Sensory Friendly Films

As long as I can remember my only wish has been that despite any challenge that D&Z face that they have as normal of a childhood as humanly possible.  So like any other parent a few years ago we thought it was time for them to experience their first feature film!  At the time they were completely consumed with Shrek, so when Shrek 2 was announced it seemed a perfect fit.  What we failed to consider was that the opening film previews for Shrek 2 would be for loud action films.  I'll never forget the preview for Transformers coming on and Dom having a complete meltdown. 

We almost left....it was that bad.  However, we stepped out for a bit and returned once the movie had started.  The movie was loud, the theater was dark and scary to them.  It was not the bet of experiences (despite our good intentions.)  That is why when a friend of mine recently told me about Sensory Friendly movies I had to take some time to mull it over.  Would they truly benefit from trying again.  Granted they were older, but I didn't want to have the same disasterous result.  But I looked into it and this is what I found.

• A sensory friendly movie is simply a movie meant to be enjoyed by everyone.  The theater has the lights turned up, the sound turned down, and audience members are allowed to get up, talk, dance, shout, (or even roll down the aisles as we saw some children do. haha!)  Essentially it is an opportuntiy for everyone to come together to watch a movie without fear of being judged because your child is acting inappropriately.  Sensory Friendly are not just for people with developmental disabilities.  There were also some families with young children who were out for their first movie.  I loved that.  :)
• The people that ran the sensory friendly movie and concession stand were amazing!  When Dom kept leaving the theater to visit the game machines they didn't care.  And since the movie is usually a matinee there was no one else in the theater to have to worry about him getting lost or in any sort of danger.  It was perfect!

When we finally arrive at our theater we selected our seats (spilled our pop all over the floor Oops!) and then relocated so the cleaners could clean up.  The movie started and I have to say...it was an amazing thing to watch.  D&Z were calm with the lights on, the sound volume was perfect (no louder than our normal television) and when we had to get up to move around or use the restroom it was no big deal.  There was probably a total of thirty people in the theater an no one was concerned or bothered by what anyone else was doing.  It was a great experience that I wanted to pass along to others. 

If you are interested in trying out a sensory friendly movie click the link below.  It heads directly to the AMC website.  They hold these movies all over the country so there is a good chance that there is one near you.  Enjoy the movies!

http://www.amctheatres.com/programs/sensory-friendly-filmshttp://www.amctheatres.com/programs/sensory-friendly-films