Need some Pixie Dust please!

[Dyanna]

My DD (5) was just diagnosed the other day with ADHD & ODD (for anxiety). It has been a long few days for me & the hubbs. In the next few weeks we will be going for training on how to better deal with her since the normal conventional methods have not worked as well as DD getting help herself. We have a long road in front of us, not to say the last year or so has not been crazy & exhausting in itself.

We have been to Disney a few times with her before but that was before she was at the level she is at now. How does one handle the lines for the rides/attractions with someone whom has such issues. We are going back in Oct.

[mickeys_princess_mom]

I don't have all the answers here, but just wanted to offer you some encouragement. Sounds like you are understandably a little overwhelmed at the moment. Parents of other children who experience this can give you particulars regarding the park challenges, I'm sure. As a teacher for 20 years, I can tell you that a good school system will work with your daughter and she can still have a meaningful, enjoyable, productive school experience.

I would opt for times in the Magic when the crowds might be a little lower, just to help you out.

Hope you have a great trip!
:hug: :wave:

[mickeys_princess_mom]

Perhaps pacing would be something to think about, and maybe watching some of the rides on video (Youtube?) before you go could head off some anxiety?

[Mickey'sGirl]

I think that since you now have a diagnosis, your life and more importantly, her life, will get dramatically easier. You will now know what kinds of services and assistance she needs to be happy and productive! Life gets better as you gain more understanding! :thumbsup: Also ... she is the same little girl she was before the diagnosis, only now you know how to help her. The diagnosis will not change who she is.

Both of our sons are autistic (both anxious and one is hyperactive) and they have made many successful journeys to Disneyworld. The lines can be extremely difficult, but a good "Plan" will make all the difference! I recommend letting her get involved in the planning before you go, and let her guide your daily plans while you are there. Our experience is that by having input to the holiday, our children feel more in control of what is going on, and that is calming. We do not use the Guest Assistance Pass (as it does not translate into their real world experiences), but have made regular use of the daily Extra Magic Hours, lots of afternoon pool breaks and Fastpasses.

I can't tell you the exhaustion ever goes (some days feel like they are 35 hours long, don't they? ;) ) , but life sure is interesting! Good luck to you and your family as you figure everything out!

[Belle of the Ball 051411]

Sending pixie dust your way!

[dizneydeb22]

Our son has severe ADHD also. He was also diagnosed at age 5. We make use of the Guest Assistance Card for when he is having a particularly bad moment...as you know we plan in minutes, not hours or days! :mickey: We do plan as much as possible, but make sure we can be flexible...we've even had to cancel an ADR on occassion.

You sound like you have a pretty good handle on everything. We've been taking our DS since he was two...Disney is great for children with special needs. If have any particular questions, please inbox me. You are not in this alone...please call on me for anything!

Here is your pixie dust...:pixie:

[Dyanna]

Thanks for all the kind words. It has been very overwhelming the last year or so & just the last few days have been exhausting just from the reality of it & what we have to do to make her life & ours the best as possible. We have lost many friends along the way due to the actions of DD & her outbursts & interactions with her own friends etc. So needless to say the stress level of me 'mom' is at an all time high. We have all our days planned while in the world but of course are subject to change at any moment depending on situations that may arise. The plan is to have a great vacation with our DD & hope to put the past behind us & just look to her future.

[minnie04]

:pixie::pixie: On the way don't hesitate to use the Guest Assistance Pass. I had to use one and it made the day so much easier on our situation.

[mickeys_princess_mom]

Also ... she is the same little girl she was before the diagnosis, only now you know how to help her. The diagnosis will not change who she is.

Boy, I like this person! :) So true. It sounds like you have your plan ready and are right on track.
Flexibility and including her in the 'planning' sound like good advice. She obviously has very loving parents, and you have lots of friends on here, so don't worry about the ones who didn't stand by you with this. Enjoy every Magical Moment! :wave:

[VWL Mom]

The proper diagnosis truly is half the battle, now you know what you're up against and can move forward finding a solution. Always keep in mind when dealing with things along the way that you are your child's only advocate in this journey.

