My Mr 11 Autistic and ADHD and runs off a lot. It is extremely
scary because I never know when or where he is going to go. He
will see something he wants to go and just run.
It’s terrifying.
One thing I try to do is show him places before we arrive to set his
expectations, we can map out where to go and what is there and I
can explain he will get to see everything he wants to see.
The problem is, not much information is provided online that I
need.
I don’t even want to tell you about the level of disappointment if
that information is outdated and when we arrive things are
different.
It puts 1000 spanners in the works.
I’m tired.

This is why when we saw Maleny Botanical Garden and Bird World
on the Cérge website we were so excited. Cooper is bird mad!

He LOVES them.
I knew at this level of excitement we would have to really layer the
experience so I could prepare him.
Cérge has everything.
I showed him the Visual Story so we could walk through the
photos of the entrance (some birds around), the pathways, to the
bird world and inside and around the gardens and exhibits. It’s a
big space and a bit daunting when I have a runner. Yet this
information was our toolkit for survival and a fun day!
The Virtual Tour on the Cérge app had us able to see the whole
place so that really helped prepare also. Cooper was SO excited!
We paid our entry and grabbed our maps and met the first birds!
The pathways and exhibits are great! Some parts are steep so if
you use a wheelchair you would want to check Cérge tools online
to make sure it’s accessible for you. There are golf buggies to use
and that’s a lot of fun!
The views are incredible! Wow! Heavens!
I was worried Cooper would be having TOO MUCH fun! Haha what
a problem to have hey, but in all honesty I was worried he
wouldn’t want to leave but he listened to instructions and it was a
truly excellent day.
The staff are friendly and informative they checked who wanted
birds on them and who didn’t which was great! The staff
communicated fantastically and used multiple methods. They
spoke clear and concise and used their hand movements also. This
was really effective for us.
The whole vibe is just excellent!
Cooper got to interact with all types of birds, galahs, macaws,
pigeons, cockatoos and more. He was in his element that’s for
sure! I loved seeing my boy having so much fun, in his zone, brave
and engaged! What a truly incredible experience for him!
We will be back!