Special Needs Events for Special Kids & Their Families

There are more and more hot spots hosting special needs events in the area, so I thought I would share. These special events are great for children with a variety of special needs because they usually do stuff like let less people into the venue, dim the lights in places that are usually very bright, turn on the lights in places that are usually very dark, and limit music and other loud sounds as much as possible. Plus it is always nice to take your special needs child out without any judgment from others.

Here are some places that host such events:

Some AMC Theaters put on a Sensory Friendly Film screening. In South Jersey the participating theater is the Lowes Cherry Hill. In the Philadelphia area the participating theaters are the Franklin Mills 14 and Neshaminy 24. At this time there are none in Delaware. Click here for the upcoming schedule of movie screenings for children with special needs. My understanding is that these screenings cost the same as regular admission.

The Garden State Discovery Museum, in conjunction with Nemours duPont Pediatrics, hosts a handful of events every year especially for children with special needs and their families. They are held on select Sunday nights from 6-8 pm. Check out the schedule below. These events are FREE.

Sahara Sam's holds a special needs night on select Friday evenings from 6-9 pm throughout the year. They turn the arcade games off to avoid sensory overload. Click here for the upcoming events schedule. Tickets are available for purchase online and are $17.95 each.

Diggerland USA is one of South Jersey's hottest new amusement parks that is construction-themed. Special Abilities Nights at Diggerland (or SAND, as they call it for short) are offered several nights throughout the year from 5-8 pm. Click here to check for the nest SAND. Tickets are available for purchase online and are $17.95 each.

High Elevations Trampoline Park has a Special Needs Night on the 1st Monday of the month from 7-8 pm. Admission is $10 per child and includes the special socks required for safety reasons. Accompanying adults are $2.