Bevvy Report post Posted June 8, 2007 Hi Seem to be on a roll today with my posts... Do your Aspergers/ASD children love or loathe fairgrounds and rides? The long long (!) summer holidays are coming up and I already have friends suggesting we meet at theme parks etc for a day out. Problem is that for me it will be a waste of money. My son (4, suspected Aspergers) will appear all enthusiastic at first saying 'I love this theme park, I do' and 'I am very excited, aren't I'! But as soon as I suggest a ride even the tamest one meant for tiny toddlers he will flap and wave and jump up and down and say nooooo! And we will end on in a small playground area with a swing and slide that we could have done for free at home! I did once after hours of persuasion manager to get him on a bouncy castle (with me in tow) and he loved it and didn't want to come of. We went to a party the following week with one and he wouldn't go near it (with or without me!). Explain that! Any tips or should I just abandon the idea all together.. Will he always have fear of them? Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted June 8, 2007 Well JP used to hate them. And I wasnt one bit bothered as so do I! We spent several years turning down invites. But then last year his college took the students to Alton Towers for a treat - JP wanted to go. His ESW went with him, but JP was swept up in a group of young peeps & dumped him after the 1st ride, just kept in touch by mobile all day. Not wanting to lose face he didnt refuse to go on the rides. He went on EVERYTHING & talked about it for weeks afterwards. And on the big family holiday that year it gave him a topic of conversation with his cousins. He's going again with college in a couple of weeks, this time without 1-1 support. He's really looking forward to it. So, you never know. The bad side of this is, it means WE have to go to these places now! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted June 8, 2007 Oh, & welcome to the forum Bevvy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brooke Report post Posted June 8, 2007 My son 6 loves going to theme parks, softplay etc hes goes on the rides too which surprised me as the noise and queues i thought might upset him. Its getting him off thats the problems Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lil_me Report post Posted June 8, 2007 As far as the queues go, some theme parks etc offer queue jumper passes for people with disabilities, I know Lightwater Valley and Chessington do. My son hates queues, the noise, people screaming, the crowds etc but he LOVES rollercoasters. He sits with a completely blank expression most of the time, it looks like he hasn't enjoyed it then he runs round for another go! He's 8. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wicce Report post Posted June 9, 2007 My son went with his class on Thursday and he absolutely loved it, especially the dodgems. He won a medal and came home with his hair full of sand. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rach04 Report post Posted June 9, 2007 j hates queues but loves the rides as long as they dont go round and round and as long as he doesnt have to stand if that makes sense. ie he hates merry go rounds Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LizK Report post Posted June 10, 2007 My son loves them as long as he can wear his ear defenders as he finds the noise distressing. The disabled exit pass scheme to bypass long queues have been great and we've used them when queues have been particularly long. My son is undersensitive to motion and body position so any ride that spins him around or up and down is a big hit with him though makes me feel rather sick Lx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dooday24 Report post Posted June 10, 2007 reece loves gullivers land. but usually take him him term time as cant stand all the people there Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted June 10, 2007 We didnt even leave the car park at Gullivers World... we were crawling along looking for a space when a shaven-headed cutie gave us the finger. We went for a picnic instead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bard Report post Posted June 10, 2007 Well, sorry to be the odd one out yet again, but B likes his feet on the ground. Brighton Pier is our nearest funfair. He loves dogems, and target shooting games but hates roller coasters, waltzers, carousels anything that makes him feel unstable. The aircraft simulator freaked him out, and he freaked out the operator who had to stop the ride. Ghost train was a no no, but he let me go on it. He loves the pier; the sea, the candyfloss, rock, icecream, seagulls, lights... He's happier caving than on a trampoline, rock scrambling rather than abseiling, clifftops but not ladders. So it's much cheaper, because Thorpe Park would be his idea of Hell! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted June 10, 2007 Same here, bard, my lad has absolutely no inclination to go anywhere near any rides. We know somewhere like Thorpe Park would be our worst nightmare, so haven't even attempted it. Went to Legoland during term-time when it was really quiet, but he wasn't interested in going on any of the rides at all. Not exactly a dare-devil, our boy. ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shamu Report post Posted June 11, 2007 My son is hyposensitive to movement so LOVES all the spinning rides, carousels etc. We will be spending the summer playing "chase the fairground" lol! He doesn't much like the crowds though...... Shamu Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lindyloo Report post Posted June 12, 2007 (edited) As far as the queues go, some theme parks etc offer queue jumper passes for people with disabilities, I know Lightwater Valley and Chessington do. My son hates queues, the noise, people screaming, the crowds etc but he LOVES rollercoasters. He sits with a completely blank expression most of the time, it looks like he hasn't enjoyed it then he runs round for another go! He's 8. Luke is exactly the same. He will sit on the rollercoasters looking absolutely terrified, then get off, say it was the best thing ever and want to go straight back on again He gets very stressed in queues, so we always have to take advantage of the queue jumper system, as one bad queue will ruin the whole day for him. But the rides themselves, he seems to love the sensation of being scared. Edited June 12, 2007 by Lindyloo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jb1964 Report post Posted June 12, 2007 My daughter has never liked any of those kind of things - together with holiday parks that have entertainment with disco or loud speakers etc - basically I think just the sheer number of people to start with plus the noise and lights gets into her head. Nothing outdoors or indoors that involves loads of noise and people. She'd much prefer a museum or library. Take care, Jb Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CEJesson Report post Posted June 20, 2007 Fairground and theme park rides used to scare the life out of me, it was rather a threatening situation to be in I think. What typifies this is when I went to Disneyland Paris in 2001 - My family went on the scary space mountain ride, and I went on the go karts instead. The go-karts was the most adventurous thing I could manage. Today the log flume (or equivalent) is the best I can do, but not anything major like the big dipper - I still find it a threatening situation. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted June 21, 2007 JP had his second trip to Alton Towers yesterday with the IT department & had a fantastic time. This would never have happened a few years ago. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
