Watching fireworks on the Fourth of July is usually considered to be a great “family friendly” activity. If your child has sensory issues, then he or she is unlikely to enjoy the loud, booming, explosions that accompany the firecrackers. A mall in Connecticut is holding their first ever “sensory friendly” fireworks this year.
Children who have autism spectrum disorders, or who have other sensory issues, might not necessarily enjoy the fireworks displays that many families make a point of viewing on Independence Day. The loud noises can make kids who have certain special needs really uncomfortable or even upset.
In some cases it would be much easier to simply avoid the festivities, and spend most of the weekend at home. Doing so would mean that your child doesn’t get to experience a national celebration of America, though. Parents end up debating which is worse: exposing your child to situations that you know they will not be comfortable with, or preventing your child from an important social activity that all Americans should experience at least once in their lives.
Westfield Connecticut Post mall, in Connecticut, has teamed up with ASCONN this year to host their first ever “sensory friendly” fireworks display. ASCONN is an organization that is based in Connecticut that is for families that are affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders in some way. This could mean that one, or more, of the children in the family have autism, Asperger Syndrome, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder NOS.
The “Sensory Friendly” fireworks display will take place inside the mall. This might sound unsafe, until you realize how this all will work. Children can come to the mall at 6:00 in the evening to take part in activities like face painting, arts and crafts, and music. At 8:15, the “sensory friendly” fireworks will begin. Families who have gathered in the mall will be shown videos of fireworks displays. An hour after this begins, the outdoor fireworks will start.
This unique idea will allow children who cannot tolerate the loud, booming, explosions that come with a fireworks display to still be able to participate in the 4th of July activities. They can sit with their families in a crowd of people who are all watching the fireworks together. It is much quieter than one would usually expect, and therefore, easier to tolerate.
Parents can check and see if there will be any “Sensory Friendly” Fireworks happening near where you live. If not, you could do something like this yourself. Your family could watch the fireworks displays that are likely to appear at the end of the local news programs that night. Or, if you are a bit more tech savvy, you might be able to find a series of fireworks displays online, (perhaps on YouTube), that your family could watch together.
Image by bayasaa on Flickr