LET’S had a table with information about our organization and our projects. Behind our booth, on a grassy and partially shaded area, we also had a low sensory tent for event attendees. The low sensory space was busy throughout the day. People enjoyed colouring, hugging stuffies, having quiet time, and relaxing in the shaded tent or on the blankets provided for the grassy area.
We had a memorable experience with an autistic child and their parents. The parents were new to autism and neurodivergence and were working to create an environment that suited their child’s needs. Unfortunately, they were up against a family who didn’t believe in autism and felt that discipline and “not giving in” to the child was what would move the family forward. Although they didn’t have a lot of resources, they were already instinctually doing things that centered their child and who he was. They were fascinated to watch their son play with the variety of stim toys LET’S provides in our low sensory spaces. They quickly realized which textures, sounds, and repetitive play their child enjoyed or did not care for. They phoned another family to come and have their child play with the stim toys too. It was great to see how important low sensory spaces can be to this who are trying to better understand how to support their neurodivergent family (friends, etc.).