More businesses offer special events for families with autistic children

A niche need is getting growing recognition and attention from some businesses and organizations.

Movie theaters, restaurants and theme parks are offering the parents of autistic children family activities in social settings tailored to their special sensory circumstances.

Autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong developmental disability that impairs communication, self-control, social interaction and learning in people as young as 3.

Parents of autistic children frequently encounter strange looks, and, on rare occasions, physical confrontations.

Richard Bennett says he was grabbed and struck by another patron in a Boynton Beach restaurant recently because his then-4-year-old autistic son was making too much noise.

Raising an autistic child is a challenge and most people mistake the behavior as that of a “bratty kid,” but Bennett said he wishes people were more understanding and tolerant.

“Most are, once they are told the child is autistic,” he said.

Read more here: Autistic families: More businesses offer special events for families with autistic children – South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com.

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