Information for children with ADHD and their families regarding activities and tourist attractions around the UK, along with their policy regarding accommodating disabled children.

Ideas for family days out

Being able to go out and about and enjoy the activities that all families enjoy is important for children with ADHD. It is also important for their siblings. The following are some ideas about how to plan for activities and also gives details of some of the concessions that are available.

Evidence of your ADHD child's disability

Many tourist attractions will need evidence of a child's disability and their care needs before they will offer concessions. This is particularly true for children with ADHD who may have near-invisible needs. The best person to ask to provide this evidence is probably your GP.  Failing that, a letter from a social worker or evidence that you receive Disability Living Allowance may be enough.

Planning ahead

It is always worth planning a bit ahead and phoning the place you want to visit to find out what is on offer beside concessions. Some attractions publish special guides for visitors with special needs which they will normally be happy to send you. Most places are very happy to accommodate special needs children and many even go out of their way to offer help and support.

Eating out

If eating out is a problem, bear in mind that many big chains of restaurants have policies on providing for people with special diets. You can generally get details of these policies by phoning your local branch. For example, most branches of MacDonalds will serve an extra burger as a substitute for a bun. Most chains should be able to provide you with details of the ingredients of their products so you can check they are safe.

National Key Scheme

If you are planning a day out with a child with ADHD, accessible toilets may be an issue, especially if your child is likely to need assistance from a member of the opposite sex. Disabled toilets are one solution but many of these are part of something called the National Key Scheme and can only be used by people with a Radar key. Although this scheme can be frustrating if you don't have a key, it does ensure that disabled facilities are maintained to high standard and can't be abused by non-disabled members of the public.

For more information and how to obtain a Key Click Here

Disneyland Paris

and the other Disney themeparks are normally happy to allow guests with special needs to use special entrances to the rides which often means they do not have to queue.

For more information Click Here

Alton Towers

offers special discount rates for people with disabilities and up to two helpers. If you book your tickets in advance they allow for priority access to the park, which means you can queue jump on arrival but can't queue jump for individual rides.

For more information Click Here

Legoland Windsor

admits one carer without charge when accompaning a disabled child:  You can either ask for your carers pass at the customer service window to the right of the ticket office or better yet call ahead and it will be waiting for you! Also ask for their leaflet Special needs facilities at Legoland. The handicapped parking is also very close to the entrance. If you can get there by 9.30am to be ready when the doors open at 10am you can also have about an hour before the crowds arrive. When it does get crowded go to the miniature village for an hour. The kids love it. The park is very brightly coloured and very visual.

For more information Click Here

Thorpe Park

has a special guide for visitors with disabilities. They will normally be happy to allow guests with special needs to use special entrances to the rides which often means they do not have to queue.

Their guide says: "RIDE ACCESS Guests with disabilities who are unable to use the normal queue lines, may visit our Guest Services Office where they may be able to receive preferential ride access wristbands (documentary proof of disability will be required). These wristbands allow preferential access to most of the rides via entry points designed for ease of access. Please note that Helpers/companions will not be allowed preferential access unless they are accompanying a guest with a disability onto the ride.

lease make yourself known to a Ride Host on arrival at the access points, or use the yellow courtesy phones where provided.

For safety reasons, the number of guests with disabilities permitted on certain rides at any one time may be limited. Therefore you may be asked to divide your party into smaller groups, and possibly experience a wait before you board. In certain situations (such as extreme weather conditions, mechanical problems or power interruptions), it may be necessary for guests to be evacuated from the rides, possibly from the highest point. The icons C and X are used in the table overleaf to indicate what is involved in evacuations and whether particular rides are suitable.