As Easter approached, families around the country were lining up in malls for a picture with the famed bunny.
But for Gina Bannevich, even these simple family experiences could be a challenge.
Bannevich’s 10-year-old son, Dominick, has autism spectrum disorder. Activities like going to the mall to visit the Easter bunny could overstimulate his senses.
“As a parent, you hate to see your child struggle with anything, and you hate exclusion,” Bannevich said. “I don’t want my child to be excluded just because he thinks differently.”
To combat that exclusion for children and families like hers, Bannevich, the marketing director at Belden Village Mall, brought Soothing Bunny to the mall. Kids could visit the sensory-friendly bunny before opening hours on a Sunday earlier this month without the busy crowds or loud music.
“We wanted to make sure the whole family could come be in a comfortable environment,” Bannevich said.
From shopping malls and parks to libraries and museums, more autism-friendly initiatives are cropping up all over the area.
In honor of April being National Autism Awareness Month, County Executive Ilene Shapiro partnered with the Autism Society of Greater Akron (ASGA) to declare Summit County “autism friendly,” which she’ll propose at the council meeting Monday.
“We’ve been doing these initiatives a long time, but really it’s formalizing it to work with Ilene Shapiro,” said Laurie Cramer, executive director of the ASGA. “It’s a pretty simple commitment. It just says, ‘I’m willing and able to make contributions to the stimulus environment as much as possible.’ ”
For the past couple of years, both the autism society and Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board (Summit DD) have worked on several initiatives to make locations more autism inclusive by developing sensory-friendly environments and training employees how to accommodate people with the condition.
Fast-growing disorder
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated in 2014 that 1 in 68 children have autism spectrum disorder in the U.S., but more recent government surveys estimate that number to be closer to 1 in 45.
Cramer said 40 to 90 percent of children with autism spectrum disorder have sensory sensitivity differences.
Autism isn’t the only condition related to sensory sensitivity, but because it’s the fastest-growing developmental disability in the country, according to the CDC, it tends to be the focus.
Flashing lights, screaming fans and fireworks are fun for some, but the overstimulation can be distressful for others.
“Kids with autism and other special health needs can definitely find sensory stimuli within the environment really overwhelming,” said Dr. Jessica Foster, director of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics at Akron Children’s Hospital. “That can lead to really challenging behaviors, meltdowns and sometimes even aggression for kids.”
Sensory-friendly environments help cut through chaos, whether it’s with specific events, like Soothing Bunny at the mall, or entire rooms that offer a temporary escape. Cramer said the alterations needed to make a building more autism friendly depend on the environment.
Some libraries in the area, for instance, host sensory story times.
Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski, manager of the Northwest Akron branch of Akron-Summit County Public Library, hosts a sensory story time once a month. She dims the lights, plays soothing music and spreads puppets out on the story time rug to keep kids’ hands occupied.
“We don’t expect children to sit still,” Twarogowski said. “When our families walk into the room, there’s no judgment. It’s a very safe environment.”
Other initiatives involve full sensory rooms where people can go to relax.
KultureCity initiatives
The Cleveland Cavaliers recently partnered with KultureCity, a national nonprofit based in Alabama, to open the Quiet Space Sensory Room in Quicken Loans Arena. With muted colors, bubble machines and beanbag chairs, the room features multiple components geared toward sensory disorders.
The room is just a part of KultureCity’s initiative to be sensory inclusive, which makes entire experiences accessible to people with sensory sensitivities as opposed to just certain events. As a part of this, the Q also has sensory packs people can check out, with objects like noise-canceling headphones and weighted blankets.
Since partnering with the Cavs, KultureCity established an office in Akron, where it’s been in talks with the Cleveland Browns and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to implement similar programs.
The company’s presence in Akron, though, is already being seen. KultureCity has been working with the Akron Zoo to make it a sensory-inclusive environment with accommodations similar to those at the Q. Once KultureCity has trained all the employees how to accommodate people with autism and their families, Akron will be the first sensory-inclusive zoo in the state.
“We’re getting the team together as we speak,” said Dr. Julian Maha, the founder of KultureCity. “It’s exciting stuff.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @Theresa_Cottom .