Yesterday, the AMC theater in Creve Coeur had a Sensory Free movie. This means that they didn't turn the lights down all the way and didn't turn the sound all the way up. They also didn't show any previews so the movie length was shorter.
Katie and I took Nate and Noah. I was a little nervous. I had yet to sit through a whole movie with the boys. Unfortunately, AMC did not let Katie in for free. We had Noah's letter from Behavior Intervention Services, but no such luck. Most places will allow the staff in for free. This may not seem like a big deal....a few dollars here and there, but when you have to take an extra person with you everywhere, it gets expensive. The manager did photocopy the letter and will contact the corporate office. Let's hope that next time staff will be let in at no charge.
It was so nice! The auditorium was not quiet. The kids were doing what they had to do to get through the movie. Many of them were covering their ears, flapping, making sounds, and getting up and pacing. One teen stood in the aisle the entire time. No one asked him to sit down. No one stared at any of the kids. No one asked any of the kids to be quiet.
We went through a couple refills of our large popcorn. I think the highlight for my boys was the popcorn. I am not sure if they can follow a plot longer than an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine. Noah asked to use the bathroom twice and was getting a little antsy the last 20 minutes. Nate sat in his seat the whole time. He verbalized when he noticed things on the screen...."boat" and "cheeseburger".
My kids were with their peers. They were not a minority. They were able to be themselves and so were all the other kids in the theater. I did not notice any parents looking anxious and nervous because they were afraid of how others would react to their children. The kids were comfortable. The parents were comfortable. It was a good outing.
