Glass Half Full — No Stone Left Unturned

I am a member of a couple of different Facebook groups for moms of children with high functioning autism. Most of the moms that post have children that are younger than Travis and they are asking for advice or telling stories about their child reaching a milestone. These moms get that the rest of us will understand and celebrate each accomplishment, no matter how small. Accomplishments that the average parent may take for granted with their neuro-typical children.

Sometimes I comment on their posts. There have been several occasions where a mom needs advice or even just support. I have lived many of the same stories. And came out on the other side.

Today I nodded with understanding when one of the moms posted that her son will have a full day of getting his way and doing fun things, but then fixate on the one thing he didn’t do. This mom shared that it drove her nuts. She knows that she can say that in this group because we get it. Because we have felt the same way ourselves.

It reminded me of our family vacation to Disney World in March, 2000. Travis was six and Corey was thirteen. We spent our entire first day at Magic Kingdom. We started in Tomorrow Land with Buzz Lightyear. On one ride we had an Extra”Terror”estrial Alien Encounter. We all sat in a round ship. It was completely dark. An alien escaped and we could hear him running around the ship, but we couldn’t see anything. He would get right behind us and breathe on our necks. It was pretty scary.

We went to Fantasy Land. Ariel was doing autographs, but Travis decided to cool off in the water that was spraying out of the holes in some rocks. Tracy shared with us that the “It’s a Small World” ride was Grandma’s favorite.

We went to Adventure Land and took a jungle cruise through the Swiss Family Treehouse. Tracy was bummed because the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was closed. Then we headed to Frontier Land, We saw the Country Bear Jamboree.

We spent the following day at Epcot. We saw “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience”. We felt mice running by our feet and a huge dog sneezed on us. We rode in Cranium Command where we were inside someone’s brain. We rode with Bill Nye the Science Guy and Ellen back to the dinosaur era. We watched the “Circle of Life” puppet show. One of our favorite rides was the “Test Track” ride.

We spent the next day at MGM Studios. Travis got an autograph from Mickey Mouse. We also went on the Studios backlot tour.

Our cruise portion of the vacation started the following day on the Disney Wonder. We attended shows each evening at the Walt Disney Theatre. We enjoyed a day at the Bahamas.

Long story short. We had a great deal of fun and participated in many activities. Except the swim with the dolphins excursion. I did not sign our family up before our vacation. To be honest, I was a newbie when it came to vacation planning. Keep in mind this was before you could look over all the options on the internet. I inquired once we heard about it during our vacation, but of course it was already full.

It was as if the rest of the vacation had never happened. Not getting to go on the dolphin excursion was all that Travis could talk about. We could not bring up Disney World without Travis telling us how upset he was about missing out on it.

The following year we went to Disney World for a cheerleading competition that Corey was participating in. Although we did get to visit Animal Kingdom, this was not a typical family Disney vacation. Travis wanted to know if we were going back so he could swim with the dolphins. Nope.

For years Travis brought up his disappointment. When Travis is having a meltdown he has several memories that he brings up. Memories that are not good ones for him where we are at fault (from his perspective) for a decision we made in his life. Memories that are ancient, but not forgotten. Not swimming with the dolphins made it on to that list. So we heard about it again and again.

In 2008 I had to travel to Orlando for a business trip. Tracy and Travis made the trip with me.

During this trip we went to Discovery Cove. Per www.discoverycove.com, “Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive day resort where you and your family can enjoy a one-of-a-kind opportunity to swim with dolphins, snorkel with thousands of tropical fish and rays, hand-feed exotic birds and unwind on pristine beaches. With no lines throughout the park, you can plan your adventure at your own pace.

Whether you're looking for an animal adventure or a day of relaxation, take your adventure to the next level with some of Discovery Cove's upgrade experiences.”

And guess what is included? The Dolphin Lagoon! Again, per the website, “Get nose to bottlenose with a new friend that will live in your heart forever when you experience the highlight of your day, a one-on-one dolphin encounter.”

We knew this experience would be a favorite memory for Travis. He loves the water, it is very calming for him. And he loves animals and birds. If you’ve been following along you already know that he has a bird. This entire all day experience revolves around water, animals and birds.

