Another reader wanted to know if her 9-year-old developmentally delayed daughter would be OK in the ship's Oceaneer Club, a child-friendly oasis supervised by youth counselors and open to children between the ages of 3-10.
I can virtually guarantee your child will have a blast here. The counselors I talked to said they've had a child with no verbal skills and confined to a wheelchair partake in the activities, making cupcakes, etc. They've had children with autism in the club, too. While they can't promise one-on-one attention, the counselors (many of whom have training with special needs kids) clearly target their attention to the kids who look like they need it most. The Oceaneer Club and adjoining Lab have a bunch of different rooms and activities, so kids end up gravitating to what they like most. I had a hard time getting my niece to leave.
The reader mentioned she's bringing her child's Certified Nursing Assistant with her, and wondered if the CNA would be allowed to stay with the child in the club. The answer: yes.
She's going to love it. I can almost guarantee it.
Lori Rackl writes a weekly Travel section that runs Wednesdays in the 
I can't speak for Disney, but I was certainly left with the impression that your scenario would indeed be allowed.
Staffers at each of the clubs told me that exceptions can be made to put kids in more socially appropriate clubs even if they're technically too old. All you need to do is to explain the situation to the Oceaneer Club manager once you're on board. (What they won't allow is for kids to have it both ways. For example, if an 18 year old wants to go to Vibe even though the age cut off is 17, Disney can allow that. But the 18 year old then gives up his or her right to frequent the adults-only areas of the ship.)
Your 11 year old will love the Oceaneer Club; I think most 11 year olds would...Bon voyage!
Would the Dream allow an 11 year old who has mild autism and is socially immature to participate in the Oceaneer Lab since she would relate better to 9 and 10 year olds than 11 - 13 year olds? This is a big deal for us so we're hoping an exception can be made. We thought the ages would be up to 12 as in other Disney ships.