So, who do we have on board?

[LibertyTreeGal]

Okay, share if you want to, I just thought it might be nice for folks to be able to look down the list and see what expertise we have available.

And I can't say enough how thrilled I am. I've had a wretched 24 hours and this is just so wonderful to see up and running. Thanks to our moderators (yes, you belong to us now) for giving your time for this and to John and the staff for setting this up.

My name is Tyler, but I go by TeeDee because otherwise everyone thinks I'm a guy. One of my 6 year old twins, Andy, has spina bifida, hydrocephalus, chiari malformation, clubbed feet, total incontinence, and ADHD. I am willing to chat with anyone concerning treating ADHD with diet, or any of Andy's other challenges as part of the WDW experience.

For the record, he has just as much fun at WDW as anyone else does (more, maybe...)

But we'll be gone until early December so no answers until then.

[alaMode]

My name is Tess and my DS Jack is 7. He has cerebral palsy (left hemiplegia), epilepsy, ADHD, and must use a g-tube for nutrition. Jack also uses a communication device. Jack is our only child.

We visited WDW in April 07 for Jack's birthday and will be returning in April 08 for more celebrating.

I learned so much on INTERCOT before our last trip! We had a wonderful time due the preparation and planning I was able to do using the information I received here.

I wasn't a huge disney fan before we went in April 07. I just figured Jack would enjoy the experience and that would be enough.

Needless to say, I ended up enjoying myself very much, mostly because Disney made it so effortless for our family to enjoy the parks--special needs and all!

Now I'm hooked!

Tess
Poly 07
Poly 08 (and 09, 10, 11...)
Maybe a cruise or 2 as well!

[pugslave]

Hi I'm Barb, aka Pugslave. Our only child is 8-yo daughter with Asperger syndrome (Autistic spectrum). We have been to WDW many times with her and she LOVES it. A lot of cool stimuli for her. I'm very excited about this new area and I'm looking forward to many helpful hints!

[dpamac]

I'm Gary. I'm an insulin dependent diabetic (nearly 25 years), so I have major food issues at WDW.

In addition, I have experience in elementary education, specifically working with kids who have ADD and ADHD. Plus, for the last twelve years, I've been developing college textbooks for several major publishers (you'd recognize the names) and one of my areas of specialty is adapted physical education.

[Jenemmy]

This is really so great! Love that Intercot accomodated us!!

My name is Jen and I have 3 children....DS11, DS9 and DD2. My 9 year old son has full blown, classic autism...I would classify it as moderate to severe. He is an absolute, gorgeous little doll -- but that is just Mommy's opinion!

I figure I wouldn't be walking the road if I weren't meant to help someone else along the way, so anytime anyone needs or wants to talk,vent, ask questions -- please don't hesitate. I guarantee you that I understand!

Also, My younger sister had Cerebral Palsy, so I have been exposed to special needs my entire life. I tell ya, these kiddos have more to teach us than anyone else in the world! And, if you ask me, they are closer to perfection than I will ever hope to get.

Take care, all

[Strmchsr]

Hey, everyone.

I know you know me from my weather posts, but I also have an insulin dependent diabetic 7 yr old son. On top of that, being a pastor I help people with special needs all the time, and my wife's undergraduate degree is in child life so she spent several years working in the hospitals with children with special needs. I look forward to everyone sharing their expertise and ideas!

[Mickey'sGirl]

Hey Howdy Hey! I'm Jennifer. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, and am the working mother of two autistic sons. DS9 has Asperger's and DS3 has Autism Spectrum Disorder. My mother is also completely disabled by her Rheumatoid Arthritis and is an amputee. We have had numerous wonderful holidays at WDW and look forward to learning from all of you, and sharing some of our experiences.

[OhToodles!]

I'm Gary. I'm an insulin dependent diabetic (nearly 25 years), so I have major food issues at WDW.

Gary,I noticed you were a type 1 and live in St. Louis. ME TOO!

I'm Kelly and have been a type-1 diabetic since June 1991. I was diagnosed at age 11 and my younger brother was diagnosed the following year. We have both been lucky and have taken good care of ourselves,so therefore have not been hospitalized for anything related to the diabetes since our diagnosis. I have been blessed with one baby boy so far and he is doing great - no NICU for him once he was born (this usually happens (going to the NICU) with babies born to diabetic mothers). I have also been wearing an insulin pump for about a year and a half now - got it before trying to get pregnant - and I LOVE it.

