BBB AUTISM SUPPORT NETWORK/AUTISM
SOCIETY ONTARIO (YORK REGION CHAPTER)
present
HOW TO ENJOY
DISNEY WORLD
...and live to tell the tale!!!
Volume 3; Issue 2
December 20, 2001
Hi Everyone!
After our last issue, I had several requests to tackle this
topic, so here it goes…
Every
year, my family and I travel to Disney World.
This is a wonderful yet not exactly relaxing vacation at the best of
times and having a child with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the party
tends to make it more challenging!
At home, we can all know and live with the behaviors.
I barely notice the stimming anymore unless it is new, very loud or of a
particularly entertaining type. Put
your child with ASD on a plane for 3 hours and every noise, every stim becomes
exaggerated. You can’t escape the
stares from other passengers and you may feel the need to over-compensate in
some way.
Seating on planes is a pain. There are four of us: 2 adults
and 2 children (both under 7). We can only buy seats in a 3 and 1 configuration,
and since I am “better” with J., my husband gets to sit alone. He reads a
novel or watches the movie, while I am wiping faces, doing joint compressions,
and checking under the seats for lost toys! J
He enjoys the airplane food while I am peeling the pasta off my face and picking
peas out of my hair! J
Would I stop going? NEVER!!!! J
Once you get to Disney World, you have the lineups
to contend with. You have to deal
with eating unusual foods…and what the heck do you do if your child insists
on disembarking in the middle of The Pirates of the Caribbean?
These questions and others prompted me to write of our experiences
here, and perhaps offer some advice to others attempting the journey.
We always end up having a fantastic time (even allowing for a few
mishaps and meltdowns)!
For your convenience, I’ve packed this issue with
strategies to help make your visit to the House of Mouse memorable, even fun.
I’ve even included ways to beat line-ups and a list of everywhere you
can get Macaroni and Cheese. No, just kidding…I’ve included the
children’s menus from some of the restaurants in each Theme Park.
This can go a long way in planning your day while sticking to a budget!
(note: prices and menu items subject to change)
Finally, if you have in the past visited Disney
World yourself, we’d love to hear from you at mailto:bbbautism@deaknet.com!
Hope you enjoy this issue, see you in 2002!
Liz
P.S.
Join Bernie’s family on their trip to Disney World in August of 2001
Please note: Evidently, a few of you were unable to
open the last issue. I am going
to send this in WORD format in the hopes it is more accessible. If you have trouble opening it, please let me know, and
I’ll be happy to resend in PDF. Those of you already receiving in PDF will
continue to receive it in that format. J
Flight
We
all want to arrive at the airport with as little waiting time as possible.
This is imperative in this situation.
Call ahead to the airline before leaving to confirm departure time.
We have taken very early flights (6:20 a.m., meaning we have to get up at
3 a.m.) and afternoon flights. Don’t
kid yourself that your child will probably sleep on the plane if you leave early
– this is not always the case! You
may just end up with a very grouchy child falling asleep at 5pm (therefore,
awakening everyone at 2:00 a.m.!) There
are advantages to both flights, but keep in mind that most check in times for
hotels aren’t until 3:00 pm, so if you take the early flight, you may end up
with hours and hours on your hands!
Tell
your flight attendant that your child has ASD and explain what this could mean
in terms of behaviors.
If
you have access to business card sized explanations of autism, feel free to hand
them out to any passengers who comment on your child’s behaviors.
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Bring
snacks and drinks that your child will eat on the plane.
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Bring extra diapers or
pull-ups and wipes. Also
bring facial wipes. Keep up with toileting routines.
Lines in Customs may be longer now, so take your child to the
toilet pre-landing.
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Be
sure to keep up with any doses of medications.
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Bring
a “sensory
grab bag” full of new (cheap) little stimmy toys.
You’ll want them cheap because they might get lost. Spend $20 at a
dollar store or party packagers. I recently attended a "Make
'n' Take Sensory Workshop" and got lots of cool ideas for this.
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Bring
a beloved toy (preferably a soft one). Don’t wash it before you go
(unless, of course, you have to) because it won’t hurt if
it smells like home.
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Be
sure let your child stretch his/her legs every so often (supervised
by you, of course).
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Dress your child in comfortable clothing
(elasticized waits rule in this case).
