Going to Disney World with Sensory Processing Disorder children

Walt Disney World has always been a magical place for me. I have wonderful family memories of visiting the Magic Kingdom every year. I always dreamed of my children someday sharing the magical experience with me. Once we found out more information on my son and SPD, I wasn’t sure if he would enjoy a place like Walt Disney World. Our first visit, two years ago, wasn’t easy. This visit was much better. I think the difference between the two visits comes down to preparedness, awareness, and early intervention. Today I am more aware of strategies to help my child with Sensory Processing Disorder, and I know how to prepare for a trip like this more so then I did two years ago. My son has also had two more years of therapy to help him cope with a place like Walt Disney World in the chance that he does get over stimulated. Here is a list of dos that I wish I would have done on our first visit:

1.       DO Prepare- I spent three weeks preparing my children for this trip.

·         We made a countdown calendar to prepare us for the day we left.

·         We read social stories: taking a vacation, meeting characters, and waiting in a line to help calm my children of any anxieties and teach them my expectations.

·         We watched videos and looked at pictures of the park and rides. Then, I let them help me pick out what rides they wanted to do.

·         I took them to a town carnival and Chuck E Cheese to help get them use to crowds, loud noises, rides, and lights.

 

2.       DO Take Advantage of My Disney Experience- I loved utilizing this free Disney planning tool. It allowed us to link all of our reservations and plan our fast passes. Every visitor starts off with three fast passes. You get to pick the ride and time that you want to go. Your fast passes are connected to your ticket which is scanned before your fast pass ride. I highly recommend buying a Disney lanyard ticket holder so you do not hunt for your ticket every fast pass line. We bought them for our tickets, and it really helped. The site also had great pictures of the rides and a map that I used to help prepare my children for our trip.

 

3.       DO Schedule Breaks- I made it a priority to break up our day. The park is most crowded mid day through early evening. To avoid the crowds, we scheduled to visit the park in the mornings. We left the parks around three to go back to the hotel. The kids could then take a nap, play in the pool, and rest up for another day.

 

4.       DO Get A DAS (Disability Asses) Card – I got a note from our therapist, so my children wouldn’t be in large crowds while waiting in lines. The new DAS card at Disney doesn’t allow you to access the ride right away. It works like a fast pass. The cast member in the fast pass entrance will give you a time to return. This worked out great for us because it gave us some down time between rides to relax. It also has a picture of your child with their name on it. We put their DAS cards in their Disney lanyard to help Disney cast members more aware of them.

 

5.       DO Read "Walt Disney World Guide For Kids"- I paid attention to the "Walt Disney World Guide for Kids". It gave me advice on noise and light levels. Both of my children have a hard time with dark places and loud sounds. This guide helped us avoid those rides. If we needed a break at the park, the baby room was suggested as a quiet place.

 

6.       DO Pre- notify Character Handler- I made sure that I talked to the character handler before the character approached my children. My daughter does not like to be touched and my son needs a warm up period. Notifying the character made a huge difference on how the character approached us.

 

7.       DO Pack Food – I packed our food and snacks for the day. My children are very picky eaters. This helped ease the stress of having to find a place to eat. I also packed chewy, sour, and crunchy things to help stimulated them.

 

8.       DO Sit Near Exits During Shows- When we entered shows, I talked to the cast member about possibly needing to leave early if the show became over stimulating. The cast member would show us the nearest exit, and we would chose seats closest to the exit. Having a plan of escape if need be helped my son’s anxiety.

 

9.       DO Bring a Stroller- I brought our personal stroller, so my children could put the shade over themselves and avoid the crowds. It gave them a  "safe place” to be, and a place that they are comfortable with at home.

 

10.   Do Bring Therapy Supplies- I brought headphones and chewy sticks if a ride became too loud or over stimulating. I also brought things I needed for their sensory diets.

 

11.   DO Stay At Wyndham Lake Buena Vista- This hotel is an official Disney World Resort and doesn’t draw in huge crowds. It is by Downtown Disney. We did the character breakfast Thursday morning with only four other families. It made meeting the characters so much easier with a small group. The hotel also had an aquatic playground that my children loved. They were the only kids on it for an hour.

I wish I would have read these dos before our first trip, but I am glad I can pass what I have learned onto you! Disney did a wonderful job accommodating our children; you just really have to tell them what your children need. Once the need is explained, they will do everything possible to make it a magical experience.