[tinkerbellybutton]

OK, so I'm really not observant, I just found this post. I'm Traci, I have an 18 yo daughter who is affected by borderline personality disorder and an 11yo son who has aspergers (autism spectrum) I myself have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare disease that causes aneurysm (I'm getting to be a pro at being transfused), joint instanbility, skin fragilty, widespread joint pain (for which I will be on meds for the rest of my life) etc. I am deaf in my left ear after four deforming operations to my skull to eradicate an incurable infection and I think that's it, as if that's not enough Oh, I also went through countless years of misdiagnosis, basically being told it was in my head untill I met my wonderful specialist who figured it out in an hour and sent me to the geneticist. I have found so many helpful people on INTERCOT especially when it comes to DS. I'm not thinking I can be much help to anyone, but we have taken both children several times to WDW and have had some experience with WDW resorts special needs, etc. I want to toss out a huge thank you to everyone who has helped me with DS and DD even if it was just to listen. THANKS!

[luvdiznee]

Some of you may remember from my post a few weeks ago, I have a 10 yr old DD who is a Type I Diabetic. She wears an insulin pump which is a good help. I try not to consider her special need, she will never eat anything sugar free. So thank goodness again for that pump. She does have asthma as well, to the point where we bring the nebulizer with us just in case. And she takes 3 types of medications per day for that. Good to know a thread like this is around.

[duckhere]

I'm going to love this thread! I'm Rob, I have a daughter, 7, with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She is wheelchair bound and needs help with pretty much everything, including eating and drinking. She tires very quickly but is such a trooper! Our first trip to WDW was in Nov 04, Make a wish sent us and we were addicted. I've spend the last 3 years planning our next trip and we leave tomorrow 12/2!!! It's finally here!

[Kennywife]

I'm Anna Gibson-Farringer and I have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome, possibly Celiac Disease. I stay on a gluten free diet for my condition and avoid drinking milk and eating eggs. I also have Catamenial Epilepsy, meaning I have seizures most often during my menstrual cycle. I also have metal plates in my leg from a crushed tibia femur bone.

I am married for a year and a half to a wonderful man. I work from home doing writing and research. I loooove to cook, watch tv such as cooking shows and shop online.

Despite my challenges, I strive every day to do my best and not live my life poo-pooing about my problems....well...most of the time.

My husband and I looove Disney and plan to go every two years. We have a trip coming up in late April. I never got to go till last year fro my honeymoon and plan to make up for all the years lost!

Walt Disney World 04/30/08-05/03/08 Carribbean Beach Resort
Disney Wonder 05/04/08-05/07/08--Two-year anniversary/birthdays vacation!

Walt Disney World 06/18/06-06/21/06 Port Orleans Riverside--honeymoon
06/22/06-06/25/06 Disney Wonder

[merlinmagic4]

I'm going to love this thread! I'm Rob, I have a daughter, 7, with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She is wheelchair bound and needs help with pretty much everything, including eating and drinking. She tires very quickly but is such a trooper! Our first trip to WDW was in Nov 04, Make a wish sent us and we were addicted. I've spend the last 3 years planning our next trip and we leave tomorrow 12/2!!! It's finally here!

to another Make a Wish family!!! Glad to see you here and have a wonderful trip

[Von-Drake]

My son is 4 1/2 years old and was diagnosed with Mile to Moderate Autism just before turning 3. He has been to Disney 4 times and will be going for a fifth time next April for his birthday. He loves it. We even planned a spur of the moment trip this past August when after watching some playhouse Disney, he turned to my wife and I and said plain as can be: "I go to DisneyWorld?" (it could have been a statement, but the tone of his voice was that of a question.) We always make sure we tell the Disney person who takes our reservations and the last time we checked in, the Cast Member was great. He does have a hard time when he gets surrounded by a lot of people and so many conversations going on... it makes it very difficult to wait for a show and/or in line sometimes. He is getting better in lines if we are able to make sure we are constantly talking to him and he sees us talking to him, but if he loses that focus on us..... it gets a little tough. We did the Guest Assistance Pass in August and it was very helpful. We are debating about using it again, since he is getting better at waiting in lines. He LOVES the characters, even those he does not know the names of.

[robyn221]

My 11-year-old son, Rhys, has autism. He was first diagnosed as having a severe language delay, but after a couple of years of intensive speech therapy, he still had issues with socialization and his fine and gross motor skills were also not developing normally. That's when we visited a pediatric neurologist who confirmed our suspicions that this was indeed autism.

Rhys is currently in the 4th grade (just like his 9-year-old sister Callie Jane). He spends a portion of his day in a regular classroom with an aide or his SPED teacher for reading & social studies. He gets one-on-one instruction for math, English, & science (only because it's easier to schedule the science around his adaptive PE this way). He uses a special keyboard for most of his writing assignments which beams the input directly to the classroom's computer for printing. In addition to the speech therapy, occupational therapy, and APE at school, we're still doing private speech therapy and tutoring in math, each one day a week. Unless you know him, you really can't tell he had a language issue, although his speech is still somewhat scripted. Rhys is Lafayette's foremost expert on dinosaurs & paleontology and will talk your ear off about the tyranosaurus rex and a number of other dinosaurs whose names I can't spell. He still has some difficulties with socialization and appropriate behaviors with others and making friends. It kills me to see him want to play & interact with other boys his age but not really being sure how to do it.

