Autism Eats: Dinner Outings For Families Of Children With Autism

Diners and restaurants can be overwhelming settings for people with autism because of sensory overload and a few judgmental people around. The restaurant employees and staff might also have a hard time catering to their special needs. Because of these reasons, a father of a 10-year-old boy with autism decided to hold dinner outings called "Autism Eats" for families with the same concerns.

"We thought there had to be other families going through this too and we could find an environment where we could all do this successfully together," Lenard Zohn, the father who started Autism Eats, told The Mighty via Yahoo Parenting. Autism Eats happens every three months in Boston and eight dinner outings have been held there so far.

The large dinner club -- usually held in private rooms of restaurants and function halls -- provides an autism-friendly environment and often serves buffet style of eating. It also offers an eating place that does not overwhelm the senses of people with autism and does not have any judgmental people around. It also gives a great opportunity for families with autistic children to share their unique stories and some tips, too.

Psych Central identifies some of the difficulties faced by parents of children with autism include embarrassment over their child's public behavior, social isolation, frustration with unmet expectations, feelings of guilt and anger at oneself, spouse and the child's doctor. Families dealing with autism can also face a lot of financial problems because of their child's expensive medications, treatments and therapies, as well as different difficulties in managing their time between parenting and working.

Yahoo Parenting reports that other states have reached out to Zohn to talk about having "Autism Eats" in their regions. He is also planning to hold the dinner outings more frequently and in more locations throughout the country.