Currently browsing kids mental health posts

AMC & Autism Society’s Next Sensory Friendly Film: Ride Along 2

Last updated on January 27th, 2016 at 11:23 am

AMC Entertainment (AMC) has expanded their Sensory Friendly Films program, in partnership with the Autism Society!  This Tuesday evening, families affected by autism or other special needs have the opportunity to view a sensory friendly screening of Ride Along 2, a film that may appeal to older audiences on the autism spectrum. 

New sensory friendly logoAs always, the movie auditoriums will have their lights turned up and the sound turned down. Families will be able to bring in snacks to match their child’s dietary needs (i.e. gluten-free, casein-free, etc.), there are no advertisements or previews before the movie and it’s totally acceptable to get up and dance, walk, shout, talk to each other…and even sing – in other words, AMC’s “Silence is Golden®” policy will not be enforced during movie screenings unless the safety of the audience is questioned.

two men in front of a carDoes it make a difference? Absolutely! Imagine …no need to shhhhh your child. No angry stares from other movie goers. Many parents think twice before bringing a child to a movie theater. Add to that your child’s special needs and it can easily become cause for parental panic. But on this one day a month, for this one screening, everyone is there to relax and have a good time, everyone expects to be surrounded by kids – with and without special needs – and the movie theater policy becomes “Tolerance is Golden“.

AMC and the Autism Society will be showing Ride Along 2 tomorrow, Tuesday, January 26th at 7pm (local time). Tickets are $4 to $6 depending on the location. To find a theatre near you, here is a list of AMC theatres nationwide participating in this fabulous program (note: to access full list, please scroll to the bottom of the page).

Coming in February: AMC has not yet provided details of the February Sensory Friendly films

****************************************************************************************************************************

Editor’s note: Although Ride Along 2 has been chosen by the Autism Society for a Tuesday Sensory Friendly screening, we do want parents to know that it is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for sequences of violence, sexual content, language and some drug material. As always, please check the IMDB Parents Guide for a more detailed description of this film to determine if it is right for you and your child.

Autism Society and AMC Show Norm of the North this Saturday

Last updated on January 25th, 2016 at 03:20 pm

New sensory friendly logoAMC Entertainment (AMC) and the Autism Society have teamed up to bring families affected by autism and other special needs “Sensory Friendly Films” every month – a wonderful opportunity to enjoy fun new films in a safe and accepting environment.

The movie auditoriums will have their lights turned up and the sound turned down. Families will be able to bring in snacks to match their child’s dietary needs (i.e. gluten-free, casein-free, etc.), there are no advertisements or previews before the movie and it’s totally acceptable to get up and dance, walk, shout, talk to each other…and even sing – in other words, AMC’s “Silence is Golden®” policy will not be enforced during movie screenings unless the safety of the audience is questioned.

Animated polar bear in NYCDoes it make a difference? Absolutely! Imagine …no need to shhhhh your child. No angry stares from other movie goers. Many parents think twice before bringing a child to a movie theater. Add to that your child’s special needs and it can easily become cause for parental panic. But on this one day a month, for this one screening, everyone is there to relax and have a good time, everyone expects to be surrounded by kids – with and without special needs – and the movie theater policy becomes “Tolerance is Golden“.

This Saturday, January 23rd, at 10am local time, AMC and the Autism Society’s “Sensory Friendly Film” program will be showing Norm of the North. Tickets are $4 to $6 depending on the location. To find a theatre near you, here is a list of AMC theatres nationwide participating in this fabulous program (note: to access full list, please scroll to the bottom of the page).

Coming later in January: Ride Along 2 (Tues, 1/26)

****************************************************************************************************************************

Editor’s note: Although Norm of the North has been chosen by the AMC and the Autism Society as this month’s Sensory Friendly Film, we do want parents to know that it is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for mild rude humor and action. As always, please check the IMDB Parents Guide for a more detailed description of this film to determine if it is right for you and your child.