When DS was younger and had issues we got through our WDW trips by not sweating the small stuff, there were days that DH would take one and I would take one and go our separate ways......divide and conquer!

Use us as your sounding board when you need to vent, there are a lot of non-judgemental ears here. :mickey:

:pixie::pixie::pixie:

[TheVBs]

Lots of :pixie: from me too!

Our daughter struggles with anxiety and we went through a very rough stretch. It started with a medical issue and I'm sorry to say it took us awhile to figure out exactly what was going on, even though we were seeing some great specialists. For whatever it's worth, she had a very severe form of obstructive sleep apnea. When we got that corrected we saw a huge difference!

I completely understand about losing the friends. For awhile we just couldn't go anywhere, she couldn't go to school and couldn't cope with playdates. It can be very isolating, but it becomes about surviving and just circling the wagons to take care of family.

When we would go on trips and she would have an anxiety attack, we would try all kinds of things to deal with it. One of the things that worked best was to take her to the ladies room. Somehow that calmed her, change of scenery, smaller space? I'm not sure. Often you have to have a bag of tricks to choose from, sometimes one works, sometimes another. Sometimes you just have to be prepared to call it a day. We also discovered this great book called What to do When you Worry too Much. It helped her so much! I can't remember the author's name, but I can look it up. Weirdly, I found this totally by accident while searching for a Disney book!

Our DD is almost 12 now and doing great! She has come so far and manages her anxiety better than most adults I know! She was recently diagnosed with ADD (whichever the non-hyperactive one is). She gets great grades, and takes in the information, but it is a huge struggle for her to stay focused and get her work done in a timely manner. We are so lucky to have a great school system and great teachers here!

You will all come through this, please just remember that. I know how hard it is right now. I'm tearing up just remembering what it was like. Please don't hesitate to ask me anything. If there's any way I can help or any info I can give you, I would be happy to!

[BrerGnat]

The internet is a great place to turn for friends and support when you are dealing with a child who has special needs. Sometimes, I feel like most of my friends are "virtual", because the internet is often the only place I feel like people really understand what I'm going through, and can sympathize without the unnecessary clucking and pity partying that goes on when other adults find out my kids have "issues."

There are lots of us here at Intercot who are living with kids who have various diagnoses, so you will get lots of support and encouragement here, particularly where it applies to your Disney trips! :mickey:

Head over to the "Guests with Special Needs" forum and feel free to ask any specific questions related to your trips, and anything else going on in your life.

Our two boys are on the Autism Spectrum, and are 6 and 8. We've done several vacations with them over the years, but the Disney ones are the easiest and most fun for us all. :) Our older son requires a GAC, but our younger son does not. So, we get the GAC, and we use it only as needed. We typically end up riding the same 5 rides all week long, spend LOTS of time at the resort (DS8 loves hotels) and at the pools.

We try to remember that the only thing that matters is our little family unit. When meltdowns start, or our kids get difficult and loud, we zone in on them, forget all the people staring and (probably) judging, and we work to solve the problem. It can be tough to shut out the outside world in these circumstances, but you get better at it over time. I would say the hardest thing for me to conquer as a mom was letting go of "what other people think of me and my kids." I know them best, I know how to handle them, and I know I am darn good at it! Any "friends" who have disappeared over the years have proven that they are not really friends, and it makes me happy that I only find myself surrounded by strong women who know how to be friends when things are not always so perfect.

I often get asked "how do you do it?" in regards to handling my 2 boys, often on my own, as DH is military and has been deployed a lot. The simple answer is "I have no choice, so I do the best I can." That's it. You are a parent, and your job is to raise your child to be as independent as possible, and provide the tools, love, and support to make that happen. There's no other choice.

And, when things seem particularly bad, I find myself reminding myself that they could be a LOT worse. I'll take an Autism diagnosis over a terminal illness diagnosis ANY day of the week, and twice on Sunday!