By Mary Romaniec
Graftons News Reporter –
Post Office Pub hosted a casual event geared toward families who have a child with autism.
Going out to eat is something most of us do easily and often. We may do so less often when our children are young, but even then we manage to enjoy family time by having a meal at a restaurant.
However, children with autism often have a difficult time with the excess stimulation, wait times and food choices in restaurants, which in turn lead to disruptive behaviors.
Leonard Zohn and his family know this first hand. As the father of an 11-year-old son with autism, Zohn knew that their experience in restaurants was not unique.
“We have a family that likes to go out to eat, and Adin’s behavior made that difficult,” said Zohn. “We knew we weren’t the only ones.”
In early 2014, Zohn set up the first autism-friendly restaurant gathering in Andover. The response was overwhelming, with 110 in attendance.
Since that first gathering, Zohn has set up a non-profit organization called Autism Eats, which has continued to host the dinner events throughout the region, and nationally.
The Post Office Pub event on Tuesday marked the 13th Autism Eats gathering since its inception.
Amy Verdolino, manager of Post Office Pub, signed up to be a host restaurant in part because of her family’s connection to those with autism.
“I think it’s fabulous. I signed up to be a host restaurant because I could see there is a huge need,” Verdolino said.
The idea is that families can connect in a non-judgmental, comfortable setting that caters to the needs of all the children, including the typical siblings. Upon arriving, families are checked in and children are given a toy to occupy them.
Dinner is set up buffet style and available upon entering. Zohn said the details are crucial to a successful evening, including the set-up of the room and food choices. There are small tables so that families can connect with each other, or larger tables to allow for a more community feel.
The Hovey family of Grafton decided to check out the Autism Eats event at Post Office Pub, a first time for them.
“It’s great. We’re very comfortable,” relayed Michelle Hovey. Her husband Jonathan chimed in, “It’s nice to just meet other families in similar situations.”
For more information, go to www.autismeats.org.
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