There are many activities included in the regular package:

EXPLORER'S AVIARY

Venture beyond the beaches and waterfalls of Discovery Cove and enter a hidden treasure, the Explorer's Aviary, where an inspiring natural habitat sings with the rhythm of wings and the melodies of birdsong.

THE GRAND REEF

Swim and snorkel with thousands of tropical fish through this stunning coral reef habitat.

WIND-AWAY RIVER

Ride the soothing currents of a tropical river as it winds past sandy beaches, through a dense rain forest, beneath the rocky terrain of cascading waterfalls, and through an underwater cave.

SERENITY BAY

Slip into the refreshing 85-degree temperature of Discovery Cove's immense and immaculate Serenity Bay.

But of course you can buy an upgrade. There are many to choose from, but we thought Travis would enjoy being a dolphin trainer for a day.

Turn your all-inclusive day at Discovery Cove into a VIP experience when you add Trainer for a Day to your visit.

Alongside a Discovery Cove Trainer, as your guide, your small group of no more than 9 people will enjoy:

A second enhanced deep-water interaction with dolphins including a private photo session with 2 dolphins.
Exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences at Discovery Cove (subject to availability).
Special meet-and-greets with tropical birds and small mammals.
Visit the Explorer's Aviary alongside your Discovery Cove trainer as your private guide.
Exclusive opportunity to feed the fish in The Grand Reef® and a session with a Discovery Cove Aquarist.

I purchased just the regular day resort admission tickets for me and Tracy. Travis was old enough to participate in the VIP Trainer for a Day Experience without a parent. We did have to sign a liability waiver. I did not mention that Travis was on the autism spectrum when I bought the tickets. I did not mention that Travis was on the autism spectrum when we signed the liability forms. Because I was afraid they may not let him participate.

Instead Tracy and I followed the group from afar. (I call it snooping, Tracy calls it stalking.) Just in case. We met up with Travis during the lunch break. The dolphin trainer came and talked to us. She mentioned that Travis was an avid participant in the training. I am very skilled at reading between the lines. At that point I shared with her that Travis was ASD. (Autism Spectrum Disorder) And that he loved dolphins and water.

We were invited to finish the VIP experience with Travis for the rest of the day. Wasn’t that nice?

A good deal of the above information I took off the Discovery Cove website. I was pleasantly surprised to read the following on their site:

“Discovery Cove has partnered with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) to become designated as a Certified Autism Center (CAC). It is our goal to provide every family with an enjoyable and memorable visit to Discovery Cove, and we are proud to offer specialized services to guests with autism and other special needs. Discovery Cove Ambassadors (staff) receive specialized training to ensure they have the requisite knowledge, skills, temperament, and expertise to cater to all children, including those with special needs.

Training focuses include: sensory awareness, motor skills, autism overview program development, social skills, communication, environment, and emotional awareness.”

Discovery Cove also added a “Quiet Space”. Guests in need of some quiet time and relief from sensory stimulation can utilize the quiet space. It is a low traffic and low noise area. Discovery Cove has lots of open, clear space; this makes attractions and services more accessible and reduces “sensory overload” for guests with ASD.

My hope is that this is an inclusive experience. Meaning that the park is open to all participants on any given day.

I highly recommend this experience. It is absolutely worth the investment.

We did pay a sizable additional expense for Travis to get more hands on time with the dolphins and the trainers. I’m always wanting to introduce Travis to new experiences with the hope that he finds something that reaches him, pulls him out, and helps him to become employable.

But I also had a feeling. That if we bought him just the swim with the dolphins package (less time, less everything), he would’ve been disappointed that he did not get the all day trainer for a day experience. And we would’ve never heard the end of it!

If you’re the glass-half-full kind of person like me, then you know there is always an upside. Travis previously not getting to swim with the dolphins fell off the meltdown subject list. Definitely worth the extra $$$.

“A pessimist, they say, sees a glass as being half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full. But a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty.” - G. Donald Gale

Travis waiting for the water to squirt from the rock.

Chip and Dale greeted Travis and Corey as we boarded the cruise ship.