Current autism accomodations

[Michelle Carter]

Keep in mind that the mask policy also applies in the public areas [including inside the hotels except in your room] at the hotels too. There are some exceptions for the pool areas and while dining.

So he'd need to be able to tolerate the mask at least to get to/from the hotel room if the policy is still in place at the time of your trip.

Hopefully things have settled down enough that some of the public health measures are able to be safely relaxed by the time your trip comes around. Good luck !!

SW

Then we just won’t go

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Given his level of autism, he refuses to put anything on his face period. He panics when we just wipe his face off after eating. He’s completely nonverbal (doesn’t even sign). He doesn’t understand any of what’s going on. Where we are in Maryland, they don’t require a face covering unless they’re 5 years or older. We’ve tried anyway to get him used to one and he rips it off as soon as it touches his face. So we are praying and hoping things are good enough by November that we either won’t need one or they’ll raise the age required to wear one. I totally understand why we need them! I’m all for them! In fact, we never leave the house and have barely left the house since February 2020. We get all groceries delivered and my husband works 100% from home. So I get it, but I have friends that have typical 2 year olds and they also refuse to wear a mask. And I can’t explain to my little man why he has to bc he doesn’t understand.

Sooo, here’s our plan... we might’ve convinced our mom to go with us to Disney World. If masks are still required at that time (end of November), we will take turns playing at the hotel with him while everyone else goes and has fun. It isn’t ideal, but it’s what we might have to do. The only caveat to this is if Covid is still as bad as it is now in November, we are gonna cancel our trip anyway. We are being positive and doing positive thinking that things are going to improve significantly and we can take this trip! If it doesn’t work, then so be it.


My son refuses to have anything on his face and is unable to attend in person school due to Covid. So he’s home 24/7. We have tried to get him used to one and he panics and removes it immediately. He also refuses to wear the noise canceling headphones bc he doesn’t like anything on his ears either. So this is a valid question in my opinion!

I know you did not ask but don't look at a trip to Dutch Wonderland in Pa as they require masks for anyone over 2 years. no exceptions. granted that was last year but from what I have heard will still be true this year also

 

[starry_solo]

You might want to wait until 2021 or 2022. Masks are here to stay for a while.

 

[Michelle Carter]

Also if you depending on if you fly airlines have mandatory mask policies. Also remember some have restrictions on types of masks- no valve, no bandana, no gaiter etc depending on airline or company

we would be driving

You might want to wait until 2021 or 2022. Masks are here to stay for a while.

Maybe. Our trip isn’t until almost December but we’ll see. I have no problem canceling

 

[dadr]

My son (12) is low functioning and due to cognitive and sensory issues does not keep a mask on consistently which includes at school. Disney and other amusement parks are his absolute favorite part of life. He will wear masks or neck gaiters when out in public but they all constantly slip down or he’ll just absentmindedly pull it down and we have to be right there to fix it frequently. Though I will say, with our supervision he probably does as well or better than some 100% able bodied adults who refuse to wear masks (or adequate masks) or wear them under their nose.

I’ve not even considered Disney because I’m concerned the frequent mask slippage or removal would not be acceptable and I’d be CONSTANTLY stressed out about being watched and reprimanded. It’s too bad because the reduced crowd volumes would be good for him.

 

[Evita_W]

My son (12) is low functioning and due to cognitive and sensory issues does not keep a mask on consistently which includes at school. Disney and other amusement parks are his absolute favorite part of life. He will wear masks or neck gaiters when out in public but they all constantly slip down or he’ll just absentmindedly pull it down and we have to be right there to fix it frequently. Though I will say, with our supervision he probably does as well or better than some 100% able bodied adults who refuse to wear masks (or adequate masks) or wear them under their nose.

I’ve not even considered Disney because I’m concerned the frequent mask slippage or removal would not be acceptable and I’d be CONSTANTLY stressed out about being watched and reprimanded. It’s too bad because the reduced crowd volumes would be good for him.

There are many, many different styles of masks, perhaps there is one that doesn't slip, just know the theme parks won't accept Neck Gaiters.

