In Praise Of Relaxed Screenings

“Relaxed Screenings” or as they are sometimes called, “Autism Friendly” screenings at cinemas and theatres have been widely around, a quick google search tells me,  since about 2011 (although if you think about it, it kind of beggars belief that it took so long!) These screenings have subtle changes to the cinema or theatre environment, which means that people who have sensory difficulties have a more positive experience than they would in a traditional cinema setting. Changes include:

-Lights being kept at a low level

-Lower than usual sound levels

-No trailers or adverts-just the film

-Allowance for increased movements and noise.

These screenings haven’t been something we have always felt the need to bother with. Elin has historically been ok at the cinema and on the rare occasion we might have taken her to the theatre, enjoying the experiences without over stimulation. However as she has matured, we have discovered this not to be the case. The adverts and trailers (which these days seem INCREDIBLY loud-or am I just getting old???) upset her. They make her jump and the surround sound disorientates her. The noise triggers her dystonia and before the event has even started, she is struggling to focus.  The pitch black makes it hard to manage her physically and tube feeding or medicine administration is especially difficult.  Just recently, a new problem has reared its head for us. That is, that when Elin becomes over stimulated or over excited, she gets very, very noisy. She starts laughing so hard it can turn into squealing.  This is actually a lovely reaction and shows a high level of awareness, which is great. But, did I mention …its NOISY. This is problematic if it is prolonged, or regular throughout the showing, because it’s so distracting for other audience members.  Now, I’m all for allowing Elin to express her joy, of course I am. I will fight Elin’s right to equal experiences despite her disability to the death. But true equality has to be equality for all. So when Elin gets really, really, noisy for prolonged periods in a cinema I can start to feel uncomfortable. I don’t want to interrupt anyone’s fun. More importantly, I don’t want Elin to be seen as an annoyance or a problem. I also understand that these events are not just a special experience for us, it a special (and often expensive!) experience for all other families there too. I don’t believe in Elin’s right to enjoy herself at the expense of the enjoyment of others. It pains me to say it, but it just doesn't feel fair.

So after a particularly difficult visit to see “The Lion King” this Summer, where we ended up having to leave, due to little foghorn Drake, we decided that where possible we would only access relaxed performances from now on.  How lucky are we that this is an option for us now? True inclusion can mean I think, not lumping everyone together regardless of ability to allow them the ‘same’ experience, but providing tailored versions of that same experience in order to allow appropriate opportunities, choice and options.  Bravo to those venues around the country for realising this.

This weekend we have been to see the Disney film of the year and highly anticipated sequel “Frozen 2” . I was really excited because I had such good memories of the first one, Elin had loved it and it was six years ago when our trips out would more often be misses than hits, so it had meant a lot to have a successful trip out. We spent, like most families, the next few months listening to the soundtrack on repeat and Elin couldn’t get enough.  The great thing about Disney films are the musical numbers and advanced graphics. They are meaningful to Elin and tend to keep her engaged way more than any other kids films out here. I’m pleased to report our trip echoed that of our trip six years ago. She absolutely loved it and sat in her chair the whole way through the film, laughing loads. She didn’t just laugh at the film, she laughed at the other children audibly enjoying their experience too. When she began, as she was bound to, getting a little over excited, we didn’t feel any of the stress of previous performances that she might be distracting other people.  It didn’t matter.

By introducing these special screenings and making some simple changes to an ordinary format, the Odeon (and other participating venues, of which our personal experience extends to Chester's ‘Storyhouse’ theatre too) have given the opportunity for families like ours to have an extra-ordinary time. Thank you. Sometimes a small change can make a big difference.

"Frozen 1"  2013        vs         "Frozen 2" 2019

A dedication.

