Visiting a theme park with a child on the spectrum can be nerve wrecking. All the people, noises, sensory elements.. it’s A LOT. Even for typical people. But thankfully, theme parks around the US have started incorporating Autism Friendly elements into their parks.
We recently made our first trip to Sea World Orlando. It is considered a “Certified Autism Center”. There are IBCCES Sensory signs at each ride, rating the different senses and how they may be affected during that ride. Additionally, they have quiet rooms, a Rider Accessibility Program, and Certified Staff that have been trained to not only assist with typical children.. but also those with special needs.
Some of the drawbacks of Sea World (just keeping it real here) include the fact that you are not allowed to bring ANY outside foods or beverages in. We pushed the limits on this matter.. and in the end were able to bring in an entire bag of food for Merritt. To know Merritt is to know that if its not a preferred food item, he’s not eating it! And we certainly couldn’t spend an entire day at a theme park with no food options for him.
We also found their Rider Accessibility Program to be a little outdated. Instead of being digitalized, you have to carry around a piece of paper all day that is signed off on at each ride. All in all, it was a successful day and our Sea Creature obsessed guy really enjoyed it!
https://seaworld.com/orlando/help/certified-autism-center/
We visited Disney World just a few days prior to Sea World and this was the first trip that we have utilized the DAS Pass. Although Disney is not a “Certified Autism Center”, it is very Autism friendly. There are also quiet rooms at this facility.. as well as Dietary Accomodations (full list is linked below).
We had no issues applying for the pass (it has to be done inside the park once you arrive) and it is valid for 60 days. With this pass, you are able to check in at the ride kiosk, wait in an alternate area of your choice, and then return when prompted (your return time is always listed on the Disney Experience App). For example, we checked in at Jungle Cruise which had a 30 minute listed wait. The DAS pass is always 10 minutes less that what is listed. So we were able to return to the ride 20 minutes later and travel through the FastPass/Disability Access Line.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/cognitive-disabilities-services/
This was a game changer for us. We’ve visited Disney four other times as a family and never knew this could be an option for us. Had I done a little more research, I could of found the literature online. But I just didn’t think to do so. We’ve never been ones to monopolize on these perks.. or take advantage of the fact that we have a child with special needs. But some things are just necessary! Eliminating that anxiety while waiting in long lines is a relief. There are a number of “fun” elements that are set up along your ride wait that are there to entertain you WHILE you wait. For most kids, these are really cool. Automated robots that talk to you (Buzz LightYear), lasers, touch screens, TV’s showing short video clips, etc. For Merritt, these are unpredictable items and he’d rather not deal with them at all. We’ve managed them before.. but it’s nice knowing we don’t HAVE to do that anymore.
Although I’ve just listed two Autism friendly facilities, there are many other options! We hope to visit them all one day and have a chance to rate them individually. Rather than re-invent the wheel, I’m attaching a link below.. showing 12 of the Autism Friendly Theme Parks located around the US!
https://www.familyvacationcritic.com/best-autism-friendly-theme-parks/art/
travelingonthespectrum.com 