AMC Has 2 More Chances to See Star Wars Sensory Friendly

Last updated on January 13th, 2016 at 11:01 am

In case you’ve missed it, AMC Entertainment (AMC) has expanded their Sensory Friendly Films program, in partnership with the Autism Society!  This month, you get two more chances to see the new Star Wars movie sensory friendly – once on Saturday (as usual) and once on Tuesday evening, since this is a film that may appeal to both younger and older audiences on the autism spectrum. 

New sensory friendly logoAs always, the movie auditoriums will have their lights turned up and the sound turned down. Families will be able to bring in snacks to match their child’s dietary needs (i.e. gluten-free, casein-free, etc.), there are no advertisements or previews before the movie and it’s totally acceptable to get up and dance, walk, shout, talk to each other…and even sing – in other words, AMC’s “Silence is Golden®” policy will not be enforced during movie screenings unless the safety of the audience is questioned.

Star Wars Force Awakens Poster-extracropDoes it make a difference? Absolutely! Imagine …no need to shhhhh your child. No angry stares from other movie goers. Many parents think twice before bringing a child to a movie theater. Add to that your child’s special needs and it can easily become cause for parental panic. But on this one day a month, for this one screening, everyone is there to relax and have a good time, everyone expects to be surrounded by kids – with and without special needs – and the movie theater policy becomes “Tolerance is Golden“.

AMC and the Autism Society will be showing  Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Saturday, January 9th at 10am and Tuesday, January 12th at 7pm (both local time). Tickets are $4 to $6 depending on the location. To find a theatre near you, here is a list of AMC theatres nationwide participating in this fabulous program (note: to access full list, please scroll to the bottom of the page).

Coming later in January: Norm of the North (Sat, 1/23) and Ride Along 2 (Tues, 1/26)

****************************************************************************************************************************

Editor’s note: Although Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been chosen by AMC and the Autism Society as this month’s Sensory Friendly screening, we do want parents to know that it is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for sci-fi action violence. As always, please check the IMDB Parent’s Guide for a more detailed description of this film to determine if it is right for you and your child.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is Sensory Friendly for the Holidays

Last updated on December 29th, 2015 at 11:39 am

New sensory friendly logoAMC Entertainment (AMC) and the Autism Society have teamed up to bring families affected by autism and other special needs ”Sensory Friendly Films“ every month – wonderful opportunities to enjoy favorite “family-friendly” films in a safe and accepting environment. And now they are also featuring PG-13 films – like the new Star Wars film! – for older audience members on the autism spectrum.

The movie auditoriums will have their lights turned up and the sound turned down. Families will be able to bring in snacks to match their child’s dietary needs (i.e. gluten-free, casein-free, etc.), there are no advertisements or previews before the movie and it’s totally acceptable to get up and dance, walk, shout, talk to each other…and even sing – in other words, AMC’s “Silence is Golden®” policy will not be enforced during movie screenings unless the safety of the audience is questioned.

Star Wars Force Awakens Poster-cropDoes it make a difference? Absolutely! “It can be challenging enough to bring ANY child to a movie theater” says PedSafe Special Needs Parenting Expert Rosie Reeves. “For a parent with a special needs child attempting an outing like this may seem overwhelming. And yet getting out, being with the community and sharing in an experience with an audience can be invaluable for just such children”.

On Tuesday, December 22nd at 7pm local time,  Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be screened as part of the “Sensory Friendly Films” program. Tickets are $4 to $6 depending on the location. To find a theatre near you, here is a list of participating AMC theatres nationwide (note: to access list, please scroll to the bottom of the page).

Coming later in December: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Sat, 12/26)

************************************************************************************************************************************

Editor’s note: Although Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been chosen by AMC and the Autism Society as this month’s Sensory Friendly screening, we do want parents to know that it is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for sci-fi action violence. As always, please check the IMDB Parent’s Guide for a more detailed description of this film to determine if it is right for you and your child.

