PNE opens its barn doors for sensory-friendly visit for children with autism
Credit to Author: Susan Lazaruk| Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2019 01:10:53 +0000
Jacob Dynneson plays with ducks as autistic kids have a special viewing of the animals at the PNE in Vancouver on Aug. 22.
For two hours before the gates opened to let the crowds in for the Fair at the PNE on Thursday, the fair’s barn quietly played host to more than 200 special invited guests.
Without the usual piped-in music, PA system and thousands of fairgoers buzzing around, children with autism had a chance to experience something their condition might not normally allow them to.
Miki Dynneson and her two sons, Jacob, 4, who lives with autism, and Raphael, 2, were among the families enjoying a close-up look at the piglets, baby chicks, rabbits and other animals.
“It’s quieter, he (Jacob) gets too excited,” said Dynneson, as Jacob and Raphael surrounded the pen where newborn baby chicks tried out their legs for the first time.
With a lot of stimuli “he just gets excited and he runs.”
And Shaunna Prentis, with son Nathaniel, 10, who has autism, and Austin, 8, was also grateful for the event.
“Because it’s sensory-friendly, it’s easier for us to come here and enjoy the event and not be judged,” said Prentis. “Because people do judge.”
Reserved spots for the “sensory-friendly” event were snapped up less than a day after Autism B.C. posted an invitation for the two events, one on Thursday and another next Thursday, said Autism B.C. spokesman Brock Sheppard. He said another 400 were on a waiting list.
The PNE experimented last year with a smaller event for 50 kids, said agriculture manager Christie Kerr, whose niece and nephew have autism, and who came up with the idea. She said the barn covers three acres and they realized they could accommodate a greater number of participants without it feeling crowded so this year they quadrupled the number to 200.
She said the 9-11 a.m. opening works well because it’s the quietest part of the day and personally her favourite time to be there.
“It’s so cool for them to be getting the experience that they wouldn’t normally get,” she said.
And because there are fewer attendees, the animal handlers have more time to spend one-on-one with the children with autism, said Kerr.
The big crowds and high noise levels can sometimes prevent families with autism from attending the fair, said PNE spokeswoman Laura Ballance.
“I’ve had parents say they get 10 feet from the park and they have to go back home,” she said.
And “what you’re seeing here (with families attending together) is rare and very special because families don’t regularly get the chance to do things together as a family,” she said.
The fair has plans to hold the event again and the goal is to expand to allow participation in other parts of the fair, said Ballance.
Sheppard said the event was also a chance for Autism B.C. to make suggestions to PNE staff on how to make premises more accessible for children with autism.
Autism B.C. regularly holds other sensory-friendly events, like the hour reserved for families with autism every other Thursday at the Save-On-Foods in Kerrisdale, when the store dims the lights and turns off the PA system.
“The goal is for families to be able to attend a free, safe, supportive community event where everybody is free to be themselves and be around people who share significant life experiences with them,” he said.