HOW could children with special needs and their parents watch a movie without distracting others and getting embarrassed when the child throws a tantrum?

A group of local therapists is advocating the adoption of movie settings, which would cater to the moods of special children.

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Called a sensory-friendly movie, the Play and Say Therapy Center, a hub that caters to special children, has tied up with the city’s largest mall to accommodate special kids in the cinema.

Justine Palou, a speech language therapist at the Play and Say, said the project is an outreach program of the center, aimed at raising public awareness on the need to be sensitive to the needs of special children.

A sensory-friendly movie goes beyond the setting of a regular movie house where lights are turned off and sounds are loud.

Modifications are made to fit into the sensibilities of the special kids, said Lua Limbo, another speech language pathologist from the Play and Say center.

Some 200 special kids, orphans, and indigents are targeted for the program. They will be treated to the animated movie Ice Age 3, which will be shown at the SM-Baguio cinema next month.

Jane Rose Alambra-Teodoro, a mother of a child with autism, said the cinema’s setting will go beyond the normal environment. Her group PMA Bantay-Laya 1994 Ladies’ Club is also a partner in the project.

“The cinema will not be as dark as a regular one, as there will be lights along the aisles. The sound will also be (lowered) so the kids will not be frightened,” Teodoro said.

She said the movie will give chance to the special children and their parents to see a film without being bothered when a child throws tantrum, since all those who would be watching are sharing the same compassion.

The sensory-friendly movie was first adopted in the United States and Teodoro said its adoption in Baguio will be the first in the Philippines.

The group wants local cinemas to be sensitive to the needs of the special kids, saying they too have the right to experience the pleasures normal children enjoy.

Tickets for the movie for the children with special needs will be given at a discounted price, through the assistance of the various sponsors of the activity.

The screening is scheduled July 11 at 2 to 4 pm. The time is devoted for the beneficiaries of the program.