Davao City (17 December) — About 150 children with autism came and the majority finished watching the show as SM City Davao treated the kids o the first-ever sensory-friendly movie in the region featuring ‘The Christmas Carol’.

The Davao screening was the second in the country said Eng. Rheybie C. Nipas, officer of the committee on disability affairs of SM Supermalls.

He said the first was in Manila but with the request of the Autism Society Philippines, Davao chapter and backed up with running requests posted on blogs and through other social networks they deemed it be held in Davao considering the enthusiasm and zeal of the organizers here. Although he said they will conduct sensory friendly movies in all other SM malls in the country for the benefit of these children.

Nipas explained that the showing of the Sensory Friendly Film came about in America in November 2007 when mother Marianne Ross, a member of the Howard County Autism Society, called the Columbia AMC theater after her daughter with Austism, Meghan, 9 years old was kicked out of a local theater for ‘flapping’ her arms and jumping up and down during a screening. Ross asked the manager to consider having special showings for families whose children are prone to overstimulation and her request prompted the theater management to come up with the very first Sensory Friendly film screening in history.

For our Filipino children who are also in the same situation as Meghan, Nipas said the SM committee on disability affairs through SM Prime Holdings, Inc. corporate social responsibility program dubbed as ‘SM Cares’ and the ASP Davao made possible this project.

SM City regional manager for Mindanao Debby Go said it has been their campaign of making all SM malls friendly to persons with disability (PWDs) and this is not limited only to mobility as they also gives importance to customers with special needs such as those with Autism.

She said they will continue to explore all other activities that can be implemented in the malls for the enjoyment of PWDs even as she said that they encourage family bonding wherein families of children with autism can go out and watch movies together in a friendly environment.

Jane Gonzales of ASP-Davao chapter said children with this kind of condition cannot tolerate dark places and loud sounds that’s why lights have to be subdued and the audio toned down. They are allowed also to stand up and take a sh*ort walk while inside the movie house, she said.

She said those who came for the screening were all first timers and they noted a good turn out because they were able to sit longer and finish the show. ‘With their regular exposure to this kind of set up it would really help address there problem of auditory,’ she said.

She also said that they need to be exposed to different types of movies provided the environment is friendly to them.

Meanwhile Gonzales said they still do not have the total number of children with Autism except for the 150 that they closely monitor but their estimate is about 2 percent of the entire population of Davao City.

Right now she said they are coordinating with the City Social Services Development Office (CSSDO) for the identification of kids with autism saying that they are actively involved in the city’s program for identifying cases of all kinds of Down syndrome disability.

Around the country are 42 chapters with 7,000 members said Ramil Sorongon, executive director of the Autism Society of the Philippines. Their other activities are continuing and this includes exhibits, seminars and other outreach activities and with their last event for the year on Autism Consciousness Week this month.