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Please do not forget any assistive communication
devices your child may use to bring on the plane.
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If your child has sensory issues, I’d suggest
bringing a toilet insert for added security and familiar feel.
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Do not bring expensive items on the plane (unless
imperative), space is a factor and it could get stepped on.
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Don’t forget that some people may ask about
your child out of curiosity. This
is not a bad thing; it is your chance to spread a little autism
awareness. If you can
handle it, tell them a brief description of ASD, hand them an
business card-sized explanation, making sure it includes a toll free
number to the Autism Society and/or a link to BBB Autism.
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FAA
Advisory for Air Travelers
Angry
Co-Travelers
During last years’
trip, my son was rocking and bouncing in his seat. I was using all my energy to keep him happy, when the man
in the row behind us leaned forward and said, “Excuse me, but my wife
is trying to sleep. Can you ask him to stop doing that?” This man had put up with about 45 minutes of this and was
quite polite. I explained
that my son has autism and that I can’t just ask him to stop because
he doesn’t understand. I
told him that he needs the rocking and bouncing to calm himself down,
but that I would try to redirect this behavior.
I then handed him a card. This
exchange took about 1 minute. J. calmed down, and that man was so very
helpful for the entire flight.
You might run into
someone who is just plain rude, but before you respond in kind, be sure
you’ve attempted an explanation and/or a card. On a previous trip a woman said loudly “Geesh, she
can’t even control her own kid!” and I turned and replied (even
louder) “He has autism, what’s your excuse?” Normally, I
wouldn’t say anything like that…I don’t believe autism is an excuse
for anything, (but it can be an explanation). I spent the rest of
the flight angry and that woman hadn’t learned anything because I’d
stooped to her level (even lower).
It’s hard to keep your
emotions under control in such circumstances. Not only are they talking about your sweet child, but they
are insulting you. You are
stuck in a small space with a challenging child (perhaps more than one,
perhaps siblings as well), you might be nervous to fly to start with,
maybe you had to get up at 3:00 a.m. to make your flight, you might be
annoyed that your spouse is one row over reading the latest John Grisham
or watching “The Royal Tennenbaums” with Ben Stiller, while munching
on eggs benedict. But, hey…focus on where you are going and how much
fun you are going to have. Because
as difficult as the flight might be, Disney goes out of their way
to make life easier for people like us!
And who knows?
The flight just might be wonderful!
To make Autism
Awareness cards:
Go to a Staples or
office supply store and purchase a package of plain business cards.
I have bought them in a package of 250 for about $8 Canadian;
they come 10 to a sheet. The
package includes a layout of how to space the wording in the event you
are using a word processor to set them up, but you can also buy some
fancy packages. You could
also print out Do2Learn’s version, or take your own wording to a
printer and get them made up. You can find Do2Learn’s cards here.
The cards can give the phone number of your autism society
chapter and/or favorite website. I use the following wording: YOU
HAVE JUST ENCOUNTERED A YOUNG PERSON WITH AUTISM.
He or she may be acting in an
unusual way. Please
be understanding! Autism is
a developmental disorder, which prevents those affected from behaving
typically…
Lasting
Impact of 9-11
Air travel will never be the
same again. We watched those
twin towers crumble over and over again on television, and the sense of
loss threatens to overwhelm us often although months have passed. President Bush has asked that Americans (I am going to
extend this to North Americans, as I am Canadian) try to live their lives
as usual, to go about their daily business.
We are planning to do this by going ahead with our annual trip.
We made a major provision; I applied for a passport for myself (and
the kids) as I am British-born and my birth certificate (very large and
filled in with fountain pen) tends to draw curious expressions from custom
officials. I want to avoid
any possible hold-ups at customs.
The other thing I am doing,
is taking the very good advice of Dennis Debbaudt.
We received his kind permission to reprint his article “Holiday
Travel and Autism – Airport Safety Tips) for our E-NEWS Volume 3; Issue
1. You can find this article here.
You can read more about Dennis at his very informative website “Avoiding
Unfortunate Situations” .
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Accommodations
We
have stayed in a few hotels in Orlando, but by far the best experiences we have
had were when we stayed on Disney property.
You receive advantages that other park goers do not, such as the ability
to enter parks one hour earlier (8:00am – you can see a great deal in that
hour, without the crowds). Check
your guidebook to see which park opens early on which day! (Note: I recently read somewhere that Disney is not providing
this feature at this time, but are having characters visit hotels instead.
