Finding Hope in Sensory Overload Heaven
By Lisa Vaillancourt
Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the author exclusively.
By Lisa Vaillancourt
Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the author exclusively.
On a recent family trip to Disney World we learned that even in the “most magical place on earth,” there is no vacation from autism. However, we didn't let that stop us from enjoying every moment, both calm and exciting, while we simply muddled through each difficult situation in the place we now call sensory overload heaven. In the end, however, we came away with an
amazing family experience, including a lesson that if you're open to it, you'll find hope for your child's future in the most unlikely of places.
It surprised us that our then 11-year-old son, Alex, who has autism, headed for all of the fastest rides; among them was the famed Tower of Terror, which we rode three times! Adding to the excitement are the Disney personnel in the waiting area, dressed as old time bell people who come off as creepy and stoic.
The first time we went on the ride, Alex, as he always does whenever he sees someone's name tag, referred to the bell person by name and initiated a conversation by commenting, “Peter, you're working late today.” Peter remained in character, put a ghoulish, staring look on his face, glanced at his watch, and said to our son, “It's 10:30 in the morning, what do you mean I'm working late?” I braced myself because Alex sometimes gets very agitated when embarrassed. I was so proud of how cool he remained when he simply replied, “Oh, oh, sorry.” From that moment on, the bell person stayed in character and stared Alex down … even as our line began to move into the elevator … even as we buckled ourselves into our seats … even as the elevator doors were closing. As Peter continued to stare him down, Alex alternately looked away and stared right back at him with a small grin on his face; he was getting the hang of this charade. Peter reminded everyone to make sure their seat belts were buckled tightly but then, right before the doors closed, he stuck his finger in the elevator and pointed to Alex mouthing the words, “Except for you, you, you.” From the beginning of this whole exchange I was always ready to step in and whisper to this guy that Alex had autism and was taking him seriously, but I never had to. Despite Alex's black and white view of the world, he also has a very good sense of humor and, obviously, was able to decipher the intricacies of that fun social situation!
Later in the day, Alex and I went back on Tower of Terror (because, of course, two rounds of the 6, 7, and 8 floor drops and rises of that ride just weren't enough for us). Jokingly, I said to Alex while in line, “I wonder if Peter is still working.” As soon as they ushered us into the first “holding” room we spotted him and he immediately recognized Alex! From there he stuck to Alex like glue (staying in character), following him through the entire line during our 10-15 minute wait, hovering behind him, staring him down whenever Alex would turn to him. Alex was so amused by this, played right along, and never got agitated. The people around us in line really enjoyed this mini show, too!
On that day Peter gave Alex an amazing memory to cherish forever and he reinforced for our family what we've already learned over the ten years since his diagnosis -- that our son's autism doesn't rule him. It helps to make him the funny, uninhibited boy that we love and will help him become a sensible, funny man who will always be up for an adventure!
It surprised us that our then 11-year-old son, Alex, who has autism, headed for all of the fastest rides; among them was the famed Tower of Terror, which we rode three times! Adding to the excitement are the Disney personnel in the waiting area, dressed as old time bell people who come off as creepy and stoic.
The first time we went on the ride, Alex, as he always does whenever he sees someone's name tag, referred to the bell person by name and initiated a conversation by commenting, “Peter, you're working late today.” Peter remained in character, put a ghoulish, staring look on his face, glanced at his watch, and said to our son, “It's 10:30 in the morning, what do you mean I'm working late?” I braced myself because Alex sometimes gets very agitated when embarrassed. I was so proud of how cool he remained when he simply replied, “Oh, oh, sorry.” From that moment on, the bell person stayed in character and stared Alex down … even as our line began to move into the elevator … even as we buckled ourselves into our seats … even as the elevator doors were closing. As Peter continued to stare him down, Alex alternately looked away and stared right back at him with a small grin on his face; he was getting the hang of this charade. Peter reminded everyone to make sure their seat belts were buckled tightly but then, right before the doors closed, he stuck his finger in the elevator and pointed to Alex mouthing the words, “Except for you, you, you.” From the beginning of this whole exchange I was always ready to step in and whisper to this guy that Alex had autism and was taking him seriously, but I never had to. Despite Alex's black and white view of the world, he also has a very good sense of humor and, obviously, was able to decipher the intricacies of that fun social situation!
Later in the day, Alex and I went back on Tower of Terror (because, of course, two rounds of the 6, 7, and 8 floor drops and rises of that ride just weren't enough for us). Jokingly, I said to Alex while in line, “I wonder if Peter is still working.” As soon as they ushered us into the first “holding” room we spotted him and he immediately recognized Alex! From there he stuck to Alex like glue (staying in character), following him through the entire line during our 10-15 minute wait, hovering behind him, staring him down whenever Alex would turn to him. Alex was so amused by this, played right along, and never got agitated. The people around us in line really enjoyed this mini show, too!
On that day Peter gave Alex an amazing memory to cherish forever and he reinforced for our family what we've already learned over the ten years since his diagnosis -- that our son's autism doesn't rule him. It helps to make him the funny, uninhibited boy that we love and will help him become a sensible, funny man who will always be up for an adventure!
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