centerparcs and kids with asd. anybody got any experience?

[pillsthrillsandbellyaches]

i'm wondering if anyone can even give me some advice about what works for them on holiday, and what doesn't.

or is it too difficult to even bother?

my ds is 3 with asd, and my dh feels that a holiday in strange surroundings would be too difficult, but i feel this is so defeatist! (i'm probably being too naive)

we also have another son who is 5 (nt) and i dont want him to miss out.

thank you busy, that does help!

We go to centreparcs regularly with my dh's family, my DS and his cousin have ASD and they both love it! It helps that we have been going once or twice a year since they were young. Chalets are nice places for a chill out, usually let kids bring fave toys to feel more home-y. Self catering means you can bring food from home and stick to routines that work. (i advise anyone going to centreparcs to take own food, eating out is overpriced adn a bit rubbish)

Both boys love the pool, if the big pool gets a bit much (never been a problem with us) the smaller toddler pools are quieter.

Like busy says... prepare with pictures,

Camping? You are brave!

Centerparcs is one of my favourite holidays as a person with an ASD, for what it's worth. The peace and quiet is just lovely. Can't personally handle the noise etc from the swimming pool complex, and the restaurants can be a sensory overload, but there's hundreds of things to do.

tclanger

we been thinking about Butlins to but not in schoolholidays

ok after looking at center park prices very outchy , struggle as theres 5 of us 1 adult 4 kids

Not sure now with the exchange rate being so bad but previously friends have said that the European centre parcs are much better priced.

thanks will look in to it ,seems they reckon we need 3 rooms even though would put ds4 in bed with me that way he can not wander

I have never been to centre parks but have done Haven sites which my ds finds VERY difficult to manage and ends up with the whole family stressed and not enjoying the holiday. DS also has asd

However......

Our other 2 DS LOVED Haven and were upset when we took the choice of not going to Haven again to save on the stress.

We now go to Park resorts which all 3 boys LOVE. It's very similar to Haven with characters, party etc but much quieter and less people on the caravan site. Even DH and I enjoy it

have done haven but as ds is getting bigger less to keep him amused and he find it bit to much even dd 6 found the kids clubs dull shes not into colouring a lot

might well look at park resorts any recommendations? to which site

We have been to the one in Whitley Bay and Scarborough

Whitley Bay is really small this is the one that all the family enjoyed the most, there's a nice walk to the beach too and you can climb the lighthouse which kids loved, we even walked along the beach into Whitley Bay town. Dh and I don't drink when on holiday etc as it's just too stressful but on this holiday we did have 1 night and we were able to see the kids wherever they were in the club it was just perfect.

Scarborough too was really good the park is called Cayton Bay it's a wee bit bigger than Whitley Bay but the same idea. About 10 mins drive into Scarborough itself but only 5 mins walk to the beach from the resort

tclanger i have bitten bullet and booke butlins today .Am going in term time to as ds would not cope crowds either have just called their special needs helpline an they were very helpfull with advice and got email confirming what they can help with to

be intresting see what you and ds thinks of it were going 8th June for a week

Wow thats good on the info they are providing- you have to let us know what its like

will do , sadly beaches are out for us ds hates the sand on his feet and affects his moblity to as is even more unsteady and his chair does not move easily across sand either

We are going to the isle of wight next week for 4 days, we went last year, dd1 (AS) had a great time, dd2 (ASD) cried for the first few hours we were there which was really upsetting but after we placed a few of her things around the caravan and put on a Peppa Pig DVD she soon shut up and was fine for the rest of the holiday (apart from refusing to poo), this year might be harder as dd2 has improved in a lot of ways but also has a lot more problems with routine.
We will be taking a lot of her favorite things with us to help her settle.

Phoenix- Dd1 hates sand in her feet to and hates the beach, dd2 is the oposite and loves the sand and the sea, i think this year dd1 will just have to put up with it (we put beach shoes or wellies on her and we don't make her go near the sea).

We had trouble with holidays when our son was younger. He didnt like crowds, strange noises, anything different. He would constantly make himself sick if he was stressed. We went away to Spain in the summer holiday it was a disaster from the word go. We now take him out of school - i know you shouldnt, but it works for us. It is much quieter everywhere and not so stressful. We have been to centerparcs a couple of times and had a fabntastic time. We hired the bikes and son sat in the trailer at the back which he loved, it seemed to calm him down. We didnt go out to eat that often as it is really expensive and you cant relax anyway wondering if your child is going to kick off any moment. We have been to the one in the lake district, Whinfell, would recommend it as they have a bbq outside which is fantastic. We just ate in every night and son sat in the forest just watching the red squirrels. have been to Thetford one as well, also very good, depends where your nearest one is. the swimming pools are fantastic too really relaxing. Give it a go, it may be stressful the first time, but each time you do it, it gets better because you learn from it each time. Son now gets on a plane, and will go anywhere just as long as its not too crowded. Good luck

I have accompanied a family (with 3 children all with dx ASD, aged 7 and under) to Center Parcs for the past two years running and will be going again this year.
The children love it and enjoy having some freedom. That freedom can be given to them at Cparcs because it is very hard for them to escape, plus they like playing in streams and typically there is a stream a short way from the villa.
Self catering works quite well, as routines can be maintained. Some lunches we had out, Sports Cafe seemed to work quite well as they prepareed the food reasonably quickly.
For the swimming pool we do 1:1, so each child can do their own thing... they can stay in the pool for hours and hours.
Other than the pool didn't really do activities. Pedalo was an ok experience (though I as the adult did all the paddling, while child steered us around and around in circles).
Timeout club can be a bit hit and miss, depending on your child's mood at the time. When at center parcs I find that children like to take their time about things, not be rushed into having to be at a certain place by a certain time. So try to avoid things which you book in advance, just go with the flow instead... it will help you all relax.
Take advantage of the AquaSana Spa... book a session for yourself and your DH (if he likes sauna's, or perhaps just book a beauty treatment for him - The men's executive combination is quite good). I would not suggest that you go together... probably best that one of you stays with your DSs while the other one treats themselves. If on a budget, the evening Spa sauna session 6pm-9pm is usually the cheapest.

So my top tips are:
1:1 child to adult ratio - so each child can do as they like.
Avoid booking things in advance for the children... just go with the flow, don't clock watch.