Should I take my 7yo son with autism to Disneyland?

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Should I take my 7 year old son with autism to Disneyland?

He generally dislikes music unless he participates in making it. He also dislikes announcements on the intercom, listening to the radio, and going to the movies. Like most 7yo olds, he frequently has an acute case of the wiggles.

I am not certain about how he would respond to rides with motion or animatronics.

I honestly don't think I would have liked it. I picked the first option but... "child abuse" is maybe a little severe a term; more like "will probably annoy him a great deal". Spending the day in a crowded place with uncontrollable noise and smells that you can't get away from sounds like a recipe for a very uncomfortable kid and a likely meltdown.

At that age, I would have chosen a library or a science museum over Disneyland any day. But of course this is from my perspective. Maybe he would love it; he isn't me, after all.

Only you can answer this one as you know him best. I've always loved fairgrounds and theme parks, but that's me. All the theme parks I've been to (in the UK) have a pass for children with disabilities so they don't have to queue. Perhaps Disneyland do the same. Would this help?

I don't think it's very clear cut personally...I hated all of those things when I was younger, but found roller coasters and similar things to be the greatest experiences of my life.


I would advise taking him to a smaller, less crowded type of theme park first and trying it out - One that's not such a huge investment if you have to cut and run.

Does he express interest in it? If I took my 3 year old, it would be in the off-season, if there even is such a thing. She is very much like her daddy if you know what I mean. She likes the tv advertisements for it and asks me to take her to "Dizzy World" when she sees it. From my experience there as a 12 year old, Dizzy World is a good description.

I enjoyed Disneyland! However, you absolutely need a very fast escape route. Be prepared to get out of there fast... but no reason you shouldn't try it IF he says he likes the idea.

If you take him its up to you but I can tell you from my own experience that you should probably avoid taking him over any major holidays or during the most crowded seasons.

I did love going to rollercoaster after I saw it was secured for me. I believe that a child with autism should overcome their fear. I did that all my life, I have a lot of fear, but most of the time I would overcome them which leads me to be less fearfull. Knowledge is powerful when it come to fear. Since fear often comes from ignorance!

I think you should get him when you think he's ready. Maybe you can go gradually, at a closer and cheaper park. Don't necessarly go in the rollercoaster, just let him watch other people do it, let get him use to the sound and prove him it's secure. When he'll see it's under control, the fear will get down.

I went to disney world(and universal studios) when i was 7 and had fun. There were some points where certain rides freaked me out(when i was a little older i started to really love big rides and rollercoasters, though), but all in all it was a good experience. I've always loved amusement parks. If he's verbal you could always explain what it will be like(and maybe show him pictures) and ask if he thinks he will like it. It might be good to look for videos of disneyland online and show them to him so that he will know what to expect.

Like Ikonovich said, it would be a good idea to go to a smaller theme park first to see how he reacts.

Can you ask him if he would like to? If he's verbal it would be a good idea to ask.

I went to Disneyland when I was six, and Disney World when I was 8, so I've got your son bracketed.

While I loved the rides, especially ones that involved zooming around in the dark (ok, I'm really old and Space Mountain was really new), the whole experience was overwhelming and very difficult for me. There was Just. Too. Much. Going. On. All. The. Time! There were too many people, too many things to see, too many things to do. There were long lines, with too many people close to me. Too much noise, too much everything!

Heck, I won't even go to the mall. Disneyland is a very unpleasant thought. Maybe if there were a place that your son could have a bit of 'downtime' or quiet time, the experience would be manageable. But it's tough to find that at a theme park where the whole idea is to have a very active and stimulating "good time."

I think I would opt to try it. Give him ear plugs and opportunity to take breaks. Worse case is he is overwhelmed and you have to leave early.

Based on your feedback, I have some more information about my son.

1. He stated that he wants to go to Disneyland.
2. He loves going to the malls to ride the elevators. We even make special trips to the mall and the airport just so he can ride elevators and escalators with his 4 year old brother. However, will sometimes hold his hands on his ears and hum because he has so much difficulty with the noise. It is sort of funny to see the kid willing to suffer so much just to ride an elevator.
3. Legoland, a very tame version of Disneyland, worked out fine for him about two years ago.

Don't live your life, nor teach your son to live his, in fear of what might go bad. All you can do is try it. Just make contingency plans as suggested by kfisherx and DandelionFireworks.

1. He wants to go
2. He likes "rides"

Seems like you should go. Definately plan for the experience though, have an exit strategy, go in the off season, not over summer vacation, avoid crowds and noise. Seems like he would have fun.