Recently, we were delighted to join forces with our charity partner, Perth Autism Support (PAS), to introduce special Quiet Sessions for young people with Additional Support Needs (ASN) to come along and explore our new indoor playground in an environment that meets their needs.
As well as children from PAS, the sessions are open to all children with ASN. The only difference is that those who would like to book out with the PAS group will require their own adult supervision.
With this all in mind, we spoke to Ellie Clelland, a Children’s Services Team Leader at PAS to find out just how the Quiet Sessions can make a huge difference to a child with autism.
Cutting the noise levels
“For the kids at PAS, having Quiet sessions is hugely beneficial because its less overwhelming. When there’s a lot of noise, it can be a bit of sensory overload and a trigger for young people. If it’s continuously loud, where there’s that constant stream of noise with children shouting and playing, there isn’t an escape from it where they can find a few moments of quietness. The Quiet Sessions offer our young people that escape from the noise.”
They can be whoever they want to be
“When there are less people in the play spaces, it brings these young people out of their shells a little bit – especially with our children from PAS. When there are fewer kids, there isn’t that pressure that they often feel if they’re a bit older to fit in. They are just there being who they want to be, exploring and having fun.”
They know what to expect
“The Quiet Sessions are enough to get them to come along and have fun. There’s security in knowing that its not going to be as noisy, busy and unpredictable as it would be on another day. Some of our young people come from families that maybe have their own challenges, so us being able to go along to these sessions and supporting them is hugely beneficial for them.”
No surprises
“Being able to come along before Active Kids was open ahead of the Quiet Sessions made a huge difference to the children. This meant the young people were able to come along and have a look around and familiarise themselves with the place. If we had just said to them that we were going here with no warning, this would have caused a lot of anxiety. Visiting in advance meant there wasn’t that pressure and now they love coming along because they don’t have a fear of the unknown.”
Our next session is due to take place on Friday 2nd June from 5.00pm-6.15pm followed by a session on Friday 23rd June from 5.00pm – 6.15pm. If you are interested in booking a space, get in touch with our team on sales@activekid.co.uk. Please note that adult supervision is required during the session.
