ADHD and Front of the Line Privileges

[YoshiFan]

^^ That is what Hershey does for the major rides (almost all the coasters and some popular non coaster rides). They assign a boarding time equal to the length of the line and you can only get 1 boarding time at a time (so you couldn't get a time at Storm Runner and go right over to Fahrenheit) and when it gets to the boarding time or anytime after the group goes up the exit and is able to ride.

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

^Magic Mountain used to do that, but for some reason they stopped.

[GwaziBSRider1]

I have friends who have ADHD and we go to parks together all the time. Half of them don't even get treatment for it. I've never had a problem with them waiting for any ride. We even went to Kings Island on opening day and they never had trouble waiting over 2 hours each for Flight of Fear, Diamondback, and Firehawk.

[CoasterComet]

I can't subscribe to the ADHD/ADD debate, but what I can do is express that I dislike people with broken legs, inability to walk long distances, wearing a heart monitor, etc being allowed to bypass the lines. People who need the use of wheel chair etc should, IMO, have to wait in line just as long as everyone else. Sure, they may need to come up the exit as it's a ramp, or use the lift/elevator, but should be treated like everyone else. If the line is 20 minutes, they wait 20 minutes. There is nothing more irritating to me than to watch a person who gets up off their little rascal and walks to the front of train with their entire 10 member family in tow. I've honestly thought about renting one of those and say I can't walk far and bring a few friends to "help" me. Just my opinion.

 

How about if they can afford to pay to bypass the lines?

[mightbeawannabe]

^They should be treated as normal guests, not special. Many people can pay to bypass a line, but no park administration would ever allow it. Makes no difference as to who gets to cut. It's not allowed. Period.

 

ADHD is a BS disease, and if it is significant, take your damn medication!

[the ghost]

^ I agree completely, besides the fact that ADD is bs, but you are semi right about that in a sense. I have ADD, I function pretty well, sure, I don't like waiting in a crazy line, but who the hell does? If Ive got my friends with me or something the time flies, and I have never ever felt the need or desire to skip everyone else, and honestly with cell phones and stuff like that with texting and games is there really not enough to occupy the average person? I know tons of people with ADD, and all function pretty much perfectly, sure, we may have trouble sitting still occasionally, but I function fine. I usually take my medication( always when I go to parks) and if not thats my own damn fault, and I dont get an advantage cause I didn't take my medication.

 

This issue honestly pisses me off. Everyone now a days is diagnosed with ADD, and many people are perfect with it, like my best friend with it is a straight A student, yet he has crazy ADD. Its not something that cant be controlled at all, it just takes a little more work for us to focus than someone who does not have it, yet this article makes it sound like some kind of crutch, which it really isnt if you learn to cope with it.

 

Next there is gonna be something for overweight people because they dont fit in line. Jesus, is it really that bad to just treat every park guest the same? Everyone pays the same amount, and if someone pays for an advantage more power to them, they are getting something that will benefit them as well as the park, but for someone who just gets the perks for no reason, well, thats insane.

[redfoot12]

^Well, some people complained about the over-the-shoulder restraints on I305. Most people think they didn't do lapbars so more larger guests could ride.

 

ADHD is a BS disease, and if it is significant, take your damn medication!

 

No one's claiming AD/HD is a disease or a disorder. It is an actual brain disorder. It does exist.

[mightbeawannabe]

^I never said that it wasn't a non-existent disorder (not disease, sorry, I had a brain fart), but it is a disorder that is often made out to be much more than it is. I meant that it can be, for the most part, controlled and subtle. It isn't a fatal, chronic, un-treatable disorder that prevents one from being able to stand in line. All of those diagnosed with it that I personally know never take medication.

[Fire2box]

They can pay the 299.99 for front of the line rights at the six flags park, I'll be fine with that. But really ADD/ADHD people really don't deserve speacial treatment as far as I am concerned. That said if this ever happened at six flags you can be damn sure i'll abuse the system. ADD/ADHD/autism (aspergers) are very, very easy to fake not to mention bad doctors don't want to " waste" time actully figuring out whats wrong with people or simply can't admit people are different or odd. I guess they think they'll get sued if they just say... well, your just odd but you don't have ADD.

 

it's kind of like how my dad got a handicap placard or whatever for being 10% disabled in his left leg, 30% disabled in his right leg and maybe 98% disabled in sanity. Seriously, doctors are measuring physical handicap in freaking percentages.

 

Guess what if your leg doesn't work your disabled, if it does even if you have to walk at 2 MPH your not disabled. The only time someone like that should be helped is in a emergency like say 9/11 or someone going on a gun rampage, fire, etc. Riding X2 isn't a emergency though.

