To be suprised at Butlins and their lack of neurodiverse awareness?

My nearly 6 year old is autistic... And not severely, I wouldn't ever take him to Butlins I also wouldn't expect them to cater for him, I would just take him to the type of place he can handle ( for us that's nature and wildlife so camping etc)

What so if a kid is autistic it automatically means they should never go to a swimming pool? Don't be utterly ridiculous and ablist. Swimming pools offer SEN sessions. Butlins could do the same but chooses not to.

Dance halls and swimming pools are boisterous and noisy by nature, and for that reason alone should be avoided, I think. This is the epitome of ignorance.

You can't have silent music shows or quiet swimming pools, it just won't work. Erm, can you please quote where the OP asked for it to be 'silent? 🙄

Butlins is all about fun for kids...playing, noises, music, shows, swimming, and kids do make noise and things don't always run to time.
That's the nature of life in general.

If your child cannot wait 5 minutes for a show to start without a meltdown, then it's best you don't take them to places like Butlins.

If a swimming pool is too busy, then again not an ideal place.

Dance halls and swimming pools are boisterous and noisy by nature, and for that reason alone should be avoided, I think.

You can't have silent music shows or quiet swimming pools, it just won't work.

Bluestone is nice - the indoor soft play/bouncy castle gets quite busy with bigger kids in the evening - but is normally much less crowded earlier in the day so you can plan your day to go earlier (and because you don’t have to pay to go in or prebook slots so you can always pop in and out again). The free play areas in the serendome aren’t normally crowded and because it’s basically a giant marquee with open sides it doesn’t get noisy in the same way indoor venues do. I’d just recommend avoiding the temptation to over schedule- one prebooked activity a day on the full days and the wandering around enjoying the free stuff at their own pace was enough for my kids at that age (and that meant the kids weren’t stressed out rushing from place to place).

Im not so sure about the centre parcs recommendations - the chalets are quiet and calm - but the swimming pool which is the main draw is incredibly noisy (even more so in the kids areas) - I’d try her in a similar busy noisy water park type pool as a day trip first to see how she finds it before booking a holiday there. All the noise of the flumes/waves/wave sirens/splash park jets on top of all the children screaming is a lot! My son does like that kind of pool now but it took several years to work up to it - but at age three no way!

Sandy balls in the new forest was quite good around that age - lots of outdoor space with a few small outdoor playgrounds, small fairly quiet pool, we didn’t bother with any of the evening activities but there were a few things like outdoor cinema that would be a lot more chill than an indoor kids disco.

My Ds with ASD loved Butlins ..

I hear you are grandma . But just to help … downtime is important . It may be sat staring at a screen - , familiar things help , own bedding , pillows . Self catering can work well - restaurants can be overstimulating .

timed things can be tricky . If you don’t need to turn up early don’t .

I have a pic of my Ds in busy seaside town - sunflower lanyard , ear defenders , sat drinking a milkshake starting at a screen . He needed that break .

Also 10 minutes enjoyment may be enough. It’s a win there isn’t a requirement to enjoy the whole event. It’s us that wants that .

Obviously Butlins have enough visitors to make it worth their while and don't feel the need to change.

I understand your upset and empathise with your feelings @GreenPhlem A neurodiverse child should also be able to enjoy the things a neurotypical child does.

However, approach it from a different perspective. My kids are both neurotypical but have never wanted to be involved in holiday clubs. They didn’t want to be away from us, were intimidated by staff in costumes, liked to be in bed a routine time of 7pm etc. Butlins would not have worked for us either. It is loud, bright and overwhelming.

Don't be disappointed though. Research where you go next and work your holiday around your lovely grandchild. A lodge sounds perfect. I would highly recommend Hoseasons near Cowes, on the Isle of Wight.

OP it is to your credit that you advocate for your DGD. Please feed this back to Butlins. It is important they receive this feedback even if you are not intending to go there again. Inclusion is so important and it often comes from a place of genuine ignorance that venues don’t consider those who are ND.

I think you are right that this is perhaps not the best holiday option for her moving forward but please do consider contacting them directly to share your observations.