If you don’t relish the idea of being woken up to the sounds of a giant
Pooh Bear in the hallway, I suggest you ask
Disney directly.
The
two favorite hotels we have found are:
Although this accommodation is by no means inexpensive, we
have found it to be superb in so many ways.
The
one and two bedroom villas feature living room, kitchen, and private porch.
Bedrooms have private baths (with one whirlpool tub) and queen-size beds.
Bedrooms boast TVs and plenty of room.
When you count the fold out couch, you can sleep eight comfortably!
You can also get cribs and bedrails from room service.
There are a full sized washer and dryer, ironing board and a colour TV.
plus VCR in the living room. You
get a kitchen with a dishwasher, garbage disposal, dishes, fridge, stove and
dining area. You don’t even have
to bring your hairdryer! Soaps and Shampoos also provided.
We
have stayed here with my husband’s family when there have been 2 newborns
present, and the sound of crying infants definitely does not carry.
Also, you cannot hear your neighbors.
This
accommodation is safe and comfortable. Transportation
to all parks and Downtown Disney is available. There is also an exercise
room for those really enjoying the fine dining!
There
is a nice restaurant called Olivia’s that is walking distance from all villas.
Check out their kids’ menu here.
There is a great place for kids called Hank’s where you can rent movies
for free, watch a Disney flick and engage in all kinds of games.
(2)
Coronado Springs
We
stayed there for the first time last year and were very happy with it.
Disney
calls these rooms “moderately priced”. Compared to Old Key West, space
is tight. We got 2 double beds,
colour TV, ironing board/iron, hairdryer and full bathroom (with shampoo and
soap). From room service, we got
bedrails and rented a small fridge from $10.60 per day.
There
are a couple of pools, laundry facilities, spa, exercise facilities, gift shops,
games room, a great restaurant, wheelchair rentals and more.
Despite the size of the room, I was very happy here!
Transportation to theme parks is available.
Shop ‘till
You Drop!
Groceries
and various sundries can be obtained at “Gooding’s”
(just outside Disney World). Be
aware, it is pretty expensive, but still cheaper to get supplies for breakfast
and lunch and save your pennies for dining out!
Great
shopping can be found at the outlet malls of
Belz. Just 12 miles from
Disney, you can find directions here.
For even more shopping, check out the Orlando
Mall Directory.
For some reason, my son went through 4 times as
many pull-ups down there! This
was not because he was drinking more, because he always drinks the same
amount. This is a good
thing to keep in mind.
Dining Out
Be
sure to visit the Rainforest Café (kids
menu – note: macaroni and cheese!!! ) in Downtown
Disney and while you are there, check out all the great stuff for
your kids to do. Be sure to visit Wolfgang
Puck’s Express also (more Mac & cheese! ).
If you happen to get an evening away from the kids, visit Fulton’s
Crab House while there. I did not see Mac & cheese anywhere on their
menu J.
The Parks
If
you have one, be sure to bring your handicap-parking pass. This way you can enter or leave the park quickly if it
becomes necessary. Although J tends
to have less meltdowns in Disney, it still happens.
We
rented a wheelchair every day we went into the parks.
My son can walk, but he experiences gross motor issues and tires very
quickly. We would have never been
able to do everything we wanted to if he had walked. With respect to renting wheelchairs, Disney states the
following: “Some Guests may be concerned that they do not have the stamina to
wait in our queues. We strongly suggest that these visitors consider using a
wheelchair or electric convenience vehicle, as the distance between our
attractions is much greater than the length of our queues.”
We found we needed no supporting documentation to rent a wheelchair.
More
help with those lineups; Disney’s developed the Fast
Pass, a reservation system for the most popular attractions. This really
made our visits a breeze!
We
always obtain the Park
Hopper Pass. We find that we
don’t need entire days to visit every theme park, and this saves us money. For
example: if we take a whole day and visit two parks that cuts down on the extra
day’s admission. Additionally, we
love to spend at least one evening at Epcot for dining and watching fireworks. If you are planning to visit more than one park per day, keep
your wheelchair receipt and present it at the next park.
You only need to pay one fee per day.
