According to the most recent studies, one in 150 school-age children is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurobiological developmental disorder that manifests during the first years of life and that lasts throughout the entire life cycle .
The parents of autistic children struggle every day to break stereotypes and barriers, as well as achieve greater integration in society and improve the quality of life of their children. And in this regard, today you can celebrate that finally children with autism will have a children's theme park designed and designed especially for them. This is Sesame Place, located in Philadelphia.
A park adapted to the needs of children with autism
Sesamo Place is a theme park that has been running in Philadelphia (United States) for some time, but has recently partnered with the International Board of Accreditation and Continuing Education Standards, becoming the world's first theme park designated as a Certified Autism Center, with specialized services for people with autism or other special needs.
In this way, the park has adapted to this visitor profile by introducing the following news:
- Specialized training of all your workers, with knowledge, skills, temperament and experience necessary to serve all children, including those with special needs.
Training approaches include: sensory awareness, motor skills, autism overview, program development, social skills, communication, environment and emotional awareness.
- Sensory guide so that families can plan their visit to the park, including sensory information about each attraction.
Via Sesamo Place.com Accessibility Guide so that families know what services and facilities are specially designed for children with special needs.
Quiet and adapted rooms for all those children with special needs who need to rest for a while or isolate themselves from sensory stimulation. These rooms have adjustable intensity lighting and a relaxation area.
possibility of request headphones with noise cancellation for visitors with hearing sensitivity
Specific indications for those visitors who wish to see the horse rides and parades without physical interaction by the characters (hugs, bump the five ...) and look for quiet places to rest or eat
An everyday and fun situation for most children, such as enjoying a theme park, may not be the same for a child with autism, since crowded sites with an excess of sensory information They could alter it.
Therefore, the park has wanted to adapt to the peculiarities of these children, introducing a series of changes that will come into operation at the end of April. Those responsible for "Sesamo Place" hope that all children, without distinction, can enjoy its facilities and recreational areas distributed throughout its more than 14 hectares.
Julia, a girl with autism in Sesame Street
The accreditation of this theme park as a Certified Autism Center is added to the creation of Julia's character, a four-year-old girl with autism who Sesame Street included more than two years ago as part of the gang of his well-known dolls.
Julia is a sweet and curious 4-year-old girl with autism. The girl with orange hair and bright eyes sometimes does things differently, "in the style of Julia," but Elmo and Abby help the other children in Sesame Street understand why Julia does things like that. By including Julia in the gang, the important message of acceptance is being released to children and families.
Julia stresses that while the differences between children with autism and children without autism may seem significant, all children have something in common that must be taken care of and preserved:unique qualities and talents that make the world a more interesting place! - It can be read on the Sesamo Place website.
Undoubtedly, the news of the adaptation of Sesamo Place has seemed wonderful, as we also found at the time the creation of a theme park adapted for children with disabilities and other special needs. And is that all children deserve to enjoy and be happy, taking into account their particularities, living together, breaking down barriers and promoting their inclusion and integration.
