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For many families， a night at the ballpark is a treat. But it can be a nightmare for those with autistic children.
Autism causes a greater sensitivity to environmental stimulation. So the lights， music and roar of the crowd can trigger a severe meltdown that is difficult to anticipate and control.
"They're frustrated and they're scared and they're just overwhelmed，" said Debra Forman， whose 8-year-old son， Adam， has autism. "You have to ask yourself if it's worth it."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that 1 in 68 children in the United States are on the autism spectrum. For many of these families， fear of how their child will react to new situations -- and how others will react to them -- keeps them from gaining everyday experiences others get to have.
"It is tough to go out into public，" said Shannan Maxwell， mother of Steven， 6. "When he's having a meltdown on the floor and the whole entire store's looking at you like you're a bad mom， you just want to go and crawl under a rock."
Dr. Wendy Ross was heartbroken to hear stories like this from families. The developmental pediatrician also knew that isolation didn't serve her patients well in the long run.
"If kids are not in the community， building their skills from very young ages， then there's no reason to expect them to be independent one day，" Ross said. "It's a social disability. It needs to be addressed in a social setting."
So in 2007， Ross set out to do just that. Today， her nonprofit， Autism Inclusion Resources， helps families affected by autism navigate challenging social situations， such as airport travel， sporting events and museum visits.
"If you start taking steps outside of your door， your world gets bigger and bigger，" said Ross， 43. "We just want people to have opportunities."
Many Major League Baseball teams hold annual "autism awareness nights，" when they take temporary measures such as lowering the volume on the public address system. But Ross wanted to do more.
"You can't turn down the volume of the world，" Ross said. "It's nice to do it for one night， but our goal is for families to be able to go to a game on any night."
To that end， Ross partnered with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012 to develop an innovative program.
对很多家庭来说，在棒球场呆上一夜是件难得的乐事，而对那些有着自闭症儿童的父母来讲，简直是场噩梦。自闭症患者对外界环境很敏感，因此比赛场地的灯光、音乐及人群的叫喊会导致他们出现难以预测和控制的危机。在美国每68个孩子中就有一个患有自闭症。由于父母担心他们无法面对新情况以及难以预测别人会如何对他们做出反应，这些孩子很少与外界接触，很难和同龄人一样每天从中获得经验、训练技能，导致其在日后无法真正独立起来。
儿科医生温蒂和她的非营利机构正在帮助深受自闭症影响的家庭应对社会环境的挑战，努力让这些孩子能真正地享受棒球比赛。
[http：//edition.cnn.com/2014/06/19/living/cnnheroes-ross/index.html？hpt=wo_bn6]
Autism causes a greater sensitivity to environmental stimulation. So the lights， music and roar of the crowd can trigger a severe meltdown that is difficult to anticipate and control.
"They're frustrated and they're scared and they're just overwhelmed，" said Debra Forman， whose 8-year-old son， Adam， has autism. "You have to ask yourself if it's worth it."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that 1 in 68 children in the United States are on the autism spectrum. For many of these families， fear of how their child will react to new situations -- and how others will react to them -- keeps them from gaining everyday experiences others get to have.
"It is tough to go out into public，" said Shannan Maxwell， mother of Steven， 6. "When he's having a meltdown on the floor and the whole entire store's looking at you like you're a bad mom， you just want to go and crawl under a rock."
Dr. Wendy Ross was heartbroken to hear stories like this from families. The developmental pediatrician also knew that isolation didn't serve her patients well in the long run.
"If kids are not in the community， building their skills from very young ages， then there's no reason to expect them to be independent one day，" Ross said. "It's a social disability. It needs to be addressed in a social setting."
So in 2007， Ross set out to do just that. Today， her nonprofit， Autism Inclusion Resources， helps families affected by autism navigate challenging social situations， such as airport travel， sporting events and museum visits.
"If you start taking steps outside of your door， your world gets bigger and bigger，" said Ross， 43. "We just want people to have opportunities."
Many Major League Baseball teams hold annual "autism awareness nights，" when they take temporary measures such as lowering the volume on the public address system. But Ross wanted to do more.
"You can't turn down the volume of the world，" Ross said. "It's nice to do it for one night， but our goal is for families to be able to go to a game on any night."
To that end， Ross partnered with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012 to develop an innovative program.
对很多家庭来说，在棒球场呆上一夜是件难得的乐事，而对那些有着自闭症儿童的父母来讲，简直是场噩梦。自闭症患者对外界环境很敏感，因此比赛场地的灯光、音乐及人群的叫喊会导致他们出现难以预测和控制的危机。在美国每68个孩子中就有一个患有自闭症。由于父母担心他们无法面对新情况以及难以预测别人会如何对他们做出反应，这些孩子很少与外界接触，很难和同龄人一样每天从中获得经验、训练技能，导致其在日后无法真正独立起来。
儿科医生温蒂和她的非营利机构正在帮助深受自闭症影响的家庭应对社会环境的挑战，努力让这些孩子能真正地享受棒球比赛。
[http：//edition.cnn.com/2014/06/19/living/cnnheroes-ross/index.html？hpt=wo_bn6]