The Adventure Begins

I have been going to Disneyland since I was six weeks old. My parents brought me to the parks before I could even walk. Since I obviously wasn’t big enough to ride the roller coasters, they took me on quieter dark rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion or took me to say, “Hi,” to Mickey Mouse in Mickey’s Toontown. And I loved every moment of it. For the first few years of my life, I knew that if Mom and Dad weren’t taking me to daycare or school that day, we were going to Disneyland.

As I got older, I started to realize some things about me. I wanted to learn everything about the parks from the history of the Imagineers to how simple tricks on rides I liked worked. I would put on mini shows in places like Main Street just randomly, where I would pretend to be Buzz Lightyear. And, I could figure out how to navigate the parks like they were my backyard. No maps needed, just my wits of finding new pathways to get from Frontierland to Tomorrowland in the shortest amount of time.

At the same time, I noticed other things that were not so great. I liked looking at the spectacle of the fireworks or Fantasmic, but the explosions bothered me so much that I had to cover my ears constantly. I didn’t like sudden drops or scary things popping right in my face, meaning that I avoided riding attractions like Splash Mountain for years or closed my eyes throughout the entirety of the Indiana Jones Adventure despite wanting to ride it every day I was there. And as much as I loved riding the rides, watching shows, and meeting characters, the lines and crowds just ate away at me, usually causing me to cling onto my parents.

In the seventh grade, my parents decided to have me tested through my school, and it turned out that I had a higher functioning version of Asperger’s Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This meant that while I could appear and act more neurotypical, I still had enough of the mannerisms connected with Autism. And, when I first learned this, I was actually relieved. Because now, I knew something about myself that I didn’t before, and more importantly, my family and I learned how we could handle things better.

I have heard it said that if you meet one Autistic person, you have met one Autistic person. And, that is genuinely true. But, I also believe that you meet any person from any background or box that we try putting people into, you still have only met one person. All I want to do with this series of adventures is to show you just one perspective: my own. I want to show you how I see the world through my eyes. While most of my content will be about the Disneyland Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood, I will also be taking a look at other theme parks and attractions beyond these two. And, hopefully, through seeing how I handle things at the parks, maybe you will learn something that helps you better understand yourself, your friends, or just any person you want to say, “Hi,” to. Whether you use this as a guide or just want to see what I see, I welcome you to see what I find and do on my adventures.

Salutations, Adventurers! And, welcome to Caddy's Adventure Diary!