Special times for special needs

Fall has a rhythm all its own. Routines are back on track. Schedules are a little more structured with the start of school. The cooler weather invigorates and energizes you. Football and fall festivals, along with apple and pumpkin flavored everything are sure signs that fall is in full swing.

Fall is also a great time for families to reconnect. Families who have a child with special needs may want to take advantage of special needs hours, early-opens or special accommodations at their favorite family or community event. As more businesses are recognizing that with a little thought and flexibility they can attract special needs families, they are offering not just family-friendly, but special needs family-friendly accommodations. It’s about giving families choices and providing better access.

Are special need options like special hours or early-opens the right fit for every family? That really depends on your personal situation. If a totally inclusive experience, one alongside the community is what you are looking for, then special-needs times may not be for you. But they do offer benefits for many families.

The Manly family enjoys special needs nights and finds a certain comfort in them.

“Sometimes you just want to be able to enjoy your time with other people who know what you are going through,” says Colleen Manly of Naperville. Manly’s son Ryan, 11, is nonverbal and has autism.

“If Ryan is excited or overstimulated and launches into repetitive humming or hand flapping, we don’t need to feel out of the ordinary. His exuberance is understood and accepted and no one thinks twice,” she said. “We can then, in turn, truly relax and enjoy ourselves as a family,” continues Manly.

If you have a little one who loves to explore, the DuPage Children’s Museum is the perfect place to go and a great example of a business providing a choice for access. Open seven days a week, families have the freedom to roam through dozens of interactive exhibits designed to engage and stimulate young explorers. Their exhibits offer multiple sensory experiences and opportunities to work on language development, social skills and purposeful play. But if you want, or need, a less environmentally stimulating experience, the museum offers its Third Thursday option, typically a quieter, less crowded atmosphere. The third Thursday of every month the museum extends its hours so children with special needs get to play among their peers in an environment which may work better for them. A child with a learning disability or ADHD bouncing from one station to another can be among understanding peers and families.

If you have a movie fan in the family, a night at the theater might make a great outing. You could certainly pack everyone up and head to the theater at any time. You also have the option of attending a designated time for special needs families. Studio Movie Grill in Wheaton has a Special Needs Screening Series where they offer popular titles on specified Saturday mornings. Children with a special need and their siblings are free while tickets for everyone else are $6. This offers families a choice of attending a regular show time or one where the audience may be more understanding when a hoot or holler is bellowed out.

These types of choices can be found year round. For instance, the Naperville Public Library invites families to join them as they sing, dance and share books during a half-hour story time once a month for children with special needs. The Naperville Park District offers special needs nights for their Santa House so children and their families get an extended private visit with the “big guy in the red suit.” There are activities offered while kids wait and staff there to assist with the entire process. They also offer special needs swim nights in the summer at their Centennial Beach.

There have even been carnivals that offer special times for families with special needs organized by Special Kids Day. “Grant loved it,” says Joan Camper of Carol Stream, whose son Grant, 20, has autism. “There were shorter lines, smaller crowds, and less noise. It was a beautiful thing!”

Laurie Jerue of Naperville, whose 24-year-old daughter also has autism, likes the option that she and her daughter have with both the special-needs times and totally inclusive situations. Jerue explains that exposing her daughter to special needs times at an early age gives her daughter the necessary experience she needs to know what to expect and what is expected of her in that environment and how it differs from a totally inclusive situation.

“As Sarah gets older, she is the one making the decisions,” says Jerue. “She can choose which experience she prefers. It’s about giving her the opportunity to make informed decisions.”

Special needs events can be a positive experience. They provide access and choice. Families can choose the environment that best suits their needs at the time. As children grow, their needs change and their ability to handle situations may change. Parents can decide whether access alongside the community or special needs times is best for them.

It’s all about choices.

Ÿ Sherry Manschot is the marketing/public relations manager at Western DuPage Special Recreation Association. She leads a parent network of special needs families at WDSRA. Manschot can be contacted at sherrym@wdsra.com. More information about WDSRA can be found at wdsra.com.