[ebl]

"I do know that Universal has made their queue lines large enough for people with wheel chairs to be pushed through them." (jjune4991)

 

Most newer queue railings at all parks are designed to be wide enough to push a wheelchair through them. I believe that's a part of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Having a person in a wheelchair wait till an able-bodied member of their party waits in the regular line reaches the boarding platform seems like a fair and reasonable solution.

 

In the case of someone with ADHD, as has been stated, there can be some sort of system that works like a Fastpass, which would allow them to do something else while they "wait" in line. As for autism, I have a 16-year-old nephew who is autistic. Whenever he has to wait for something, he just gets into his video game and the sense of time goes away. Of course it varies depending on the person, but the whole idea of letting people take cuts on the basis of some problem or condition doesn't fly. We already have some people renting wheelchairs and scooters for the sole purpose of priority boarding; we don't need people claiming to have a disability as well.

 

Eric

[carolinacaniac]

But the chief executive of The National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service said there was nothing controversial about it.

"These are children with a disability who cannot wait. You cannot teach someone who is crippled to walk, someone who is deaf to hear," says Andrea Bilbow. "They have a 30% maturity lag, and are emotionally younger than their peers."

 

Again, this is NOT a disability. Comparing it to deafness, or the inability to walk is an insult to those who suffer with such afflictions.

 

Truth is, yes, it is a legitimate disorder for some. We all understand that, and realize that medication is certainly needed in many cases. However, in my opinion, ADHD has become the chic crutch for lazy a$$ parents who don't possess the parenting skills to properly discipline their children. Period.

 

I agree, especially having seen how parents just cave into their kids demands when I worked at different grocery stores. Some kids would lay down on the floor throwing huge fits, and rather than taking their kids out of there and disciplining them for their behavior, the next thing you hear is "If you stop, I'll buy you the candy you want".

 

Most kids too are typically taking their handheld games everywhere they go...so, that solves the problem of them getting 'bored' while queueing....whip out that gameboy and continue on your pokemon quest while waiting in that long line.

 

This is one reason why I tend to feel like ADHD is made to sound much worse than it really is. From my understanding, ADHD is to imply you have difficlty maintaining attention to one thing for an extended period of time. I honestly feel like ADHD tends to be the result of what one's interests are, habits that were not corrected and how they were raised. A kid could be unable to read a book for more than 15 minutes, but yet that same kid can play that same pokemon game for over 3 hours without stopping. When I was taking an art appreciation class back in ECU, I really wasn't all that interested in it, therefor I did not give the best attention to it, yet when I took American Military History a couple semesters later, even though the guy only sat in a chair and lectured the whole time with no real visuals to go along with it or anything different than his lectures, I was essentially at full attention the whole time (perhaps a little off a time or two due to a lack of sleep the night before, but that would be my own fault).

 

Now if you have someone who can not focus on one thing for an extended time regardless of what it is, then I can see that, but I think a lot of the cases tend to be based on a) a lack of interest in what it is that one has a hard time focusing on, or b) poor habits that have not been broken due to a parent not helping their child to correct them.

 

I hope that anyone here who has been diagnosed with ADHD does not take this as an insult, or a "what you claim to have is BS" statement, because I do not know the severity of its effects on each person that has said they have been diagnosed, I am simply refering to what I see as many cases where an adjustment to how a kid was raised, or recognizing that they just don't care about certain things seems to be the biggest reason for what may cause certain issues.

 

-Gary

[Coasterlvr_nc]

ADHD is not a disability, much like drug addiction is not a disease.

 

Completely Disagree!

 

I do infact not have ADHD, I have the lesser, ADD. The problem for me is that I have a hard time focusing on one subject for long periods of time. I have the hardest time in school, and for every hour that a "normal" student studies, I have to study 2.5 hours or more to learn whatever subject it may be. Before anyone says anything, its not be simply being distracted. There is a difference between daydreaming, and add. Being someone with it, I can tell, and feel the difference, but its impossible to describe.

 

But, In no way does this make me incapable of waiting in line.

 

ADD, ADHD, no excuse for skipping lines.

 

EDIT: ^ I do see your point and also agree. I love my classes in school, but that still doesnt change the fact that I will "come to" for a lack of better word, and have no idea what has happened for the last who knows how long of class.

 

So it really comes down to the severity of it as well as parenting, as well as a whole bunch of things. Even with how severe my ADD is, I can still wait in line. End of story.