Compassionate woman holds a judgment-free water park party for families of children with autism

Compassionate woman holds a judgment-free water park party for families of children with autism

© Dayna Smith for the Washington Post/For the Washington Post Families float down the lazy river feature at SplashDown WaterPark in Manassas, Va., on Saturday. Whitney Ellenby, whose son has autism, invited families of children with autism to attend the event, organized by her charity, Autism Ambassadors.
© Dayna Smith for the Washington Post – Families float down the lazy river feature at SplashDown WaterPark in Manassas, Va., on Saturday. Whitney Ellenby, whose son has autism, invited families of children with autism to attend the event, organized by her charity, Autism Ambassadors.

Autism Awareness has never been more important. These little angels living with Autism can have a rough go at it when their parents try and treat them to a night out. They scream, hit their heads, repeat themselves and pace the floors. But that’s not a problem when they attend certain events designed specifically for them. So feel free to act 100% authentic, because everyone around you will completely understand.

Over the past decade, Whitney Ellenby, a former civil rights lawyer at the Justice Department, has organized dozens of events — at pools, gyms, movie theaters — where children with autism and their families can come and be themselves. On Saturday, families from around the region gathered at SplashDown WaterPark in Manassas, Va., for an evening of water sliding, tubing and pizza in a judgment-free space.

“The only rule at my events is no one apologizes for anything,” Ellenby said. “You can flap, bounce, gallop — be as autistic as you want to be.”

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by delayed speech, avoidance of eye contact, repetitive behaviors, and sensitivity to stimuli like noise, light and temperature. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 out of every 59 children is autistic, and the disorder is more prevalent among boys than girls. Specific symptoms vary by person, but common ones include meltdowns, yelping and self-stimulating behaviors like heel bouncing and arm flapping.

© Dayna Smith for the Washington Post/For the Washington Post Whitney Ellenby, right, helps ease the fears of Ahana Munshi, 6, with her mother, Shruti Munshi, both of Rockville, Md.
© Dayna Smith for the Washington Post – Whitney Ellenby, right, helps ease the fears of Ahana Munshi, 6, with her mother, Shruti Munshi, both of Rockville, Md.

“The number of behaviors our kids exhibit in public, especially when frightened, can feel humiliating enough that parents would rather keep their kids locked away at home than endure the judgment and confusion,” Ellenby said.

Children with autism and their parents are often made to feel unwelcome in public places. If an autistic child has a public meltdown or, for example, walks around the movie theater during a film, others gawk and stare. The families are sometimes asked to leave for causing a disturbance.

© Dayna Smith for the Washington Post/For the Washington Post Matthew Jones, 21, gets help overcoming his fear and eases into the pool at the bottom of a waterslide.
© Dayna Smith for the Washington Post – Matthew Jones, 21, gets help overcoming his fear and eases into the pool at the bottom of a waterslide.

No one worried about that Saturday.

For parents, the events, organized through Ellenby’s charity, Autism Ambassadors, are an opportunity for families to let loose in a relaxed and compassionate setting.

“If we have a meltdown, we will be in good company. Everyone here understands,” said Julie Mishkin of Potomac, Md., as she climbed the stairs to the waterslide with her autistic son, Jack, 10, his twin, Aiden, who doesn’t have autism, and her husband, Mark. “It’s nice to have a family outing,” she said.

“This is what every kid should be doing on a hot summer night,” said Dan Goldman, of Bethesda, Md. His son Ben, 13, flapped his arms in excitement as he waited to go down the slide. Goldman has been bringing his family to Autism Ambassador events for the past 10 years.

© Dayna Smith for the Washington Post/For the Washington Post Trevor Reed, 12, of Lanham, Md., holds his ears before going down a giant waterslide.
© Dayna Smith for the Washington Post – Trevor Reed, 12, of Lanham, Md., holds his ears before going down a giant waterslide.

Autism-friendly events are becoming more common across the country. AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas now offer sensory-friendly showings of movies, where the lights are turned up, the sound is turned down, and people are free to move around the theater during the film. Broadway shows like “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” also offer sensory-friendly performances — as do the Kennedy Center and Ford’s Theatre in Washington. Ellenby is working to bring a sensory-friendly Broadway show and rock concert to the D.C. area. She also hopes to start offering sex ed classes and coordinating vocational training for people with autism through Autism Ambassadors.

For many of the parents, autism-friendly events also are opportunities for their children to learn to overcome their fears and slowly acclimate to increasingly chaotic and noisy situations, as they’ll have to do if they want to live with any independence.

But the rise of sensory-friendly events are giving children living with autism, a chance to experience a real childhood. And for that, we thank you!

Forward this to friends who would be interested in either starting o joining these kinds of events.

Source The Washington Post


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