Upon
entering the Magic Kingdom, go to Guest Relations, located inside City Hall on
Main Street, U.S.A. Provided here
are a variety of services, including general information and information on
services for Guests with disabilities. Be
sure to request a guide map. There
are similar areas for wheelchair rentals in each theme park and many of the
Disney hotels.
Recommended
(by me) Attractions By Park
These
are attractions that we found most accommodating for our situation. I have also
included those, which feature interesting sensory stimulation.
Magic
Kingdom
Epcot
MGM
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Mulan Parade
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Toy Story Character Greetings
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Voyage of the Little Mermaid
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Bear in the Big Blue House
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Fantasmic! (Bring something to eat, drink and some
blankets to sit on! Caution: Fireworks)
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Beauty and the Beast – Live On Stage
One of the best experiences we had was at MGM, at the “Beauty and the
Beast” show. Not only were
we treated with respect and given great seats, they had 2 “cast
members” performing the entire show (off to the side) in Sign Language.
It was moving and wonderful!
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Animal
Kingdom
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Character Greeting Trails
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Festival of the Lion King
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It’s Tough to be a Bug (from A Bug’s Life)
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Guide
to Animal Kingdom
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PLACES TO EAT THAT SERVE
MACARONI AND CHEESE (FOR OUR LITTLE GOURMANDS)
I know, I know! Just because my son only eats K.D.,
doesn’t mean yours does, right? In
a recent poll, I asked parents whether their child severely limits his/her own
diet and over 50% responded ‘yes’. I also asked them to name these foods,
so, with this in mind, I have compiled a restaurant guide for our picky
eaters! Here are some of the Children’s Menus from Disney.
(All prices in US dollars)
PLEASE NOTE: ALL PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE… Bon appetite!
EPCOT
Coral Reef (Living Seas):
Ursula's
Chicken
- Chicken Nuggets with Corn and Goldfish Crackers $4.99
Prince Eric's Sea Dog - Hot dog with Corn and Goldfish Crackers $4.99
Triton's Pasta - Pasta with Marinara Sauce $4.99
Sebastian's Sandwich - Peanut Butter and Jelly with Goldfish Crackers
$4.99
Chicken Breast served with mashed potatoes and corn $7.99
Baked Mahi served with mashed potatoes and corn $8.99
Peanut Butter Play dough - $2.50
Shipwreck - $3.25
Build Your Own Sundae - $5.25
L'ORIGINALE
ALFREDO di ROMA RISTORANTE (Italy - World Showcase – Epcot):
Spaghetti Al Pomodoro Con Polpette di Carne
- with Alfredo's tomato sauce and meatballs $4.99
Le Original Fettuccine All'Alfredo - Alfredo's world famous original
creation tossed in a specially prepared butter and parmesan cheese $5.50
Lasagna Pasticciate Alla Modenese - Lasagna strips baked with veal and
cream sauces, Mozzarella and parmesan cheeses $5.50
Italian Chicken Fingers - $4.99
Specialty Drinks - Strawberry Slush $2.75
LE CELLIER
(World
Showcase Canada):
Chicken Fingers and fries -
$4.99
Cheeseburger and Fries - $4.99
Hot Dog and Fries - $4.99
Pasta and Tomato Sauce - $4.99
Prime Rib (dinner only) $6.50
5 Ounce Sirloin Steak (dinner only) $6.50
NINE
DRAGONS (China World Showcase):
Fried Rice and Egg roll - $4.75
Sweet and Sour Chicken - $4.75
Above items served with soft drink and ice cream
China Doll - children's cocktail $1.50
RESTAURANT MARRAKESH (Morocco World Showcase)
Chicken - Chicken
breast grilled and served with fried potatoes $4.95
Beef Shish Kebab - Grilled beef on a skewer served with fried potatoes
$5.95
Kefta - 3 mini burgers served with tomato sauce and fried potatoes $4.95
Vegetable Couscous - Rolled semolina steamed and served with seasonal
vegetables $4.25
ROSE AND
CROWN (United Kingdom World Showcase)
Cottage Pie - spiced
ground beef crowned with mashed potatoes and melted cheddar cheese $5.25
Harry Ramsden's Fish and Chips - Battered, fried Cod with crispy potatoes
$6.50
Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwich - served with a bag of crisps $4.99
Macaroni and Cheese - $4.99
Child Hot Dog - served with chips $4.99
San Angel
Inn (Mexico World Showcase)
Chicken Strips - Served with
fried plantains and rice $4.99
Burrito - beef burrito with
beans, lettuce and tomato, served with rice $4.99
Quesadillas de Pollo -flour
tortilla filled with cheese and chicken breast, grilled and served with rice
$4.99
Desserts: Churros
Mexicanos or Ice Cream Fiesta $2.50 each
All the above served with
kid's soft drink.
