Families with autistic children are getting their chances to explore new places in the community, thanks to a summer program that books camps and day trips that help relieve anxiety.
“There is so much joy to know he finally gets to do these things,” said Tabatha Hamilton, whose five-year-old son, Kintan Naidu, was enjoying a chance to explore Telus World of Science on Tuesday with the support of the team from the Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton.
“Knowing that your son can come somewhere and be himself, and he can have fun and run around with other kids who are just like him. There’s no issues and it’s just a very loving, friendly environment.”
CASE’s summer outings program, which is in its fifth year, visits venues like the science centre or camps. Staff from CASE are on hand to defuse situations where anxiety or overstimulation could become too much for a child to deal with.
For many families — there are an estimated 22,000 in the greater Edmonton area who are directly affected by autism — these are adventures that would otherwise be avoided, said occupational therapist Caitlin Angus.
“Events like this really help us to have the confidence to go out and do it,” said Angus, who has a child with autism. “It’s really easy to avoid outings. It’s really easy to not go places when your scared you’re going to get stared at by other people.”
Many of the outings take place on days, as was the case on Tuesday, when the general public has access, said Angus.
The CASE workers in attendance help families find strategies that will work for them when they’re out in the community.
“Hopefully, they can do it next time on their own, without us here,” she said.
Hamilton said the support makes a huge difference.
“Trying to keep him from running and taking off and doing other things, it can be a lot when you’re by yourself,” she said. “When you have that extra support and extra people around, it’s so much easier.”
It also makes a world of difference to her son.
“If we’re in a secluded place, you can see he gets sad, he doesn’t like it,” Hamilton said. “He wants to be around people and he thrives on that interaction.”
The CASE Summer Outings Program runs until Aug. 23.