We have already noticed by the television commercials that Christmas is coming. The time of the year in which more toys are sold and in which more children visit the toy stores. Although not for all of them it is easy to enter a toy store. For example, if you are afraid of loud sounds and lights, or if there are too many people. Branches of the toy chain Toys R Us in the United Kingdom will carry out a beautiful initiative, the "quiet hour" aimed at parents and caregivers of children with autism.
It will be next Sunday, November 6, when it is intended to create a quiet environment in which families can go to stores with their children, when the establishments will offer a calmer place for shopping, with many lights off and the intensity of the reduced fluorescent
There will be no ads or music on the public address of the stores during that time, providing areas of silence. And it is that with small adjustments in the establishments you can accommodate many of these children who, like any other, enjoy among the toys. And in this way to overcome the difficulties that families face.
Those responsible for the National Autism Society of the United Kingdom have been satisfied with this initiative, especially in this period before Christmas. And it is that with a change as simple as those proposed they can facilitate their purchases to 700,000 people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the United Kingdom and their families.
Remember that it occurs a case of autism spectrum disorders per 100 births and that autism is a complex neurological disorder that often takes people who suffer from contact with outside reality. From contact with other people and something as everyday as shopping or playing.
I do not think that this is an initiative that will achieve more profits and that could be considered opportunistic, but I see it rather as a gesture that aims to give visibility and normalize this disorder in addition to, as far as possible, make Some of the autistic children are happier.
And although it is a beautiful gesture, symbolic I would say, it is necessary that children with autism and their families receive more support. The Autism Confederation Spain points out that there is an important gap regarding the basic aspects for the quality of life of people with autism spectrum disorders and their families.
These cover various areas: early detection or early attention, education or support for people with ASD to develop an independent life of adults and participate fully as citizens in society, without being sentenced.
In short, what gives us hope is that this gesture of offering a quiet time to buy toys for autistic children and their families In Toys R Us you can open the door to many other gestures, more hours, in other stores, in shopping centers, in other countries ... and society understands that children with ASD have special needs but, like everyone else, what they Move is support, affection, knowing oneself loved and understood.
