Dollywood, the theme park dedicated to the beloved singer Dolly Parton, recently partnered with Autism Speaks in order to design and implement the world’s first “Calming Room.” It’s a much-needed safe space for children with autism who visit the popular amusement park.
"It has very sensory-friendly objects inside of it," says Maeghan Pawley of the Autism Speaks team. "Ones that kids would be using in their therapy for sensory integration."
For kids who have sensory sensitivities, this is an utterly groundbreaking development. This could mean that more public places will become accessible to everyone, such as museums, parks, and even movie theaters.
Doctors still know so little about autism, and yet, we learn the most about it when we pay attention to the specific needs of people who have it. Like Lacy, the 6-year-old with autism who is nonverbal, when she found her voice through her friendship with Karma, the pit bull. Or Owen, who has regressive autism, connecting very deeply with The Little Mermaid movie.
"They talk a lot about how they're in their own world," says Heather Shuler, whose son is autistic. "You want to bring them out into your world, but you wanna bring them out where they're feeling comfortable." And thanks to Dolly Parton and her theme park, they’ll be paving the way for just that!
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