Embrace Fun, Feel Comfortable, Explore Freely

Welcome to Sensory Splash! Your guide to sensory-friendly adventures in and around Sullivan County, NY, and helpful tips to support children, teenagers, and adults with autism.

Hello Community

Welcome to Sensory Splash!

Sensory Splash is a blog that promotes sensory-friendly events, locations, and activities, keeping in mind that everyone’s preferences and tolerances vary. Not every location is designated as sensory-friendly, but that shouldn’t limit us. Blog posts provide helpful tips for navigating the community along with sensory and behavior insights. 

Blog Posts

Blog posts provide helpful tips and an overview of what sensory-friendly events are like.

Events

A range of events such as sensory-friendly cinema or hour and others in the area.

Parks

Information on parks in the area along with a list of pros and things to consider before going.

Trails

Information on trails in the area along with pros and things to consider before going.

Fun Locations

Fun locations in the area like art centers and places for recreation that are accessible. 

Things To Do

A brief overview of things you can do in between events in the area. 

Community Support

About Me

Hi, I’m Nelson!

I created this blog with people with profound autism in mind and their families. This is a space that highlights sensory-friendly events and behavior insights to help make community trips successful. Below are just some of the topics that blog posts will cover.

Highlights

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

200 Hurd Rd, Bethel, NY 12720

A Place to Visit all year 'round

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts gets an honorable mention!

They host various events throughout the year and support the community, including people with disabilities and sensory needs.

The museum offers a sensory-friendly experience on certain days and a sensory map if you want to visit on a typical day. The map shows you where it’s busier, louder, darker, and other factors to consider.

Every October they host a sensory-friendly day for their Peace, Love, and Pumpkins Halloween walk-thru experience during the afternoon before crowds arrive. This year sensory-friendly hours will be held on Monday, October 21st, from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm.  

They’ve also hosted the Hello Inclusion music festival, which was full of music, love, and community. Read more about the festival and what it was like.

Q&A

Here you’ll find some questions that might come up when reading this blog or planning a trip. 

Sensory-friendly means that the location or event was accommodated so that individuals with autism aren’t overwhelmed by too much of something in the environment such as noise, lighting, or movement. 

Everyone has different life experiences and can manage environmental input to different degrees. People with profound autism may not be able to communicate when there’s too much going on and they’re feeling stressed so it’s always important to consider.

Identify what triggers or combination of factors are typically present when someone is showing signs they’re stressed or engage in challenging behaviors.

Intervene when someone is showing warning signs before they escalate.

Provide support by changing something in the environment or teaching them a skill to cope or communicate appropriately.

You can also prepare the person with visuals, behavioral, and sensory supports before entering triggering situations.

Start slow and build your way up. 

Learn from what went wrong, and reflect on what went right.

Go at your own pace, do what feels right, never give up, and seek support.

The community outing might not always go as planned and that’s okay. Everyone learns and grows at their own pace.