Autism at the Aquarium

For those of you who don't know, we live in the bustling Southern metropolis that is Atlanta.  There are lots of things to do in this city that I love so dear.  We have an entire tourist attraction - The World of Coke - dedicated to the world's favorite soda, which just happens to call ATL home.  We have world-class baseball (sometimes) and several attractions dedicated to the 1996 Olympics.  There are monuments upon monuments to the Civil Rights Era, and many landmarks dedicated to the Civil War.  We have a mediocre zoo, but still a zoo nonetheless.

The crown jewel of our city's tourism is the Georgia Aquarium.  Boasting a gagillion (yes, that's an accurate measurement) gallons of water and lots of cool things like Beluga Whales, Whale Sharks, dolphins, penguins, and otters (my hubs's favorites), the Georgia Aquarium is a staple of childhood in Atlanta.

Unless your child has autism.

Brian and I have been multiple times.  We went before Jack was born a time or two, but bringing Jack to the aquarium has posed some unique challenges.  First, this isn't an attraction like Sea World.  The entire aquarium is enclosed indoors.  For a kid with sensory issues, that's a lot of sound reverberating off of everything.  Second, the place continues to draw massive crowds.  Again, not really ideal for Jack.  It really has all of the promises of a sensory nightmare.

But Jack's nearing 4 now.  Developmentally, he's more like 2.  2-year olds go to the aquarium.  Jack likes watching YouTube videos of dolphins swimming.  He's such a visual stimmer that we thought that if he could only get past his sensory issues, he'd probably LOVE getting to just watch the fish swim by.

If we could get past the sensory issues, and that was a big IF.

Now, for sensory kiddos, the aquarium does have several things going for it.  First, the lighting is very low throughout the facility.  Jack really doesn't handle bright fluorescent lighting that well, so the lower light level is ideal in helping him stay regulated.  Second, there is gentle visual stimulation everywhere.  The water flowing against the glass.  Fish softly swimming past.  Very quiet ambient music.  So, there are some pluses, to be sure.

But the people.  There are so many people and so much noise and how will he handle it all?

It was a question I was willing - no, determined - to tackle.  In the on-going quest to make the joys of childhood accessible to my boy, I so wanted to find a way.

It just so happens that Jack's birthday is 4 days away.  I wanted to make this happen for him, so I thought, When would be the best time to take him to the aquarium?  Well, we had always gone over the weekend and had seen how crazy it got, so weekends were out.  Clearly the week - mid-week, to be precise - would be the quietest time to go, as it would not tack on to a weekend and, as a result, convention traffic.  Jack's schedule stays so jam-packed during the week that we didn't know how we could - or would - manage to find the time.

That was then.  This is now.  We used to see therapy as something that we simply couldn't skip, as though that one session might be the breakthrough.  Here's the thing we've learned...Jack has made fabulous gains, but he is still very much disabled and autistic.  We can't make every moment about therapy; we need to live our lives to the fullest.

For the first time in 2 years, I canceled therapy for the day.  Not because we had a doctor's appointment.  Not because he was sick.  I canceled therapy so that we could go do something FUN.

Tuesdays are normally half-days for Jack at school, but since I canceled his therapies (speech and PT for today), we packed up the car and headed towards the Georgia Aquarium.  At first, there was a bit of angry squealing and whining as we merged onto the interstate (I think he is starting to know what routes we take to get to places, and we were going in the general direction of therapy), but the lull of the drive calmed him down.

Once we got there and parked, the line to get tickets was a short wait (more wait than Jack liked).  We had gotten advanced tickets for Jack and myself, but Brian still needed a ticket, so we waited.

Once inside, Jack was in awe at the first two tanks of fish right by the entrance.  The fish were called - get this - "Jacks", though I couldn't get him to stand still by the sign so that I could take his picture.  You know, that's a Mom-thing to try to capture, right?

We went first to the Cold Water Quest exhibit.  This is where you'll find the Beluga Whales, otters, and the penguins.  Jack was kind of ambivalent about the whales and penguins, though he wanted to get in the otter exhibit (he kept saying "Up!" when we were standing at the viewing window).  We got to see some whales rub up against the window and watch the otters nap (which they do floating on their backs...Brian really wanted to bring one home to be a friend to Mason!).

Next, we went to the Ocean Voyager exhibit.  This is where I think that Jack started to get a little perseverative.  He wanted to walk up and down the stairs - counting, of course - since there were some near the big viewing window.  I did get some pictures when we first came into the room.  The fish kept his attention for a minute or two before the stairs seemed more appealing.

