Special Needs Child

I am thinking about organizing a family reunion and am thinking of DCL because there are so may young children in the family--about 12 kids all under the age of 11 in the group. My nephew is autistic--does DCL have staff that are specifically trained to work with children with special needs? I know Disney park has done an exceptional job in working with kids with special needs but wasn't sure if that same training extends to their cruiseline. I want this to be an enjoyable experience for everyone not just a few.

The crew on DCL is capable of working with special needs children--to a degree.

The child must be toilet trained and they will not assist with the bathroom. Children must be able to go into the bathroom, use the toilet, wash their hands, and fully redress themselves. The staff won't even enter the bathroom with the child.

The child must be able to follow directions with some guidance. They won't be able to accomodate children who are so mentally challenged that they need a one-on-one aid at all times.

The child must not be combative or become violent. Hitting, biting or pushing is grounds for immediate removal from the children's program.

Most physically challenged children can be accomodated. There is usually at least one counselor who knows ASL provided you let them know in advance. Children who are blind, deaf, in wheelchairs or using other mobility devices, or have high functioning Down's Syndrome or Autism/Aspergers have all been accomodated in the kids programs.

So it really depends on the severity of the child's autism. Hope that answers your question!

The above poster did a really great job answering your question. This is a big subject for me to answer on my other message board and I am a BIG resource for cruises with ASD children. The problem is all of that information is on the other boards and I can not link to another member web-site here. I do not want to get sites after all.....

DCL does do well with ASD kids, but as the other poster stated, the child has to be 100% toliet independent. They can not be in pull-ups. They can not be at all combative, hostile or have outlashing behaviors. Stiming is okay, if it is not harmful to any other people. The child has to be able to participate in group activities and a "Big One" give up the computer/video game if someone is scheduled to use it. My bottom line in deciding is always- if the child can be mainstreamed in school, then they will do fine here. If they need a paraprofessional in school, then you need to bring a PCA with you. The PCA can participate in the clubs/lab with the child. Know, the child HAS TO ATTEND the life boat drill (no getting out of it) and the child does have to wait in line at the port as there is no preboarding. If the child is on "the diet" the kitchen does a great job, but I would not let the child eat in the clubs. So, I hope this helps. I am new to this board, so I do not know if there are personal messages here or not, but you can always post here again if I can help you more.:)

Thank you both for such details. Our nephew is 10--he is not combative--he is autistic and has cerebral palsy. He does go to school but is in special classes and has a therapist. He just made a break through with the toilet training and is no longer in pull-ups. (that was a battle) Thanks for all the great info. I will leave the decision up to my Sister and Brother-in-law and hopefully this will work. As some of you with special needs children know, it is tough and vacation is not like it is for other families. I want to organize a family reunion where everyone feels like they had a vacation! Including my Sister and Brother-in-law AND my Nephew!

One of my grandsons is autistic and I went into the club with him , signed in as a visitor until he adjusted. when I felt he was capable of interacting ok, I would leave.

If he seemed to be a bit edgy, maybe headed for a meltdown I would stay and play with him separately. He did great and had a blast. Counselors understood the situation, so no problem staying with him in the club when needed.

mom x4,grandma x4

My son has mild autism and he has had a great time on DCL. The key is to tell the staff what needs to be done to accommodate the child. For example, my son has a tremendous sensitivity to loud noise, so I would definitely share that info. At the time he first sailed with DCL, my son could follow directions, but they might have to be repeated. Once those things were explained, everything went smoothly. The counselors got to know him very well and some of them even remembered him on our next cruise. I think your nephew will be in good hands.

Wow!!!!!!!!!! I am a special ed teacher, so I clicked on your thread out of curiosity as to what DCL can do to accommodate special kids. I am so excited that you are able to get such great info from other posters. I have worked w/ kids w/ autism for 13 years, so I agree w/ what one other poster said: prepare the staff and the child for what to expect on the cruise. I'm sure his parents are excellent at doing that. I'd love to help w/ specific questions!

I'm glad to hear you can go into the play area with your child if needed, that is not generally allowed on the other cruise line we have been on, although they are very good with our son also.

It hasn't been mentioned, but will they give you a pager so they can get in touch with you if your child needs to be removed or if they have questions for you?

We are considering a 2010 cruise. What age groups are in a contained area? My son will be 7 or 8 depending on time of the year. My biggest fear is my child coming up missing.

