Around Town
‘It’s Very Special’: New Canaan Y Co-Hosts Autism Awareness Family Fun Day
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Town resident Maura Delany held back tears Saturday afternoon watching her 14-year-old daughter Lila step across a trampoline in the Kid Zone at the New Canaan YMCA. A Saxe Middle School student who has autism, Lila Delany had missed last year’s inaugural Autism Awareness Family Fun Day—co-hosted by a local organization, Inclusive Together, in partnership with the Y—because she was scared, according to her mom. “I’ve never actually really seen her play as much as she is right now, so it’s amazing for her,” Delany said as her daughter moved freely among the kid-friendly equipment with other children and teens. Delany added: “I’m trying to hold back tears right now because she went on the trampoline for the first time today. It’s very special.”
The free 90-minute event, part of the Y’s celebration of Autism Awareness Month, saw 12 families with 23 kids play in the Kid Zone and do activities in another room at the Y where a Sherman-based company, Sensory on Wheels, set up a “slime bar” and stations with dyed salt, beans and lentils, balls, scarves and other items designed to empower the kids by helping fulfill their sensory needs in a natural, child-led environment.