 

[Michelle Carter]

My son (12) is low functioning and due to cognitive and sensory issues does not keep a mask on consistently which includes at school. Disney and other amusement parks are his absolute favorite part of life. He will wear masks or neck gaiters when out in public but they all constantly slip down or he’ll just absentmindedly pull it down and we have to be right there to fix it frequently. Though I will say, with our supervision he probably does as well or better than some 100% able bodied adults who refuse to wear masks (or adequate masks) or wear them under their nose.

I’ve not even considered Disney because I’m concerned the frequent mask slippage or removal would not be acceptable and I’d be CONSTANTLY stressed out about being watched and reprimanded. It’s too bad because the reduced crowd volumes would be good for him.

I agree!! We decided not to go this year now because of Covid and this mask policy. I totally understand why we have to wear masks and agreed they should be worn, but I feel there should be exceptions made for certain kiddos. Or maybe special days for them? I dunno. I don’t think there’s a good answer to fix it except for us all to wait until the pandemic is over. That’s what we’ve decided on since we think people should stay home and wear masks when they leave and agree with the reasoning behind it. We just have to make the sacrifice of not going right now. Let’s hope next year is better and all of us with these kiddos can finally take them!! It will be my autistic sons first trip when we go. He just turned 3!!!

 

[lovethattink]

My son is a teen, high functioning and a disability advocate. We have had 2 bad experiences since re-opening. And both were at MK. One was with a cm who didn’t want to renew his DAS. He grilled my son on why he needed a DAS. Dh and I kept quiet and let him advocate for himself as he mentioned what accommodations he needed and said why. The other was with a cm who was downright grumpy and nasty about adding someone to his DAS. These were very rare experiences.

We’ve been going to a park once a week since reopening until Christmas time. Now we are going less frequently. We stayed on property twice, July and September. We have had excellent experiences every time except for those 2 mentioned.

For example, when we brought 2 of his NT friends they went to ABC Commissary. He had a gift card and no idea how to use MDE. He texted us but we were on an attraction. The cm were phenomenal at helping him and getting him to a cash register to order. We arrived shortly after he got his food to find his friends left him alone at a table and they went for ice cream near ToT. He told us all about his adventures in food ordering. And he’s since downloaded MDE to his phone and has learned how to order and pay on the app.

He hates his ears touched, however, he’s found he likes fitted masks because of the pressure. And he has no issues wearing a mask. He actually finds them calming. He felt the same when he wore braces.

He even made a YouTube vlog for The Florida Youth Council about traveling to Disney with disabilities. Kind of a social story for what to expect.

Each person on the spectrum is very different. And what works for one may not work for another. For my son, reopening has proven better. People are not sandwiched together, or told to fill in all spaces. That’s reduced a lot of anxiety. He’s needing his DAS less since reopening.

 

[MelRavenswood]

A few non- DAS things that I found helped my son with sensory issues:
1. Make sure that you throw some post-its in your pocket to cover the sensors on the self-flushing toilets. They are LOUD, and my son freaked out every time we had to go to the bathroom the 1st day w/o them.
2. When we were at Magic Kingdom and he would get over-whelmed, we walked or rode the monorail/boat to the Contemporary. The grounds outside are generally pretty quiet, and there are some nice quiet areas inside, as well(terraces, little reading books).
3. It varies by child, I'm sure, but we did better without the DAS. He preferred to stand in line with us with noise-cancelling ear phones and my phone. The one time that we tried to do a DAS return time, he kind-of freaked out because he felt like it wasn't the "right way" to get on the ride.

I really made an effort to study-up on the DAS for our trip, but we never used it. Just an example of how all kids are different.

 

[ElizabethG]

When we were at Magic Kingdom and he would get over-whelmed, we walked or rode the monorail/boat to the Contemporary. The grounds outside are generally pretty quiet, and there are some nice quiet areas inside, as well(terraces, little reading books).