MAGIC
KINGDOM
Cinderella’s
Royal Table
Blossom's Chicken Strips -
served with corn and mashed potatoes
Major's Cheeseburger - served with corn and mashed potatoes
Jaq's Cheese Dog Rolls -served with corn and mashed potatoes
Liberty
Tree Tavern
Yankee Doodle Noodles - Stouffer's Macaroni &
Cheese served with fruit $4.99
Paul Revere Chicken Strips - served with fries $4.99
Little Patriot's Hot Dog -
served with fries $4.99
The Colonial Cheeseburger -
served with fries $4.99
THE LUNCHING PAD (Tomorrowland At RocketTower Plaza - Fast
Snacks)
"Galactic
Gobblers" - smoked turkey legs $4.22
Disney Character Cookie - $1.50
Frozen Carbonated Drinks - Coke, Minute Maid Cherry or Minute Maid
Blueberry $2.25; served in souvenir sports bottle $5.25
Soft Drinks; Nestea - $1.75,
$1.95, $2.25; served in souvenir sports bottle $4.95
Whole, Low fat or Chocolate Milk - $.99
Coffee - brewed regular or decaffeinated $1.35 and $1.55
Hot Tea or Carnation Hot Cocoa - $1.35
Fresh Orange Juice - $1.45
Bottled Water - $2.50
PLAZA
RESTAURANT (Main Street)
Small Fry Meals
Includes French Fries,
beverage and a scoop of ice cream.
Two
mini-burgers
- $4.99
Mini
hotdog and mini burger combo - $4.99
Grilled
cheese sandwich - $4.99
TONY'S
TOWN SQUARE (Main Street)
LUNCH AND
DINNER
All items
include a beverage and dessert
Tony's Spaghetti - served with a meatball and tomato sauce OR tossed with
butter only $4.99
Peg's Pepperoni Pizza - $4.99
Trusty's "Old Reliable" Cheese Pizza - $4.99
Scamp's Ravioli - cheese Raviolis filled served with tomato sauce $4.99
DISNEY MGM
STUDIOS
FIFTIES
PRIME TIME CAFÉ
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
- served with potato chips and beverage $4.99
Mickey's Pasta with Marinara - served with beverage $4.99
Mickey Pasta with Cheese Sauce - served with beverage $4.99
Kiddie Burger - Served with French fries and beverage $4.99
Grilled Hot Dog - Served with French fries and beverage $4.99
Fried Chicken Strips - Served with French fries and beverage $4.99
Beverages - Coca Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, Milk, Hot Cocoa, Pink Lemonade
and a variety of juices
BROWN
DERBY
Salad - Mixed greens with
tomato, carrots and choice of dressing. French, Ranch, Bleu Cheese, Thousand
Island. $2.75
Mickey's Macaroni and Cheese - Pasta with cheddar cheese sauce and a
beverage. $4.99
Hot Dog - With fries and a beverage. $4.99
Grilled Chicken Breast - Served with roasted red potatoes, fresh
vegetables and a beverage. $5.75
Fried Florida Grouper Strips - With fries and a beverage. $6.95
Hidden Treasures - With vanilla ice cream, Oreo cookie crumbles and gummy
snakes. $2.95
The Hollywood Junior - Vanilla ice milk blended with a crunchy chocolate
and peanut butter candy bar. $2.95
Orange Smoothie - Vanilla ice milk blended with fresh orange juice. $2.95
Cookie Magic - Vanilla ice milk blended with Oreo cookies. $2.95
Coca-Cola Classic, Caffeine Free diet Coke, Sprite, Minute Maid Orange soda,
Minute Maid Lemonade, Milk, Chocolate Milk, variety of juices
MAMA
MELROSE
Spaghetti with Tomato or Meat Sauce -
Served with beverage $4.99
Chicken Strips - Served with French Fries and beverage
$4.99
Kiddie Burger - Served with beverage $4.99
Cheese Pizza - Served with beverage $4.99
Pepperoni Pizza - Served with beverage $4.99
BEVERAGES - Coca-Cola Classic, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Sprite, Cherry
Coke, Nestea Iced Tea, Milk, Chocolate Milk, Carnation Hot Cocoa, Minute Maid
