Visiting A Theme Park With A Neurodivergent Child
With summer right around the corner, it’s time to start vacation planning. Every child has the right to enjoy a vacation at their favorite theme park. Whether it’s Disney World, Dollywood, Universal or any other fun spot, visiting a theme park with a neurodivergent child can be an amazing experience. With a bit of pre-planning you can have the vacation of a lifetime.
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Prep Your Child
Some of the biggest tips to having the best vacation starts weeks before you step foot out the door. Every child is different and responds to different things but setting the stage so they know what to expect is key. Creating a book of what days at the park are likely to look like is so helpful. Some theme parks offer these that you can print out and read to your child. It’s also simple to make one of your own as you know your child best and what triggers you need to prepare your child for. Things like crowd size, loud noises, transportation, long lines, etc. It can be so helpful if they are prepared for what they will be walking into.
Visual Schedules
That leads me to what I consider the GREATEST tool when visiting a theme park the visual schedule. Having a daily visual schedule for your child to see and return to throughout the day can bring so much peace and calm to them. Anytime our son begins feeling uneasy we can pull up the visual schedule and can see his body calm in real time. There are so many options when it comes to visual schedules these days. We have found that having an app on our phone is most convenient when at a theme park but use what will work best for your family. This is the app that we have and we absolutely love it. You can add customized pictures, record your voice talking as well as all the preset options. It even has a section on feelings and choices to help manage those big emotions.
Reach Out To The Theme Park
In a lot of instances the theme park you visit will have accessibility options for you. Don’t be afraid to reach out to them to see what they offer. Usually their websites will have info for you but if it’s not clear give them a call. Disney has one of the greatest most inclusive services we’ve ever experienced. Depending on what theme park you are visiting the services can differ based on your specific needs and some parks are not in a place to accommodate but I say you should always ask. Any service to make a park day more enjoyable for your child and your family is a service worth checking out. Be diligent and begin researching before your trip so you are prepared and can in turn prepare your child.
Enjoy The Experience
Visiting a theme park with a neurodivergent child can be daunting but it can also be full of awe and wonder. Doing just a bit of preparation before your trip can be life changing and can turn what may have been a stressful, exhausting vacation into a once in a lifetime experience. Your child deserves all the magic and so do you.