I think I’ve realised what the main difference in the argument is between “everywhere should be wheelchair friendly” to “everywhere should be autism friendly”.

If you’re in a wheelchair it must be a huge source of frustration not to be able to get into places you want to get into. The adjustments help you to access a world you want to access. Same as why supermarkets should have sensory hour as the autistic community have a NEED to access that space and it makes lives better.

Trying to make somewhere with as much sensory input as Butlins entirely autism friendly, you have to ask whether this is something that a large percentage of the autism community actually WANT to access. Are we just trying to make autistic children fit into a neurotypical world? Or is it actually that an alternative destination would actually be more within their sphere of preference and this is another instance of trying to shoehorn the autistic community in a space they would rather avoid?

Just more food for thought.

The forest holiday or low key sites (Landall for instance) sound perfect. I think I will come with you.😉😆

I'm not neuro diverse.

I know I would struggle at any resort as busy and loud as Butlins and would have a sad time.

I choose a holiday that suits me so that I don't struggle and so that I enjoy it.

You need to make more suitable choices.

The Peppa pig show is quiet x

I don’t think it’s necessary to mention it in the review. I’m sure parents with ND children think very carefully about where to take their child.

Sorry but there's hundreds of people on site all wanting to do the same things. And I say that as a parent of 2 with autism as well as relatives with autistic children.

We have been to Butlins a few times with all 4 DC with autism. We just have to do what the majority do make the most of it while we're there. There's always something to do in the skyline if you have to wait for a show.

Mine love the 2p slot machines so used to take them to play on them while someone else sits at our table. Honestly I would never leave the house if I expected everywhere to have autism friendly sessions.

I do agree with the poster above. The adjustments have to be REASONABLE.

Sadly it is not reasonable to make a show a day autism friendly and not expect NT families to attend it when there might only be a handful of autistic kids on site that week and even they may not want to go.

Adjustments can be made in so far as dimmer lighting or less loud shows but they’ll still be busy if you go in school holidays for sure.

My nephew has autism. We work around what works for him. That means we always go to the same restaurant and birthday parties are train rides. This works for him. It’s his idea of a great time. He would hate butlins. So we would never go, even if they made every adjustment.

I think that you could make Butlins as autism friendly in its entertainment as you like but the general busyness, noise and chaos of a week like that probably wouldnt work for a lot of autistic kids anyway.

If you are looking for a quiet, family friendly, forest lodge type place that’s cheaper than centre parts, I highly recommend Whitemead forest park in the Forest of Dean. It’s a very calming environment and the activities are in very small groups (we went off-season last time and we were the only people in some of the activities).

Tbh I would have avoided a venue like this, there are other venues that would also be good fun that would be more suitable.

But that is not the OP's fault - it's Butlins' fault. That's why things need to change - that's the point!

Sorry, but taking her somewhere like Butlins when you lnew it would be busy was a bad decision on your part. All they care about is making money, not about the needs of individuals.

Has the OP requested ear defenders? It’s possible that Butlins would have provided some if asked. If they don’t offer them then perhaps that could be a good reasonable adjustment they could offer. But it won’t make it less busy (same with festivals)

Some really nasty thoughtless and ignorant replies. I have an autistic son, 4, although I’d never take him to Butlins as I’ve heard it’s too loud, don’t give up and try other places. I know it’s stupid expensive but centre parcs is wonderful for my little boy - he adores it so I save up for that bit extra to go. Best to go during term time if you can for four days as it’s cheaper than three at the weekends. They always accommodate our needs there and it’s the perfect setting.

Precisely. Some people on here are utterly disgusting.

Of course it isn't like that at all. It would be very easy for Butlins to add a chill out room, and an ASD-friendly performace. Don't be so ridiculous (and abelist).

This. These attitudes get passed on and on. People seem to think it's the kids' fault for being autistic so they shouldn't partake in the predominantly neurotypical world if they can't cope- they should be trying to find ways if including neurodiverse people instead.

It's Butlins. That's like me booking a mountain climbing holiday as a wheelchair user.