Bullying: The Facts for Kids and Parents

Last updated on May 24th, 2018 at 05:17 pm

Many children and young people experience school bullying and bullying outside of school – but you don’t have to put up with it.

Almost half of all children and young people (46%) say that they’ve been bullied at some point during their time at school, according to the Tellus4 National Report (PDF, 1.33Mb), carried out in 2009.

Find Out Where to Get Help

If you’re being bullied, you don’t have to put up with it. There are many people and organisations that can help you; see Where to find help if you’re being bullied.

If you’re concerned that your child is being bullied, read What to do you if your child is being bullied.

Unhappy Teenage Girl Being Talked About By PeersWhat is Bullying?

Bullying can take many forms: from teasing and spreading rumours, to pushing someone around and causing physical harm. It often happens in front of other people.

It includes name calling, mocking, kicking, taking belongings, writing or drawing offensive graffiti, messing around with people’s belongings, gossiping, excluding people from groups, and threatening others.

Why are People Bullied?

Children and young people are bullied for all sorts of reasons. It can be due to their race, their religion, their appearance, their sexual orientation, because they have a disability or because of their home circumstances. People are bullied for being black, white, fat, clever, gay, or red-haired. These are a few examples.

But people are sometimes picked on for no reason.

Cyberbullying is increasingly common both inside and outside school. Cyberbullying is any form of bullying that involves the use of mobile phones or the internet. For example, sending offensive text messages and emails, circulating degrading images on the internet, or impersonating someone on social networking sites such as Facebook. For more information on cyberbullying and how to respond to it, see How to deal with cyberbullying.

The Effects of Bullying

Online bullying makes the lives of its victims miserable. It undermines their confidence and destroys their sense of security.

Bullying can cause sadness, loneliness, low self-esteem, fear, anxiety, and poor concentration, and lead to self-harm, depression, suicidal thoughts and, in some cases, suicide.

Bullying can also affect children and young people’s attendance and progress at school.

Help for Parents and Children

To find out where to get help with bullying, read:

>


AMC has The Good Dinosaur Sensory Friendly on Saturday

Last updated on December 18th, 2015 at 11:12 am

New sensory friendly logoAMC Entertainment (AMC) and the Autism Society have teamed up to bring families affected by autism and other special needs “Sensory Friendly Films” every month – a wonderful opportunity to enjoy fun new films in a safe and accepting environment.

The movie auditoriums will have their lights turned up and the sound turned down. Families will be able to bring in snacks to match their child’s dietary needs (i.e. gluten-free, casein-free, etc.), there are no advertisements or previews before the movie and it’s totally acceptable to get up and dance, walk, shout, talk to each other…and even sing – in other words, AMC’s “Silence is Golden®” policy will not be enforced during movie screenings unless the safety of the audience is questioned.

Good-Dinosaur-posterDoes it make a difference? Absolutely! Imagine …no need to shhhhh your child. No angry stares from other movie goers. Many parents think twice before bringing a child to a movie theater. Add to that your child’s special needs and it can easily become cause for parental panic. But on this one day a month, for this one screening, everyone is there to relax and have a good time, everyone expects to be surrounded by kids – with and without special needs – and the movie theater policy becomes “Tolerance is Golden“.

This Saturday, December 12th, at 10am local time, AMC and the Autism Society’s “Sensory Friendly Film” program will be showing The Good Dinosaur. Tickets are $4 to $6 depending on the location. To find a theatre near you, here is a list of AMC theatres nationwide participating in this fabulous program (note: to access full list, please scroll to the bottom of the page).

Coming later in December: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Tues, 12/22 and Sat, 12/26)

****************************************************************************************************************************

Editor’s note: Although The Good Dinosaur has been chosen by the AMC and the Autism Society as this month’s Sensory Friendly Film, we do want parents to know that it is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for peril, action and thematic elements. As always, please check the IMDB Parents Guide for a more detailed description of this film to determine if it is right for you and your child.

« Previous Page — Next Page »