found could be real hectic, so got there early as possible when a little quieter and had early lunches etc..

But both of my boys and me just loved ever minute, once we forgot to worry about people pushing in queues etc - the locals then to do this at the weekend in Paris.

If you children do not like to stand around for two long, take little things for them to do...

By the way I,m an Aspie have aspergers, my older son now diagnosed and younger sond has traits not yet diagnosed

Last edited by asplanet on 10 Mar 2008, 7:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

We went to Disneyland just before my son was 3, and then again(to Disneyworld) when my son was 8 and 9. All three times, we bit the bullet and paid for an onsite Disney hotel, which in my opinion is more than worth the cost. It just made things so much easier, and quicker, and more pleasant.

Having a hotel nearby is really wonderful when a younger child needs a break or naps. Having an onsite hotel is great because you get the advantage of being able to use the rides for an hour or two either before the park is open to the public, or after it closes to the public -- shorter lines, less people. There are still crowds, but it is a little less. During the off season, I would imagine the crowds would be a LOT less, but we've never been there during an off season.

Something that is helpful with social skills is the collecting of Disney pins. There are Disney employees all over the place that will trade pins, and it's great for the kids to be able to go up and talk with the employee and trade. Wonderful social skill development thing.

For some odd reason, my son didn't mind the crowds, and he even didn't really mind the lines. He Iliterally loved EVERY SINGLE BIT of Disneyworld, and at age 12 would still LOVE to go back. I wish that we could afford to take he and a friend -- that could be wonderful.

Kris

I have no idea if you can do this in Disneyland, but in Disneyworld, you can go to the rides of your choice (your Aspie child will probably be happy to have them planned out in advance) and book an "appointment" for your ride. This saves the bother and sensory/social issues of waiting in line, with the added bonus that it isn't well-known, so not many people take advantage of it. Then you just come back to the ride at your booked time.

Also: all of the parks have disability services. If you called in advance, you might be able to explain that your child has issues with certain things, and they could provide you with some help (perhaps some materials to help you plan in advance, a pass to skip lines if they are a problem, etc.). You never know what they might have available to you.

(I went to Disneyworld when I was six; the crowds just about did me in. Didn't know my problem, though, so I was branded uncooperative. I loved Sea World and the Natural History Museum, though.)

We did Disney World and all Disney parks last year and our HFA kiddo did great. We were told that we could get a special pass, but we tried without it first to see how he would handle it...It was a great learning experience for him as well. Here's what we did...

1. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge...we chose a hotel that was very calm and soothing, so that he had a place to unwind vs. a place where there were lots of characters and too much stimulation...it was great, as it was a bit of a dark hotel and very calm atmosphere...especially sitting on the balcony watching the animals...

2. I bought him an MP3 and put all his favorite music on it, especially slower type music...When we had to wait in line or go to a restaurant that was a bit over the top, we gave him the MP3 and it really helped him to calm down and unwind...

3. We started off the day going to the rides with the shortest lines first...the simple rides where the wait was only 5-10 minutes...we stayed there four days and as time went by, we increased the amount of time he could wait in line...by our last day, he waited a full 1 1/2 hours to get into a race car ride at Epcot.

4. At least once during the day, we went back to the hotel for about an hour or two to relax or eat, so that he could also unwind there...

It was a great experience...in fact, it really helped him with his speech as he wanted to tell us about everything he had seen...

Of course, we went during the school year where it is not as crowded as the summer, although it seems Dinsey is pretty much crowded throughout the year anyway...that helped us a bit as well.

i competely forgot that i usually had my walkman (heh early 90's) on me. now it's my mp3 player.

oh yeah and those time stamp things for rides are great.

but yeah, if you can call ahead and see if you qualify for disability with the park. that would be cool. there are almost never any lines in the disability ramps. we went one time with someone on crutches (someone sprained their ankle) and they let us have a wheel chair. that was kinda cool. But i would probably ask your kid first, see if they want to try the lines, and hey, like the previous poster said, just because you have it, doesn't mean you have to use it. It just gives you an extra option.

You can't bypass lines with a disability pass. You can avoid standing in lines, but will be made to wait at the estimated time of the wait, then they will bring you in via the exit. This is beneficial for kids with problems with crowds.

Utilize the fastpass system. You can go to the ride, get a pass that will give you a window of time to come back and your wait will be much shorter. It requires more walking/running around, but it's worth it. I went just 4 months after major ankle reconstruction surgery(big mistake to be too proud to get the wheelchair) and I thought fastpass was still worth the extra walking.

Staying at a hotel across the street doesn't mean much. There's tons of hotels "right across the street from Disneyland." If you're not in an actual resort hotel, you have to catch a tram/bus back to your hotel and walk all the way out the entrance to get to them- they only arrive at scheduled times too. It will seriously take more than an hour of travel time to take a break from Disneyland this way- to go back to the hotel, then back to the park. If you stay in the resort, then all you do is take the monorail back to Downtown Disney and then have a quick walk to your hotel room. Staying in a resort hotel is totally worth the extra expense, and it's not that much more anyway, especially the old and dated(but still nice) Disneyland Hotel. They often have great packages where you get gift cards, etc that really offset much of the extra cost of staying in a resort hotel. You also get early entry certain days of the week and sometimes can stay an hour late, after the park closes to non-resort people. I will never stay off-site again.

Check our disneyland.com and look into their deals online.

We went when my kid was 4. And had a blast. Went to their "early admit" program where we got in at 6:00am and had breakfast with the Disney Characters - I have a photo of her seeing "Chip" (or "Dale"??) and her face is sooo excited.

We went in the off season, went back to the hotel after a couple of hours, rested, napped, then went back for more. Came back to the hotel after a couple more hours, rested, napped, then went back for the evening and the fireworks.

That place can be a mob scene, a real zoo. If you take someone who's really sensory-overloaded easily, I'd suggest doing it in very small bursts, paying very close attention to how they're doing - let them decide what to do when, and then try to have fun. You know your kid well enough to see a meltdown coming. If one is in the offing, there's always a sit-down in the Tiki room a/c or a trip back to the hotel for a rest.

We really did have a fun time, and the kid had a blast driving those nasty little lawn-mower-engine powered cars on Autotopia (I think that's gone now - noisey, but she got to "drive"!)

We just got back from Disney World in Orlando. I took my HFA (9 years old) son. We stayed at a Disney resort and we did take breaks in the afternoon. We would go back to the parks in the late afternoon.

I did purchase some over-the-ear style ear protection for him. He absolutely loved wearing those because the parks are LOUD. I know we looked a little strange with the ear protection, but it was better than him grabbing his ears and fussing. He was also able to ride a bunch of rides that otherwise would have bothered him because of the sounds.

I had taken him before, but that was 5 years ago before his diagnosis. I learned a lot about him from this trip. He enjoyed things that I would have missed completely....like all the different kinds of birds in Florida, etc...