With a growing awareness of autism, many restaurants, movie theaters, and other entertainment businesses are holding very special “Autism Family Nights.” This isn’t a way to cash in on others’ disorders, but instead it’s a way to welcome those parents who have children with autism. Taking an autistic child out to a restaurant is a break in their routine, which can cause difficult issues for both children and parents.
When an autistic child’s routine is broken, they can react in very angry and violent bursts. Unfortunately when this happens in a public place like a restaurant, other parents can negatively judge – not realizing the child is autistic and simply judging the folks as bad parents. This happens commonly because of ignorance concerning autism.
With an “Autism Family Night” at a restaurant, parents and their autistic children can dine with other autistic families. The restaurant can turn the music off and instruct servers to be as quiet and patient as possible. No worries about being judged, something everyone deserves. If you are interested in organizing a “Autism Family Night” at a restaurant or any other venue, you should email the owner. Be sure to include information about autism (a list helps) so that the owner can pass it around to servers and other employees. It would be great to see “Autism Family Nights” become a regular thing at a lot of restaurants!