WASHINGTON 鈥� A special group of visitors had the International Spy Museum in D.C. all to themselves on Sunday.
The museum made special accommodations to help children on the autism spectrum enjoy their visit. 鈥淲e turned down a lot of the lights, we turned down a lot of the noise and kept the crowd smaller,” said聽Jackie Eyl with the Spy Museum.
More than 400 people registered for the program in less than 24 hours.
鈥淭he event was created so we can open up our doors to [the] autism community,鈥澛燛yl said.
Yetta Myrick and her 13-year-old autistic son got to enjoy the museum in the quieter environment, which she said was awesome.聽 They had never been to the International Spy Museum before, even though they live in the District.
鈥淲hen you create a space like this where it鈥檚 quiet, they [the children] can walk around and you can allow them to be themselves and maybe, you know, not have a meltdown because it鈥檚 too much for them,鈥� Myrick said.
She said loud environments can overwhelm autistic children.
鈥淪o it鈥檚 great to have these opportunities because you can really see our kids have fun and there鈥檚 not the stress of being in an environment with other people who might not understand if your child can鈥檛 cope,鈥� she said.
The museum wants to offer the special day again, maybe even twice a year, but Eyl said it all depends on funding.
