Anaheim resident Kaleigh Ryan’s son is really into race cars.
Yet, despite living in the same region as one of the country’s most-iconic IndyCar street races, they’d only ever attended NASCAR events — and not the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Until now.
Ryan and her 5-year-old son, who has autism and is nonverbal, attended the Grand Prix on Friday, April 19.
But attending the Grand Prix can be chaotic: The concourse is vast, requiring a lot of walking to traverse. Thousands of people attend each day of the Grand Prix. And the noise of the engines make it hard to hear your own thoughts.
So at some point, Ryan’s son needed a break.
And they found the perfect place: a new sensory trailer in the lifestyle expo.
“We’ve been here since 10:30 a.m. so I think he just got a bit overwhelmed after being in the sun all day,” Ryan, 28, said. “He was doing good until he saw another kid cry and got emotional.”
Ryan said she often looks for sensory areas at events they go to. Her son, she said, is “very high sensory seeking.”
The mobile trailer, operated by Long Beach’s health department, is called the Sensory Area For Everyone. It’s geared toward people with sensory processing difficulties but is welcoming of all. The Grand Prix was the trailer’s debut to the community.
Some neurological disabilities, such as autism and attention deficit hyperactive disorder, make people extra sensitive or unable to process bright lights, loud sounds, textures and touch, according to the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit that aims to help children struggling with mental health or learning challenges.
Sensory overload can leave people overwhelmed, anxious and stressed out, said Laath Martin, a spokesperson for Long Beach’s Health and Human Services Department.
The city’s Disability Access and Functional Needs Unit saw a gap in services for people with sensory needs during public health emergency planning, Martin said.
The soundproof trailer, which…
Read the full article here