This is a great thread!

Our daughter will be 18 in March, she's very verbal and social and almost always appropriate. We have thought of taking her on a Disney cruise (she goes to Disneyland every year and loves the characters.

My question, does the ship adhere to strict age standards for the children's programming? DD is chronologically 18 but would be very happy with teens, or younger.

About the pager question; EVERY parent gets a metro message reading pager to use while on the ship. It is required when you sign your kids up for the clubs. DO not loose it, $100.00 to your SR Account.;)

This is a great thread!

 

Our daughter will be 18 in March, she's very verbal and social and almost always appropriate. We have thought of taking her on a Disney cruise (she goes to Disneyland every year and loves the characters.

 

My question, does the ship adhere to strict age standards for the children's programming? DD is chronologically 18 but would be very happy with teens, or younger.

The ASD child with the teen crowd, may not be a good idea. The teenagers get a lot of freedom on the ship and the beach. There is a lot of social needs and I am not really sure she will fit in to be honest. They usually say no to age 18 because of legal issues, but may let her. The teen clubs is a lot of "hang out" type activities and the CM kid ration is pretty high. So I will be honest, even though I promote HF ASD kids on DCL, I do not know I would in your case.:confused:

I'm glad to hear you can go into the play area with your child if needed, that is not generally allowed on the other cruise line we have been on, although they are very good with our son also.

 

It hasn't been mentioned, but will they give you a pager so they can get in touch with you if your child needs to be removed or if they have questions for you?

 

We are considering a 2010 cruise. What age groups are in a contained area? My son will be 7 or 8 depending on time of the year. My biggest fear is my child coming up missing.

Just a little word of advice...... If your child is very HF and is the "Bill Gates type", that loves sciencetific stuff, reading the navigators, computer games and treasure hunt type activites, travel when he is 8. The lab is for 8 & older and the activities are of such. The club is for 3-7. They then divide those kids into 3/4 & 5-7. The staff to kid ratio is also higher in the club. In the lab they do more character like interactive activities. More basic art like projects. For example the older kids in the lab learn how to correctly draw Mickey and do photo postcards and actually write and send them off. The little kids do more coloring type of art. The younger kids Dosi Doe with Snow White and the Older kids learn how to hula with Lilo. The younger kids slide with Peter Pan and listen to his stories, the older ones go and learn how to calculate notical miles while traveling via ship. See the difference??? So depending on the functioning level of the child, decide when to go. The staff with the younger group are far more patient as well. My question to you is if your child fits more in with 1st & 2nd graders go when he is 7 and if he would fit more in with 3rd 4th graders then go when he is 8. Just a little advice.;) They do many times let a child go down a group easier than up as well. Hope this helps.

Just a little word of advice...... If your child is very HF and is the "Bill Gates type", that loves sciencetific stuff, reading the navigators, computer games and treasure hunt type activites, travel when he is 8. The lab is for 8 & older and the activities are of such. The club is for 3-7. They then divide those kids into 3/4 & 5-7. The staff to kid ratio is also higher in the club. In the lab they do more character like interactive activities. More basic art like projects. For example the older kids in the lab learn how to correctly draw Mickey and do photo postcards and actually write and send them off. The little kids do more coloring type of art. The younger kids Dosi Doe with Snow White and the Older kids learn how to hula with Lilo. The younger kids slide with Peter Pan and listen to his stories, the older ones go and learn how to calculate notical miles while traveling via ship. See the difference??? So depending on the functioning level of the child, decide when to go. The staff with the younger group are far more patient as well. My question to you is if your child fits more in with 1st & 2nd graders go when he is 7 and if he would fit more in with 3rd 4th graders then go when he is 8. Just a little advice.;) They do many times let a child go down a group easier than up as well. Hope this helps.

Thank you so much!! I actually counted wrong, he will be turning 7 in May of 2010 so he will definitely still be in the 3-7 age group, but thats ok, at this point anyway he is definitely sounding like he will fit there better. His teacher says he is the youngest maturity-wise in his class (its ESE K-1-2). She says he knows all the answers, just doesn't always understand the questions. He is an early reader but would rather play Sonic than read a book.

Anyway, I think this will work out well, we will go in 2010 when he can be at the top of his age group and hopefully fit in quite well. :)