As a family we developed a system where my husband would run ahead to a new ride as soon as we rode the disability ride and get a new time, then meet us back at our next fast pass ride. Since unlike me he has a fabulous sense of direction he was able to meet back up with us pretty quickly. Both days we spent at Magic Kingdom we were able to ride ten to twelve rides per day (it was not a highly trafficked week) and that includes a lunch break each day. It worked out beautifully for us, and my husband got lots of exercise to boot.

Always a silver lining if you look hard enough.

I am really proud that my son can handle so much change- a plane ride, a new bed to sleep in, tons of people (even on a traditionally not-so-busy week as the first week in November). I want anyone reading this to know that we have had many challenges with Justin in the past. There have been sleeping issues, aggression issues, eating issues, and toileting issues which combined kept us from taking him anywhere other than a beach vacation for a decade. I did try and prepare him before our first trip by showing him old Disney videos and telling him we were going there, and he seemed to get it.



Despite being ill he was really excited our very first day there, and for subsequent trips I made a scrapbook so I could prepare him each time we were going again. If possible I would recommend having your child sleep at another person’s house prior to the trip just to “practice,” and if they have any dietary considerations, research the restaurant’s menus before you go. There are supposed to be gluten-free options at many of the dining establishments, and we never had a problem ordering food for him. Another recommendation is eat an early lunch or dinner, the crowds will be less and you won’t waste so much time eating.

After all, Disney is all about the rides, right?

I consider Disney a “working vacation,” but with some planning (we create a potential ride itinerary in advance) Disney is possible even with a severely autistic child. I will mention that I read recently that an autistic person is suing Disney over the new disability pass changes, and it will be interesting to see what happens with that. I personally know some families who have not taken their kids back there since the changes as they don’t believe they’ll be able to handle not automatically walking onto the ride, so I’m hopeful for them that at least some disable people will have access to the old disability pass.

It is supposed to be the most magical place on earth after all.

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