Q. When is a 1:1 support worker not just a 1:1 support worker?
A. When she is a Lyn.
Next week Elin's support worker at school, Lyn, is retiring. She has been by Elin's side every single school day from 2012, following an awesome grounding by previous support workers Laura and Louisa and has been way more to Elin than 'just' a 1:1 support.  She has been her second Mummy. I can't imagine Elin going back to school in September without her, or rather I can, but I don't really want to because it just makes me cry. We know the rest of the staff at school are fantastic, there is not one person there who I wouldn't gladly hand Elin over to each morning, so Elin is still going to receive the very best care possible and will continue to thrive and have the most fun ever :-) But wow, are we going to miss Lyn.
If you are reading this and you have children in mainstream school you will think I'm nuts. It's just so impossible to fully articulate what having a good support worker for your child with special needs can mean. Along with the head, senior leaders and class teacher, a dedicated 1:1 support who really knows what they are doing can literally create an entirely different life for your child. This is what has happened for Elin in the years since she started school. Maybe my constant praise of the school might seem over the top if you haven't been in my position. It's just a school after all! Except it isn't. It's Elin's second home, it's the only place she goes to without us. She cannot tell us what kind of a day she's had or what she has done. The trust you have to put into the staff and school as a whole is immeasurable. I can't tell you how hard it would have been when she first started, had we not quickly realised just how good the school actually was. A school, though, is just bricks and mortar after all, it's the staff that make a school a home. It was the staff that impressed us most back then, in Elin's first few weeks of school- unwavering support, dedication, commitment and an unparalleled amount of knowledge about children with PMLD. Elin was, and has always been, in safer hands than we could ever have hoped for. So when you have a child with profound and complex needs like Elin it very quickly becomes really hard to see staff as 'just' a head teacher or 'just' class teachers or 'just' support workers, especially with Elin staying in the one class for her whole school career. Actually, they become like a family.
We have always had a combination of amazing staff at Elin's school and I've blogged about it more than once before. This particular post though, is dedicated to Lyn, who has been Elin's constant for six full years now- almost her whole time at school. She has been her rock, her support, her encouragement, her challenger, her carer, her nurse, her physiotherapist, her entertainer, her educator, her second Mum and most of all, her best friend.
It's impossible to give a proper thank you to someone who has cared for your child in your absence like you would. As I've said, obviously the trust involved in handing over your non-verbal, profoundly disabled, tube fed, medically precarious child to someone else for six hours a day is enormous and terrifying. Also, if you get the wrong relationship everything for both the family and the school can be very difficult. We are indebted to Elin's head teacher back in 2012 for pairing Lyn with our girl. It was a match made in heaven. From the word go Elin loved Lyn with all her heart and I think the feeling was mutual. Most importantly, Lyn, in addition to the love and the cuddles and the fun, has also has consistently refused to sit back and accept mediocrity where Elin's learning was concerned. She has pushed her way more than I would have thought possible, knowing what Elin was capable of. This has led Elin to achieve, over the years, the many targets set for her by her teacher and has made all of us prouder than we ever could have imagined. Lyn just has never, ever given up on her and believe me Elin can be really hard work-especially in the older, horrendously dystonic days. The girl we have now is completely and utterly different to the girl who first went to school aged two. She has improved in herself and is now doing things beyond what we ever could have wished for. A large chunk of this is down to Lyn. I can never thank her enough. But I'll try.
Thank you Lyn.
Thank you for being you. Thank you for your sense of humour, so matched with Elin's (and ours!) Thank you for being there, for constantly going the extra mile, for being so instinctively good at your job and thank you for saying (and meaning!) that you don't want or need thanks for doing your best for Elin. I hope you realise how you have improved her life. Thank you for being Elin's voice, her eyes and her hands and her safety net for the last six years. Thank you for the dignity you have always granted her and for being her ultimate champion and protector. I hope you know what you have given her and what you have done for her.
I hope you know what you have done for me.
As a massive bonus, you also became Elin's bus escort this past couple of years and this was a true blessing. She literally went from our arms to yours and back again. What a lucky girl she has been. What a lucky Mummy I have been.
I hope you enjoy the retirement you so deserve and I know this isn't the end of the story for you and our girl!
Thank you Lyn- my words will never be enough.

Elin and Lyn- Best friends forever :-)