Apple Juice, Minute Maid Grapefruit Juice
TOY
STORY PIZZA PLANET
Buzz's Meal Deal -
Individual Cheese Pizza, Side Tossed Salad, and Regular Beverage $7.75
Woody's Meal Deal - Individual Pepperoni Pizza, Side Tossed Salad, and
Regular Beverage - $7.99
Junkyard Meal Deal - Individual Veggie Pizza, Side Tossed Salad and
Regular Beverage $8.55
(Salad dressings: Ranch, Italian, and Bleu Cheese)
Individual Cheese Pizza $4.95
Individual Pepperoni Pizza $5.35
Individual Veggie Pizza (mushrooms, peppers, onions, & tomatoes)
$5.75
Side Tossed Salad lettuce and tomatoes $1.95
Greek Salad (Kalamata olives, pepperoncini, feta cheese, onions, tomatoes
topped with Greek dressing) - $5.25
Coke, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Sprite, Nestea, Barq's Root Beer, Minute Maid
Orange, Hi-C Pink Lemonade - $1.75/$2.25
Disney's Toy Story Souvenir cup (with drink) $3.75
Bottled Water $2.50
Nescafe Coffee (Reg. or Decafe.) $1.35/$1.55
Milk (whole, skim, chocolate) $.99
Carnation Hot Cocoa $1.35
Hot Tea $1.35
Minute Maid Premium Choice Orange Juice $1.50
Apple Juice $1.50
Potato Chips $1.25
Chocolate Chip Cookies $1.75
Sugar Cookies $1.75
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies $1.75
ANIMAL
KINGDOM
CHIP
AND DALE’S COOKIE CABIN (KIOSK)
Fresh Baked Cookies - Sugar,
Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin - $1.49
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich - $3.49
S'mores Brownie - $2.79
Nestle Crunch King Size Ice Cream Bar - $2.39
Coffee - $1.79
Milk - $1.89
Chocolate Milk - $1.89
Apple or Orange Juice - $2.39
Bottled Water - $2.50
Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Lemonade, Orange Soda in a Souvenir Cup - $2.34
Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Lemonade, Orange Soda in a Souvenir Mug - $3.79
RAINFOREST CAFÉ
Kid-sized portion of Coca-Cola products, milk or
apple juice $1.99
Add Safari fries to any meal for 95 cents
Castaway Kid's Pizza - a kid-sized cheese pizza $5.99
add pepperoni at no additional charge
Rainforest Rascal - three kid-sized mini rainforest Burgers,
charbroiled and served with chips $5.99
Jurassic Chicken Tidbits - dinosaur-shaped chicken, breaded and
deep-fried, served with chips $5.99
Mini Hot Dogs - three mini-hot dogs served with chips
$5.99
Macaroni and Cheese - elbow pasta with lots of cheese
$5.99
Desserts
Milky Way - vanilla
ice cream bar with chocolate coating and a caramel swirl $1.99
Snickers - vanilla ice cream in a crunchy sugar cone $1.99
M&M's - vanilla ice cream sandwich between two M&M cookies $1.99
You will find a variety of
children’s menus at many of the resort restaurants as well. Good luck!
WEATHER
Seriously,
folks, check the weather for the advanced forecast before you climb on that
plane! Out of the past 5 years that
we’ve made this trek, only once was it shorts-weather!
Last year, we wore our winter coats every day but the last and there was
frost on our windshield in the mornings. The temperature was 30 degrees F. at
times and the little shops were running out of mittens, hats and scarves (at
outrageous prices, I might add!). Just
be prepared and bring enough clothes that you can layer if you need to.
Under
the Heading of “Hmmmmm….”: Did you know that you could
book to swim with the dolphins in Orlando?
Every so often, you hear that this activity is helpful for children
with ASD. I cannot endorse it myself (I’ve never tried it, nor do I know
anyone who has), but if you’d like, check it out
here.