I agree. It really helps to find a way to deal with the building anxiety. My son was 6 on our first trip. He got anxious about doing new thing after new thing (especially the "black box" rides). We found it really helped to just go back and ride something he liked and knew exactly what to expect.
In MK, he liked Small World. After riding for the first time, he looked at me with a very serious face and said, "Mom......that is a really good song." There was rarely a line for it and we rode about 9 times in one day.

 

[Cheburashka]

I get it if that's what they're asking, but to reiterate it on every post seems excessive.

Disability advocates always tell you to "presume competence."

Well, since the OP came on specifically asking about accommodations, it's a perfectly reasonable thing to bring up.

Etiquette advocates always tell you to "presume goodwill" rather than immediately jumping on someone.

 

[bookgirl]

That’s fantastic!!! I love that they are sticking with the policy and pushing it (as they should). I just know my toddler would never wear one. That’s why we are waiting for late November to go. We are working with him on getting used to masks while staying positive that Covid will get better!

One of the best tactics I've heard is to pick a highly desired activity (tv, music, a toy, or tablet, trip to the park or to visit a favorite place) then have small short periods of time that they can only have it while wearing a mask. Not all the time but offering an extra 5 minutes or time if they wear the mask might be enough for them to try. Again start slow, don't make it an all or nothing thing, and don't make it a situation to fail. Just keep trying.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Lots of autistic kids can and do tolerate masks. I don't understand why this is brought up every single time someone mentioned they are bringing an autistic person to WDW. Many kids (especially those in special education classrooms) have been wearing masks at school for hours every day.

We were there in November and our 5 year old wore his mask for 8 hours or more each day, except when eating.

My son actually went over and beyond getting mad at us when we removed ours in break areas

Disney gave us a hand out that told us rides that had extra lights etc...
Mostly we used rider swap on rides he could not or would not ride.

 

[herdtoDisney]

I'm so glad to find this thread!

We haven't been to Disney since a one day disastrous trip (we live in FL) when my dd was just turning 4 and hadn't yet been dx with autism. So I hadn't yet looked into the DAS, although I did get a stroller-as-wheelchair tag for her stroller. Unfortunately, she got sensory overload that day despite that and we ended up leaving.

Me and my two youngest dds' (the rest of the Herd are adults! I've been here off and on for a long time!) are going in May for a Big birthday and little one is now 6.5, verbal and doesn't use a stroller. She is very sensory avoidant and for her, she is fine with waiting in lines if they are outside and calm. It's the loud, active indoor ones that send her spiraling, like It's a Small World. I think I will get a DAS for her, and we will try first each ride we go on , not using it-but if she puts on the brakes at an entrance or says, no, scary-we will use the DAS.

Thanks also for the tip upthread about the sticky notes for the bathroom sensors-she hates auto flushes! She wasn't pt last time so I hadn't though about it. She hates the hand dryer noises too but she can probably just wear her headphones into the restroom and I'll bring a little handtowel for my bag.

 

[lovethattink]

I'm so glad to find this thread!

We haven't been to Disney since a one day disastrous trip (we live in FL) when my dd was just turning 4 and hadn't yet been dx with autism. So I hadn't yet looked into the DAS, although I did get a stroller-as-wheelchair tag for her stroller. Unfortunately, she got sensory overload that day despite that and we ended up leaving.

Me and my two youngest dds' (the rest of the Herd are adults! I've been here off and on for a long time!) are going in May for a Big birthday and little one is now 6.5, verbal and doesn't use a stroller. She is very sensory avoidant and for her, she is fine with waiting in lines if they are outside and calm. It's the loud, active indoor ones that send her spiraling, like It's a Small World. I think I will get a DAS for her, and we will try first each ride we go on , not using it-but if she puts on the brakes at an entrance or says, no, scary-we will use the DAS.

Thanks also for the tip upthread about the sticky notes for the bathroom sensors-she hates auto flushes! She wasn't pt last time so I hadn't though about it. She hates the hand dryer noises too but she can probably just wear her headphones into the restroom and I'll bring a little handtowel for my bag.

There are some restrooms without hand dryers and there are still some flush toilets. Off hand, I don’t remember which ones. But years ago it was something we had to look for. Next time I’m at a park , I’ll look.

