Crowded, overwhelming, and too stimulating!  These are a few of the descriptives that may come to mind for a parent of a child with “special needs.”  But then there are magical, fun, happy, and memories.  Why should any child miss this experience for a reason they cannot help? 

Earlier this year, we booked a trip to Disney World. I was determined for Dubbers to have his opportunity to enjoy “the most magical place on earth.”  My parents, as well as my brother and five year old niece, would be joining us for our three day stay in Orlando. After speaking with friends who had recently been to Disney with their families, we decided to do Animal Kingdom the first day and Magic Kingdom the second. The third day would be spent relaxing and swimming at the hotel pool.

About a month prior to our trip, I began planning and preparing. I first read a few articles and blogs specifically on visiting Disney with a child on the spectrum and/or with special needs.  I found this one to be particularly helpful.  Next, I came up with a list of rides that were age appropriate for Dubbers and my niece.  This was very easy as the My Disney Experience app and website allows one to filter rides and attractions by age interest, among other things.  I then went through each of these ride/show descriptions to prioritize which seemed most appropriate for Dubbers.  The other necessary component were new pictures for his beloved Schedule Book. I printed images found online of the hotel exterior, pool, and bus, as well as Animal Kingdom’s entrance and Cinderella’s castle from Magic Kingdom.  Let’s also not forget about Dubbers’ Talker!  The previously mentioned images were also added, along with the main characters, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, etc. 

A couple weeks before our trip, one of Dubbers’ behavioral therapists created a “social story.”  This personalized “story” covered everything from the plane ride to a brief description (with visuals) on what we would see at each park. It also included explanations intended to remind Dubbers about bathroom breaks, taking turns picking the next ride with his cousin, and waiting in lines.  Our awesome therapist even included YouTube links to each ride so Dubbers could watch all of the ones that we would potentially see and even ride.  I had a laminated hard copy of the story, as well as electronic version.  Dubbers really enjoyed having his special “Dubbers Goes to Disney” story read to him and no doubt this clever tool helped make our visit the success it was. 

So yes, we truly had a wonderful first visit to Disney with our special needs four year old son. I actually think coming from New York City helps, since we are all used to crowds, lines and lots of walking. I definitely recommend getting a Disability Access Pass, as this works similar to Fast Pass, but gives you a more specific return time. Along with the Disability Pass, another very key thing to obtain is a pass for your stroller.  The stroller pass allowed us to take the stroller thru the line and leave at the front when on the ride.  It also enabled our group of seven to immediately move to the beginning of most of the rides’ lines. 

We began our first day (at Animal Kingdom) with “Donald’s Safari Breakfast” at Tusker House, which I highly recommend. It was the perfect introduction to our next two days and Dubbers LOVED meeting, greeting and hugging all of the characters who stopped by as we ate.  Other highlights included the “Kilimanjaro Safari” and “Finding Nemo Musical”; however, we only lasted about 20 seconds into the 3-D “It’s Tough to Be a Bug!” show.

At Magic Kingdom, Dubbers met Pluto as we first entered and this again proved to set the tone for the day (see pictures below).  We rode about eight rides, with the classic “It’s a Small World” being Dubbers’ favorite and “Pirates of the Caribbean” being his least! While walking through Frontierland we caught a fun street performance where Dubbers actually joined in for the Hokey Pokey. The day ended exactly as you would expect…fun, upbeat and magical. As we were leaving, there was a huge street party/performance in front of Cinderella’s castle with each of the iconic characters on floats dancing to popular current songs. Dubbers was on Phil’s shoulders smiling from ear to ear.  This dance party ended with a parade down Main Street, in which we were able to wave “bye” to all our Disney friends. 

Needless to say we ALL had an amazing time and experience!  It really is incredibly special to be a parent with your child at Disney. I hate the thought of any child missing out due to a parent’s hesitation or fear of the unknown. Prepare the best you can and don’t have any expectations.