HELPFUL
LINKS
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DISCLAIMER:
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO ENJOYING DISNEY WORLD
WITH YOUR CHILD WITH ASD. ALL
INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. PLEASE CONTACT WALT
DISNEY WORLD FOR INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR TRIP. THE AUTHORS AND EDITOR
OF THIS NEWSLETTER SHALL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY INFORMATION (VALID
OR INVALID) PRESENTED HERE AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
IN ANY MANNER. E-mail
...Proudly Presented by Autism Society Ontario ~ York Region
Chapter and BBB Autism Support
Network
Registration Required, Limited Enrollment. Email
asoyork@axxent.ca Location: 11181 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill
COMING IN 2002…
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Asperger’s
Disorder ~ Rose Ann
Punnett of Kerry’s Place Services
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Autism in General
~ Dr. Adrienne Perry, Ph.D., C. Psych., TRE-ADD
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A
New Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder; A Time-Line Continuum
~ Margo Allen, Early Intervention Services and Liz C, BBB Autism/ASO
York Region, Darlene Spence, York Behavior Management
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Siblings
of Children with Autism
~ Victor Predo, TRE-ADD
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Autism
& Sexuality ~ Deanna
Pietramala, Leaps & Bounds
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Social
Skills ~ Deanna
Pietramala, Leaps & Bounds
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School Discipline
& The Exceptional Student
~ Lindsay Moir
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Behavior
Management ~ Deanna
Pietramala, Leaps & Bounds
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ALSO:
Finalizing
details on:
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8-week Behavior Management
Course
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Hanen’s More than
Words Course
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ASOYRC/BBB Autism’s
Head Start ABA Courses
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COMING IN APRIL 2002
A weekend with Dr.
Robert Naseef ~ a weekend conference addressing the following
topics:
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Special Children, Challenged Parents, Caring Professionals:
Building Links that Endure
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The Father Factor: Understanding the Special Needs of
Fathers
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First Aid for Your Relationship: When You’re Raising a
Child With Special Needs
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Stress
Busters: When Your Child has Special Needs
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Issues
Facing Siblings of Children with Disabilities
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Other
speakers and topics will be included in this very special weekend!
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COMMUNICATION MADE EASY ©
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN FRUSTRATED WITH MISPLACED OR
DISORGANIZED PICTURES FOR YOUR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM?
You
and your child need a user-friendly, easy to use communication
binder that is organized to make communicating fast and fun!
BENEFITS OF HAVING
AN EASY AND ORGANIZED BINDER INCLUDE:
v
Pictures are
always located in the same place, which eliminates frustration while
searching for ‘words’.
v
It is easier to
recognize when pictures are lost or damaged.
v
Categories and
colours make finding and putting pictures away much easier than ever
before!
v
Sentence strip is
located on the front of the binder for easy access.
v
Binder is small,
therefore portable.
v
You can use a
number of different sizes and types of pictures.
COMMUNICATION MADE EASY © supports many types of
picture communication systems.
PCS ~ Boardmaker
Picture This CD ROMs
Your own Photographs
Communication Made Easy ©
will transfer the picture communication system of your choice, put
it into a Fitzgerald Key and add to your very own binder. Pages will
be totally organized by skill.
Customizable: we will be happy to
look at incorporating other types of pictures into your child's
binder. We will also customize the size of binder.
Coming soon...Themed Binders: Going to School, Going to a
Restaurant, Going to Grandma's.
To read more about the Fitzgerald Key, go to this page.
For more information, contact
Dawn Gutowski
Cell # 905-868-2282
Phone # 905-868-8370
E-mail: dawngutowski@hotmail.com
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Check
out this new parent-endorsed custom product here
NEW SERVICE!!!
BBB PARENT GUIDES
CONTAINS PRACTICAL INFORMATION BY PARENTS FOR PARENTS
Available on request, e-mail mailto:liz@deaknet.com and ask for:
1. Halloween
2. Epsom Salts
3. Pros and Cons of telling your ASD child his/her diagnosis
4. How we advocate for our children
AS ALWAYS, WE LOVE TO HEAR YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND INPUT!
Past
Issues
To request, email liz@deaknet.com
and indicate which volume/issue(s) you prefer. You can order in HTML,
MSWORD or PDF. Newsletter Archives are also available on our website at http://www.bbbautism.com/news_arch.htm
.