We took the kids to WDW twice in 2003 (once at Mardi Gras and again at Thanksgiving when a family member just happened to be getting married the weekend before on nearby Captiva Island) and again this year to celebrate Callie's 9th birthday at the end of September. We had a few issues on this last trip that we probably could have avoided with a little better planning (for example, being better aware of the CS options in EPCOT's World Showcase), but overall it was truly fabulous (of course, the best part was that neither kid had A CLUE we were going until we picked them up at school and they saw the suitcases in the back of their dad's truck! We're still patting ourselves on the back for being able to pull that one off!)!

Robyn

[robyn221]

We did the Guest Assistance Pass in August and it was very helpful. We are debating about using it again, since he is getting better at waiting in lines.

I am of the belief that it is better to have and not need than to need and not have. On our last trip to WDW, we got a GAC for Rhys. Because we were there just after the free dining promotion had ended, the crowds were not terribly large and we didn't have to wait very long for much of anything, so we didn't have to use it. But it was nice knowing we had the card just in case.

Robyn

[wdwfan#1]

hello, i read a lot of the boards, but rarely post. i am rachel and i have 3 kids ages 9yr,6yr,2yr. my 6 yr old daughter has mild autism and now my 2 year old son is being evaluated for the same thing. we have been to disney lots and every time we go, my daugher makes incredible progress with her speech and social interaction. i guess it's that disney magic i think this new discussion board is awesome. alot of times, i feel like people feel sorry for me, but those without special needs children have no idea how much they can enrich your life. it makes you realize what the important things in life are and to forget about the trivial things. can't wait until our nex trip , sept. 2008.

[IloveJack]

I can't believe I'm just getting around to this, but I guess it's high time I introduce myself (at least to this forum).

I'm Susan, a 27 year-old type-2 diabetic. I was diagnosed at 15, after being hit in the face by a softball traveling about 85 mph. The doc was really surprised to find a 15 year-old type 2, but later decided it was shock-induced. 11 years later, I was placed on insulin (this past Aug.) as I have become resistant to oral meds. (I'm allergic to sulfa, which really limits the oral meds I could take anyhow). I take two types of insulin: Novolog every time I eat anything, and Lantus right before bedtime. I was in complete denial (or apathy, more likely) during my college years, and now have slight neuropathy in my legs and have retinopathy (mostly in my left eye). However, since meeting my husband, I take much better care of my body, lost 35 pounds, and completely accept that I have diabetes, but it doesn't have me!

My DH (22) has cerebral palsy, but it is so slight that only he and I can tell. Only his feet give him away, and they're most often covered by shoes. The learning disability part of CP is what affects him more, and he still deals with horrible self-esteem problems due to it. It runs rampant in his family, so we know to watch for it in our kids. He also had a bad bike wreck 10 years ago and had to have a rod and screws placed in his leg. They were removed a year later, but he deals with major back, hip, and knee pain. He hides the limp rather well, unless he's tired, or has been walking too long. (It definitely showed up at WDW, but he wasn't about to stop! )

We have no kids, yet (we're working on that... ), but both my parents are type-2 diabetics, and both have had major heart surgery this year, (which go hand-in-hand).

I'm really thankful that the mods added this forum, as now that I'm on a sliding scale for insulin, I'm sure I'll have tons of questions on dining before our next trip. Until then, I'll try to help answer anything I can.

[Lori Anne]

Hello everyone!! My name is Lori, from chilly Cape Cod! Our 14 year old daughter, Rachel, has a rare genetic brain disorder called Aicardi Syndrome. She has a trach, g-tube, epilepsy, mental retardation, no purposeful movement, and is legally blind. She is SO happy at Disney!!!! We are in the process of planning our early December '09 trip!! anyone else planning to go then????
We also have a VERY active 7 year old son. My hubby and I have been married for 17 years, and LOVE vacationing at Disney!! Everyone is so accommodating there, to Rachel's needs! The first aid rooms are great for changing her (she's totally incontinent) and doing Chest PT, or whatever else needs to be done. We love the magic of Disney!!
Lori.

[wilshade]

Hi all,

I am Wil and I work with adults with developmental disabilities. I have made several trips to WDW with the folks under my care. I've done one-on-one trips as well as group adventures.

The best general advice I can give is LEAN ON THE CAST MEMBERS! They have not let me down yet and they have stepped up in unexpected ways more times than I can count.