Today the Autism Society of America (ASA) hosted a national movie day for kids on the spectrum. They did a special showing of Ice Age III, and made some changes for the kids to make them more comfortable. They didn't turn all the lights off, they allowed families to bring their own snacks, and the biggest one is that they turned the volume down to a level that is more comfortable for the kids.
I can't speak for all autistic kids, but I know a lot of them, including Eli, have very sensitive hearing. Sounds that are normal for us like traffic or a car horn, although they may be a bit startling to us, totally are overwhelming for some spectrum kids. Eli used to walk around a lot of places with his hands over his ears until we would tell him it was okay to uncover his ears. And I noticed a little boy who came in with his dad today was covering his ears in anticipation of the loud sound.
The ASA hosts these AMC movies once a month, and our first time at one was just a great experience. We left the movie with Eli talking about how he liked the sound and the lights, and it just made a difference for him. It was a fantastic experience, and I look forward to the next one.
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