Any good holiday ideas for dd with learning difficulties?

[dottee]

Hello

Reading through the threads, my dd maybe older than your ds/d (she'll be 12 in April) but I'm at a loss this year about holidays. She's hitting puberty big time and whereas a 'normal' dd would be slamming doors, stomping round and having a love/hate relationship with me. dd is having mood swings and is find of voicing her disapproval of anything by saying 'wee-wee' and refusing to move for example (so we can be quite a spectacle when we're out). To give you some idea of the extremes we are having to go to at the moment, I've just had to change my Corsa to a 7 seater MPV as she was getting stroppy in the car and it's now safer for me to be away from arms reach when driving. Hence air travel is not an option at the moment!

Can anyone recommend a hotel or sc holiday where the staff and clientele are tolerant of special needs and people especially juveniles with learning difficulties? My ex. is taking our ds to Greece in August leaving dd at home with me (whatever happened to respite?) So my mum and I are thinking of taking dd away for a few days to that my dp who is busy working from home can have a break too! Not only that, my mum and I would like to go somewhere where we can be pampered too (with dd) so an indoor pool etc. would be nice.

Am I asking too much?

I've found out about the Calvert-Trust but the tariffs are &1K plus ps for an apartment during summer school holidays (but that's including all activities). I'm wanting to try that when all the family are together (ds is home) and funds are more available.

I have no real advice to give, I'm afraid, but just thought I'd reply so as to bump this back to the top in case anyone comes along with real help. It sounds as though somewhere like a hotel that has self-catering apartments too might be a good bet, maybe, so that if you do have to put up with disapproving stares you can get away a bit, too. My gut feeling is that if you could afford it somewhere like Calcot Manor or Woolley Grange might well be fine if you got them on your side first (discussing the issues before you book). Places like that which are used to dealing with toddlers without batting an eyelid ought to be good at coping (hope that didn't sound rude, I didn't mean to equate your dd with a toddler, I'm just trying to think of the practical aspects). Maybe Centerparcs would be worth looking into too? My final thought (which depends on where you are since you can't travel by air) is Disneyland Paris. Not great on the pampering front (though maybe not bad depending on which hotel you're in), but when we went there were lots of older children/young adults with special needs, and I certainly never noticed any disapproving glances from staff, or anything.

Your poor thing, I do hope you find something nice.

There is a chain of hotels/villas run by a company called John Groom's. Their facilities are all adapted to cater for the needs of disabled and non-disabled visitors, ramps everywhere, things on one level, hoists, wide doors etc and great staff who used used to catering for all sorts of different needs. We went to one in south wales (none of us with special needs, it just worked out that way) They have a nice (if small) pool, bar facilities, good food. There is (I think) a heath suite , but you'd have to check on that. Everything was very well thought ou, for example the bar was at two heights, one at the right height to rest a pint if you were standing, and the other at the reight heigh to rest a pint if you were in a wheelchair. Staff were great and coped with my NT (but very stroppy) ds.

Wan't 'swish' IYSWIM, but great value, and they had sets of rooms that interconnected, so Ideal for traveling with children, while still having a bit of privacy

Thanks Tamum - I'd completely forgotten Centre Parcs and I've just requested a brochure on-line. Sherwood's not so far as we live in South Yorkshire.

We're going to Greenacres at Portmadog at Easter (British Holidays) for four nights. We booked it about a month ago and I was talking to another mum on estate a few days ago who said her sister used to the booking clerk at the site (sorry that's a long-winded description!). My friend says the caravans are right next to the beach so it sounds very nice as dd is mobile but can't walk so far - and loves sitting in the sand messing about. My mum's coming with us and has volunteered to sit with dd whilst take ds (aged 9) on more age and ability appropriate activities.

One of the problems is dd loves to get involved in activies but can be slow and definately stubborn when she wants to be. She's got a mental age of around 2 and a half in a teenager's body. So if you think it's bad enough scraping a toddler off a supermarket floor whilst having a tantrum, imagine a 5 foot girl weighing 9st plus acting the same way and the effort required to rectify the situation (without much fuss).

We do find most people are helpful. Mum and I took dd to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang last year and the London cabbies were wonderful - we had to use them because the Tube was rubbish for our needs!

hmb - can you elaborate on IYSWIM? Thanks for reporting on John Grooms. I have their advertisement in 'Disability Now' but wondered what they were like in 'real-life'.

The place we went to was the Jane Hodge Holiday Village They web site (grooms) iswww.groomsholidays.org.uk/

Basicaly the whole place was set up to be accessable to all people. Even single diabled visitors, so there were hoists, good access etc as a standard.

the place was great. Not mega plush, but nice, clean and good value. The staff were helpful and 'switched on' to diverse needs. Dodn't blat an eye when ds had a wobbly (and they are baaaaad), so I think that they would be similarly understanding you your dds needs.

HTH

We booked there withought knowing that it was part of the Groom's chain, and we don't have any special needs, so I'm possibly not the best person to comment on them, but the access did seem to be good and was standard in all parts of the hotel. They were also very 'aware' with things like the split height bars, tables with ordinary chairs and room for a wheel chair, without an ordinary chair having to be removed etc. All the sort of thing that should be standard everywhere. Wasn't an 'institution', but didn't seem like an ordinary hotel as there were call buttons and pulls in all the rooms if you needed help.

The decor wan't posh, but it was pleasent enough and the swimming pool looked good, and again had access for all. This is used as a leasure club by locals. There is a nice garden and a small play park, with a pond.

they also would arrange transport to local sites etc if people didn't/couldn't drive.

We're hiring a campervan at easter and trying that for a week. So we can move on if somewhere is a disaster- and it won't matter if ds1 wants to sit in the car all the time (his usual holiday choice). Not sure it would be suitable for you, but back seats have seat belts etc these days (and a table to play with stuff on).