Sensory-friendly room at Oil Kings game helps families enjoy inclusive fun

Giovanni Sabiti enjoys the sensory-friendly room at the Edmonton Oil Kings game on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023 (CTV News Edmonton/Sean McClune).

A special room at the Edmonton Oil Kings match Sunday afternoon helped families with sensory-sensitive children enjoy attending a hockey game.

Autism Edmonton set up a sensory room for the second year in a row at Rogers Place in recognition of the autism awareness night.

Melinda Noyes, the organization's executive director, said many neurodiverse children are sensory seeking while others are sensory avoiding. Having a safe space with muted lights, limited sounds can help kids recover and return to enjoy the game.

"When you go into that rink with so much going on, there's lights, there's hockey, there's fans, there's screens, there's all kinds of things going on," Noyes explained.

"It is truly a sensory buffet of things that you can be attracted to or not and it can be kind of overwhelming."

Courtney Theroux dreamed of taking her nearly five-year-old son, Giovanni Sabiti, to a hockey game.

Noise has always been an issue for him, but he doesn't like wearing headphones. Having a calming room allows him to recalibrate, Theroux said.

"It really warms my heart to see kids like my son be able to enjoy things that other families get to do without thinking," Theroux told CTV News Edmonton.

Noyes says Autism Edmonton hopes to make the sensory room a permanent offering at Rogers Place for Oil Kings games.

"Lots of kids go in there and don't want to leave for an extended period of time which is kind of a catch-22 when you are trying to watch a hockey game," she added.

"But at least it gives you that good break, get regulated again, go back and enjoy the game and come back to the sensory room as often as you like."