 

[Lilsia]

I'm so glad to find this thread!

We haven't been to Disney since a one day disastrous trip (we live in FL) when my dd was just turning 4 and hadn't yet been dx with autism. So I hadn't yet looked into the DAS, although I did get a stroller-as-wheelchair tag for her stroller. Unfortunately, she got sensory overload that day despite that and we ended up leaving.

Me and my two youngest dds' (the rest of the Herd are adults! I've been here off and on for a long time!) are going in May for a Big birthday and little one is now 6.5, verbal and doesn't use a stroller. She is very sensory avoidant and for her, she is fine with waiting in lines if they are outside and calm. It's the loud, active indoor ones that send her spiraling, like It's a Small World. I think I will get a DAS for her, and we will try first each ride we go on , not using it-but if she puts on the brakes at an entrance or says, no, scary-we will use the DAS.

Thanks also for the tip upthread about the sticky notes for the bathroom sensors-she hates auto flushes! She wasn't pt last time so I hadn't though about it. She hates the hand dryer noises too but she can probably just wear her headphones into the restroom and I'll bring a little handtowel for my bag.

Almost all of the restrooms have at least 1 paper towel dispenser, even the ones with air dryers. I hate using the air dryers so I have noticed this on our trips. Some toilets are super sensitive also. I had many go off with me just walking in the stall and not even doing anything yet. Best to go in first and put the sticky note on the sensor right away. Have fun.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Friendly bathrooms..
http://autismattheparks.com/walt-disney-world-restroom-guide.html

 

[sharadoc]

From what I have seen, SeaWorld/Bush Gardens parks have been doing a far better job at this by providing "quiet rooms" and other sensory information at every attraction, etc.

Dollywood also does an extremely good job with this, looking at the accommodations Disney does provide (even on a normal basis), I would put them near the bottom of the list for theme parks providing accommodations for those with Autism. Just my observations though, your mileage may vary.

We've been bringing our son with autism for over 10 years now, starting at 13. There was a time when WDW has been wonderful with autism, especially the cast members. Most of them can tell right away and are amazing. Goofy asked if it was okay to touch him, Chip and Dale (his favorites) spent like 10 minutes with him because he ran to them and start kissing them on the head!! Really heartwarming. Where WDW does not do such a great job is, in my opinion, reaction to the non-disabled guests complaining or taking advantage of the accommodations. So Disney has had to tone it down considerably.

It was an adjustment for us to go from the GAC which allowed us to go into the fastpass lines, to the DAS to sign up for a return time, but Shawn is good at receptive language so he understood the change (which was tough because of the former ability to get off and back into the line in the past lol). We made a conscious effort to spend time at shows, street entertainment, snacks, etc. so it didn't feel like "waiting". Between Fastpasses and a DAS we were good. Hopefully by the time we go in January, Fastpasses will be back or we will probably have some issues.

 

[Lilsia]

We've been bringing our son with autism for over 10 years now, starting at 13. There was a time when WDW has been wonderful with autism, especially the cast members. Most of them can tell right away and are amazing. Goofy asked if it was okay to touch him, Chip and Dale (his favorites) spent like 10 minutes with him because he ran to them and start kissing them on the head!! Really heartwarming. Where WDW does not do such a great job is, in my opinion, reaction to the non-disabled guests complaining or taking advantage of the accommodations. So Disney has had to tone it down considerably.

It was an adjustment for us to go from the GAC which allowed us to go into the fastpass lines, to the DAS to sign up for a return time, but Shawn is good at receptive language so he understood the change (which was tough because of the former ability to get off and back into the line in the past lol). We made a conscious effort to spend time at shows, street entertainment, snacks, etc. so it didn't feel like "waiting". Between Fastpasses and a DAS we were good. Hopefully by the time we go in January, Fastpasses will be back or we will probably have some issues.

What were non-disabled guests complaining about?

 

[herdtoDisney]

Friendly bathrooms..
http://autismattheparks.com/walt-disney-world-restroom-guide.html

Thank you for this! Very helpful for planning!