Next, we headed into the Tropical Reef exhibit (I know that's not the actual name of the exhibit, but I can't remember it now).  Jack was getting very nervous at this point, so we started carrying him and - unfortunately - hurried through the exhibit.  I do remember seeing a sign that said that vinegar takes away the sting of a jellyfish, which means that a whole generation of people my age pee on jellyfish stings for no real reason (thanks Friends).

We knew at this point that we needed to leave.  Jack was making a beeline for more stairs, when we saw the one exhibit that we wished he could do - the Dolphin Tales show.  Prior to our aquarium trip, we showed Jack several YouTube videos of otters, whales, and other animals he would see during his visit.  The videos that Jack liked best were those of the dolphins jumping in the air, doing flips, and swimming through the water.  We knew that he wouldn't be able to sit through the Dolphin Tales show, but we hoped he could just see the dolphins.

We found that the Dolphin Tales exhibit was roped off prior to the show.  We walked up and asked if we could go see the dolphins prior to the show, but the staff tried to discourage us.  They said that we wouldn't really be able to see anything.  As my little boy was getting more disregulated by the moment, I told the attendant that my son wasn't going to make it until the show, so we would like to go see the dolphins.  They said okay.

They were right.  There is a single viewing window and - during non-show times - you can see nothing.  The dolphins swim by occasionally, but that's it.  While Jack couldn't verbalize it, I know that it would have delighted him to see the dolphins jump.  I wish it could have happened.  My stepmom went up to one of the staff members to see if there was anything that could be done so that Jack could see the dolphins, but she said no.  So, discouraged, we headed out to leave.

We did stop by the stingray pool while I got our parking validated, and Jack delighted in seeing the stingrays swim by.  In fact, he kept saying "Jump in", which is what he says at night when he gets in the bathtub, so we had to keep reiterating to Jack that the pool was for the stingrays ONLY, despite his desire to do otherwise.

We left after a brief stop in the gift shop to pick up a t-shirt and a couple of plastic figurines - a stingray and a dolphin - that Jack held for a few minutes before promptly forgetting he had them.  He lasted just at an hour.  I had thought that 15 minutes would be an epic failure, but 2 hours would be ideal.  Jack met us halfway between our two extremes.  I call it a success and a good start for similar outings.

My one request of the Georgia Aquarium?  Make the Dolphin Tales exhibit accessible to kids with special needs.  My stepmom and siblings stayed after we left to see the show.  They reported that the music was VERY loud and there were a lot of strobe lights.  You have to sit to watch the show, which is essentially a musical show that includes dolphins.  Not a great situation for a special needs kid.

All my kid wants is to see a dolphin jump.  Is there no way that there can be a sensory-friendly dolphin experience at the aquarium...particularly an aquarium funded by the man who funded Atlanta's major autism center?  Georgia Aquarium, that would be my one wish - my one hope - for our next visit...give my child an opportunity to see the dolphins in a way that he can tolerate.  Please.

Otherwise, it was a good day.

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Tips for Accessing the Georgia Aquarium with your special needs kiddo:

1. If you use a Disabled Parking Permit, don't bother looking for a handicapped spot in their deck.  You won't find one...they have hardly any handicapped spots.  The best parking is actually on the upper levels near the elevators.  Park there and take the elevator to the covered walkway.  It's a short, enclosed walk from there to the ticketing area.

2. Get your tickets in advance/on-line.  This significantly decreases the wait to get inside.  Besides, there are deals through their website (I got a deal for a combo Mommy and Me ticket plus parking for $34.95) or through AAA.

3. If your child tolerates a stroller, BRING IT.  There is still a lot of walking and there are elevators/wheelchair ramps everywhere.

4. Bring snacks.  I know that the website says no outside food, but I was more than willing to argue it.  My kid was (luckily) flapping and squealing at the security checkpoint, so they didn't kick up a fuss.  You never know if they have food that your kid can eat.

5. Go at an off-time.  That means in the middle of the week, during a school day.  Cancel therapy, check out early from school, do what you must to ensure that you are going at a time when the crowds will be a bit lighter.  It's probably the only reason why Jack lasted as long as he did.

6. Give you child plenty of sensory breaks.  Trust me, he or she will need it.

7. Don't get bogged down with expectations.  We went in not hoping to stay any particular length of time.  Despite the expense, we knew that we would simply leave before Jack went past the sensory point of no return.  We did that, and we ended on an okay note rather than carrying a screaming, flailing child to the car.

8. Prepare your child for the visit.  Look up videos on YouTube or the attraction's website.  Create a social story (we did).

9. Try to have fun.  Remember that fun looks different to our kids.  Don't be upset if your kid isn't gleefully pointing out fish.  Enjoy what your child enjoys.  Enjoy the fact that your child is happy.