Volume 1;
Issue 1 WELCOME ISSUE!
Volume 1; Issue 2 SUMMER CRISIS ISSUE
Volume 1; Issue 3 SPOUSAL CONCERNS ISSUE
Volume 1; Issue 4 SENSORY INTEGRATION
Volume 1; Issue 5 CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
Volume 1; Issue 6 BACK TO SCHOOL
Volume 2; Issue 1 IEP
Volume 2; Issue 2 KEEPING YOUR COOL - WHEN YOUR
EMOTIONS ARE ON FIRE
Volume 2; Issue 3 DEALING WITH STRESS
Volume 2; Issue 4 GIFTS FOR THE CHILD WITH ASD
Volume 2; Issue 5 ONE CHILD’S STORY – A TALE OF LOVE AND INTERVENTIONS
Volume 3; Issue 1 SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS
Permission
to reproduce and hand out is granted, provided the document is displayed
in its entirety. Other permissions may be requested by e-mail: liz@deaknet.com
UPCOMING CHATS:
HOW TO SET UP A HOME PROGRAM
- Guest
hosted by Kathy Lear, creator of Help
Us Learn; A Self Paced Training Program for ABA. Date and
time to be announced...
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A CHAT ON CHELATION.
DATE AND TIME TO BE ANNOUNCED!
Convert to your time zone here.
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS FROM APRAXIA, CHALLENGING
BEHAVIORS, EVERYDAY SENSORY STRATEGIES AND AUTISM, DEANNA PIETRAMALA (CHAT
#1) AND ENZYMES CHATS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST liz@deaknet.com
coming soon:
"Autism and Essential Fatty Acids", "Central Auditory
Processing Disorders", "Siblings of Children with ASD",
"ADHD/ADD and ASD", "Autism and Nutrition",
"Acceptance and Denial".
Regular chats take place Mondays at 1pm and 9 pm. Please
join our hosts Lynn, Tina and myself.
Specialty guest-hosted chats will be announced.
INSTRUCTIONS
ON ACCESS ABOUT.COM
CHAT
Hi!
Floyd Tilton of About.Com’s
autism/pdd community has generously invited us to borrow their
wonderful chat room to use for our chats.
The following is a detailed description of how to access this room.
1.
Click here to access About.com's
Autism/PDD Community.
2.
On the grey bar (under Floyd's picture) click on "CHAT".
3.
Click on "Log on to Chat".
4.
On this page: (a) Under "nickname", delete "guest" and
type in a name for yourself. (b) Choose your preferred "font
size".
5.
Click on "Connect" and after a very short time; your chat screen
will come up.
6.
Move your screen by clicking the icon at the top left hand side of the
window. Then drag the window to centre of your screen.
NOW AVAILABLE: "BEGINNER'S
GUIDE TO ASD IN PRESCHOOLERS IN YORK REGION" - A step-by-step
approach. You've got a diagnosis, NOW what do you do? Also includes
resources, links, recommended reading and guidelines for funding forms.
"GENERAL
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO ASD"
Includes a dictionary, short guide to communication, sensory integrations,
autism and diet, ABA/IBI and a list of other therapies, recommended
reading, links and more. Designed as a companion to the York Region Guide,
it is also a stand-alone and can be used for any area.
COMING
SOON: A HARD COPY OF THE MANUAL: “A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO ASD IN
PRESCHOOLERS” OFFERING STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO PARENTS OF NEWLY
DIAGNOSED PRESCHOOLERS IN YORK REGION!
SUBSCRIPTION
INFORMATION
To subscribe, e-mail bbbautism@deaknet.com
please provide your name and location. To unsubscribe, e-mail bbbautism@deaknet.com
please write 'unsubscribe' in subject line. If you think you know someone
who might enjoy or benefit from these newsletters, kindly forward us their
email address at bbbautism@deaknet.com
A notice to our readers...
The founders of this newsletter and the BBB Autism support
club are not physicians.
This
newsletter references books and other web sites that may be of
interest to the reader. The founders make no presentation or
warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information
contained on any of these web sites or in the books, and specifically
disclaim any liability for any information contained on, or omissions
from, these
books or web sites. Reference to these web sites or books herein
shall not be construed to be an endorsement of these web sites or books or
of the information contained thereon, by the founders.
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