Spring Break with a side of Autism (Days 1-3)

So, we took this show on the road…and where do you think we went?
Why, to California of course!
Where else?
We were terrified and yet hopeful.  Could we be 'normal'?  Could we possibly take such an epic trip….would we be able to trick our friend Autism into passiveness? Or would it take over and ruin things for everyone?

We were determined to make this vacation everything for everybody!
I needed everything to be as SAME as possible for my little man….and yet, have an awesome, magical adventure for our sweet princess!
A tall order!

We borrowed the family motorhome, packed up enough food and belongings for a month of winters and took off for the promise land.
(Or at least as far as Klamath Falls, Oregon as we couldn't get there all in one day…California is really far away!)

We didn't tell our sweet boy, of course, as the stress and anxiety we knew it would cause would have killed us all!
In fact, the way we got him into the mo-ho was by telling him we were just going to buy gas!
After we gassed up and Dad hit the highway…little man started getting nervous!
He started suggesting destinations at every exit on the way out of town!
"Winco?"
"Home Depot?"
"Costco?"
Even to the point of asking…"Going to Mom's race?"
No buddy…but nice try!
I finally broke it down for him as he was just not going to let it go.  He stressed out about it for 10 minutes or so….but let us comfort him out of it.  Plus…we were just driving…and he Loves driving!
That night we got into Klamath Falls around 8PM or so….we were all pretty worn out so we set up and went to bed.

The next day was smooth sailing until we got to Sacramento where the traffic picked up and the crazy drivers made us fear for our very lives!  Apparently they don't issue turning indicators on cars in Cali?
We descended upon L.A. in the flat dark around 9 PM or so.
Traffic in L.A. is dicey at best…but in the dark in an unfamiliar rig?
To say the least, we were all on edge by the time we pulled into our R.V. Park…or re-creational park as Missy called it….
Again, we set up and went to bed!

The next day was Easter!  Somehow, the bunny found us!

The kids were pretty impressed that he did all the way in California…and in a mo-ho to boot!
We needed to purchase our tickets to Disneyland, so we banged out breakfast….

…..yes, fresh baked scones…..I take making my boy feel at home seriously!
Then we set off into Anaheim to get some tickets….

As soon as we got our tickets we set off for Hollywood and Universal Studios!

Turns out anxiety was going to be the name of the game this vacation….lots of people - even on Easter!- lots of noise and stimulation overload.
My wonderful, patient, husband - whom I now call "The Autism Whisperer" talked our little man through it in such a way that he was able to exceed most everyone's expectations!

We started off mellow with the classic Studio Tour.  They claimed it was hosted by Jimmy Falon, so I was on high alert!  Turns out…he hosted the VIDEO on the tour….probably best as bail money might have been involved otherwise!  Love me some Jimmy!
Little man did great…even when King Kong and the T-Rex battled it out around and on top of our car! (We got dino slobbered multiple times!)
He wasn't terribly impressed by our Snoop Dog sighting….but Missy sure was! (Once I explained his connection to Katy Perry!)

He's the one in the middle with the hat!

After the tour we went on the Jurassic Park Ride.  Little Man was okay all the way up to the point of getting into the boat….then he dug his heals in and refused to move!  Autie Dad to the rescue!  He convinced our sweet boy that he would be safe and that nothing was going to happen to him….
and then ……this happened…..

We were right in front….and got REALLY wet!
After shopping for some commercial joy….little man played a carnival type game where you whack a box and try to ring the bell?  He didn't ring the bell…but won a Bart stuffy anyway!

Oh yeah….Kevin Bacon wasn't actually there either….but his picture was!

All in all…a very successful day!
Our little man held it together and didn't wander away once!

We developed some strategies for dealing with his anxiety which we would employ countless times in the days to come….and discovered one of the very few perks of Autism…."Front of the Line!"

I guess that's the BIG question in all of this…what with all of the controversy at Disneyland with their changing the Disability Pass …..

I was very impressed with Universal Studios Staff and how they handled our situation.
We didn't even think to ask for a Disability Fast Pass….although we found out later that they most defiantly have one.
We took the giant escalators to the very bottom of the hill…discovered the long lines and went to the information booth in quest of strategies for our sweet boy.
The gal immediately informed me that we were supposed to request a Disability Fast Pass at the front gate….at the TOP of the hill…just inside the main entrance.
Ugh!
By the look on my face…she recognized that making our way back up the hill was not a great option….so she smiled and said…."Here!  How about a 'Front of the Line Pass?!'"
I was so relieved!  We marched on over to the Jurassic Park ride and only had to wait 5 minutes tops!

Missy, ready for anything with her 3D glasses on the tour!

We actually had a similar experience with the Studio Tour….we asked the staff at the tour starting point…they didn't seem familiar at all with what we were asking….so they just let us on right then!
No waiting at all!

What a great view!

GIANT escalators were the preferred mode of transpo up and down the hill!

We were pleased with how things went….and looking forward to trying our hand at Disneyland the next day!