Traveling With an Autistic Child About This Page:

[Geri Alexander]

Hoping you guys can give me some tips for one of my friends who is going. She has not been since she was little and her entire family of 11 is traveling over Spring Break. Her son is 4 and is autistic. I know the GAC has changed, and it does not work like it used to, but I have to assume Disney has something in place for children with disabilities.

Any tips or helps you can give are greatly appreciated. I told her I would try to gather as much information as possible, and I know everyone here is so helpful!

TIA!

[yalibrarian]

Repost your question on the Special Needs section here on PassPorter. Lots of us have taken our kids with autism to WDW but that's where you are most likely to get an answer.

The new Disability Assistance Card has replaced the GAC. We did not use the GAC and have not tried the DAC. Many people dislike it while others say it works fine. You basically take the card to the attraction you want to ride, a CM marks it with a return time, and then you go do something else until that time. It works like the old FP but is not a front-of-the-line pass, which is what some people have come to expect, even though that was never how things were supposed to work.

I just plan my FPs for each park online for the things my son MUST do. We also have done standby for up to an hour for attractions he really wanted to try, but it took several years of visits for him to get to the point where he would wait that long (he is now 26). Your friend should make general plans but needs to be flexible to let her child's attitude and desires lead through the day, meaning that she should keep mealtimes regular, make sure he rests enough, but be prepared to miss that FP if he becomes fascinated with the ducks in the water near the Castle. It is difficult enough shepherding excited young children around without risking a major meltdown by dragging him away from something he likes. Slow down and enjoy that box of popcorn and gently nudge him along when he seems more willing.

Take things to occupy him in the inevitable lines. My son carries his iPod with him, and also a drawing tablet and paper (he mostly communicates by drawing), but younger kids may prefer a favorite stuffed character or even a simple game on the parent's phone. Carry small snacks so no one (including the parents) gets too hungry. Make use of the Companion Restrooms, Babycare Centers and First Aid stations to have a quiet place to calm down, change clothes and toilet. Bring a clean set of clothes to the park; I have had to buy many expensive shirts when my son became hysterical over a slight spill on his t-shirt. Lesson learned. Bring wipes for hands and bottom and make free use of hand sanitizer (don't need a sick kid on top of it all). Consider breaking up the day with a nap/swim at the resort and come back to the park rested. Most of all, recognize that this is not a race to cram in everything possible. You can't do it all in one trip, so why not have a pleasant time and do less but enjoy it more?

[notjustamom]

Flexibility is key but I'm assuming as the mom of an ASD kid she's already lived that! My only experience with the new DAC was only a couple of weeks after inception. Having used the GAC previously it didn't work for us at all. It will be different for your friend though having not used the other system. She will probably find it helpful. Snack breaks / swim breaks / etc. work well for us.

[Geri Alexander]

Thanks ladies! One question on the DAC--I am assuming when they give you a time, you return and are going through the FP line? Or they are just coming back at a time the CM thinks the standby line will be less? Also, is this available on EVERY attraction or just some of them?

I had to use the GAC, and I will tell you, I never went to the front of the line! But I would read where so many folks would!

Also, can any moderators move this thread to special needs? I don't think I can do it, but I think moderators can. If not, I can repost. If I can find the Special Needs Forum.

[Cendure]

DAC return is through the fastpass line. What we do for example, is as we're passing an attraction on our way to a fastpass, we get a DAC return time for the attraction we're passing, then proceed to do our fastpass and then depending on the return time for the DAC, we then go and do that attraction. You can use fastpass and DAC times in conjunction with one another, but you can only have 1 DAC return time on your card at a time. The thing is though, that time won't expire until you use it. For example, if your friend has a DAC return time for 11:30 am and she has to leave the park with her son. They can come back later in the day and that time is still valid. Hope that makes sense.

[Caldercup]

I'll move it to the Special Needs forum!

[CinderAbby]

One question on the DAC--I am assuming when they give you a time, you return and are going through the FP line?

That's exactly how it works - you get sent through the FP line when you return to the ride. The time is open ended so if you get a return time of say 12:30 pm but that's the time you have an ADR, it is not a problem. 12:30 is the earliest you can get in line so you can use it then or at 5:30 pm when you get back to the ride. The thing to keep in mind though is as someone mentioned, you can only have 1 return time marked down at a time so if there are multiple rides you want to use it for, it's best to return to the rides as soon as possible so you can get another time.

Or they are just coming back at a time the CM thinks the standby line will be less?

The way the DAS works is you go to a ride and the CM will look at the posted standby time. Your return time will either be the same as the standby time or 10 minutes less than the standby time (I've had it happen both ways). So if you go to Splash Mountain, the CM will write down the attraction name, the current time (say 1 pm for example) , the standby wait time (say 70 minutes) and the return time (2 pm or 2:!0 pm depending upon the CM). When you return, it doesn't matter what the standby time is - it could be more, it could be less - because the CM will go by your return time and send you to the FP line.

Also, is this available on EVERY attraction or just some of them?

Any ride that has a FP line you can use a DAS. Since almost every attraction now has a FP line, there's very few places you can't use it.


If you're up to some reading, my TR from this summer has info about the DAS and how it worked for us (it worked very, very well and we were extremely pleased with it). One thing you have to let your friend know beforehand - Disney limits how many people are allowed through the line with a DAS. I think it may be 5 max so that is really going to impact how they travel with 11 people if they stay together for everything. Another thing is they require a photo to be taken to put on the DAS card and you now have to sign it too stating you understand the terms and conditions of the card. The last thing I want to let you know is when we went in August, even though we were sent through the FP lines, most of them were anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes in length I'd say. There was none of the using the FP line and being on the ride in 5 minutes like it use to be. Now I know that might sound like a complaint but from us it's not. As I said, we were extremely happy with how the DAS worked for us but we've also been the last several years to know about FP and how long lines might be, etc. For someone who hasn't been in a long time, everything might be tough to figure out.

Good luck.

[Geri Alexander]

Thanks to everyone! This is all very helpful information. I was hoping for their sake the DAS could be used for everyone, but I know how, in the past, that was completely abused. However, their immediate family is a party of 5, and I cannot imagine they are all going to stay together the entire time. Hopefully, it will work out. Again, I appreciate all of your help!

[Sandra Bostwick]

Eleven people! YIKES!

We got some great comments here. I'm running off to post for Sunday night chat, but here is a link to some info that may help you out. :-)

Navigating Disney on ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners

[lanejudy]

Originally Posted by Geri Alexander

Thanks to everyone! This is all very helpful information. I was hoping for their sake the DAS could be used for everyone, but I know how, in the past, that was completely abused. However, their immediate family is a party of 5, and I cannot imagine they are all going to stay together the entire time. Hopefully, it will work out. Again, I appreciate all of your help!

Standard rules, the DAS is good for up to six people (the person issued the DAS plus up to 5 others). They may be able to get an exception, but the entire party will have to be present at Guest Relations to request the exception. I've heard of exceptions allowed for up to 10 in a party, so not sure if they would do it for 11 or not -- might depend how many of those are children vs adults.

Another accommodation many families find helpful is the stroller-as-wheelchair tag. The stroller offers a "safe haven" or getaway of sorts for the child; helps to block stimuli, calm quiet personal space, etc. They can request a stroller-as-wheelchair tag at Guest Relations, which will allow them to use the stroller in the queues (typically a stroller must be parked).

And if noises are troublesome, Peltor Jr earmuffs are great for blocking out all the various sounds that bombard a person in the parks.

I hope your friends enjoy their vacation!