There’s plenty of things to love about Easter: baskets filled with candy, hidden eggs and getting your picture taken with the famous bunny.
The typical setting for the Easter bunny photo can be overwhelming for kids with autism and other special needs. Thankfully, nearly 100 malls across the United States will have a sensory-friendly Easter bunny on hand this year.
The special events are held across the country through March until Easter and help reduce sensory triggers for kids. Escalators are stopped, in-mall music is turned off and the lights are dimmed so kids can meet the Easter bunny without being overwhelmed.
Kelly Hunter, a mom of a 7-year-old boy, drove for almost two hours to attend the event at the Haywood Mall in Greenville, South Carolina.
“He won’t do it with the general public of the mall. He hasn’t for years,” Hunter told WSPA. “We finally came and got him to sit with Santa this year for the first time.”
The Simon malls also offer a special event for children with autism at Christmas.
“They sent an email, ‘We’re coming back with the Easter bunny.’ I made the reservation immediately,” Hunter said.
After seeing how successful the sensory-friendly Santa events were, mall officials extended their partnership with the special needs nonprofit AbilityPath.org.
Lori Waller’s 4-year-old son has autism. She said it was hard to take Easter photos before the sensory-friendly bunny.
“He was crying, and it was a real hard situation for him,” Waller said.
But now her son can color while they wait for his turn to meet the Easter bunny.
If you haven’t had a chance to attend one of the sensory-friendly Easter events, there are still some coming up this weekend and next at malls in Knoxville, Tennessee; Calumet City, Illinois; and Buffalo, New York. For full listings, visit Simon Malls, Sensitive Bunny and the Bunny Cares pages.
