When I Took My Daughter With Sensory Processing Disorder to the Blue Man Group

We went to Las Vegas for spring break to see the Blue Man Group. I had heard great things about the show in my parent support groups, so I thought it would be the perfect show for my kids. My daughter Ashlynn has a formal diagnosis of sensory processing disorder (SPD).  My son is not formally diagnosed, but he has sensory issues.

Many kids with SPD can become overstimulated to the point of total meltdown. Stimuli, whether visual, auditory, tactile or any combination of the above, can completely overwhelm a child with SPD. To make it all the more complicated, each child is unique in their sensory profile. For example, many kids (like my son), are extremely sensitive to tactile (touch) stimuli. They’re the kids who may complain about a clothing tag or rip off clothing because it hurts. I’m not an occupational therapist, but from my understanding, this is considered “over-responsive.”

Ashlynn is actually the opposite in the tactile department, and I’ve found many kids with global apraxia tend to have her presentation. She’s actually “under-responsive.” Ashlynn is the toughest chick I know. She looks sweet, right? She is, but I have seen this kid get goose eggs, have blood literally running down her leg and even accidentally get a tourniquet from a hair wrapped around her toe, and she has never cried. Heck, she didn’t even whimper. This has gotten better as she has matured, but let’s just say if Ashlynn is in pain, I come running because it must be bad.

The opposite, though, is true regarding visual and auditory stimuli. She’s definitely over-responsive. Any visual or auditory stimuli completely distracts her. This is especially true if it’s stimuli she hasn’t yet experienced.

Two of her speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have told me “she needs to take everything in.” Unfortunately, this has an impact on her attention. Despite this, she’s never been so overwhelmed to the point of total meltdown. SPD is commonly associated with autism, and some children with autism can get so overwhelmed that they have complete behavioral meltdowns. Ashlynn has meltdowns, but they are manageable.

So what does all this have to do with The Blue Man Group? Well, I saw that they were going to create an autism-friendly show.

So, long story short, I figured this show was a win-win. I was surprised, though, when Ashlynn started asking me if it was time to go back to the hotel. She looked distressed each time she asked. The show switches activities a lot. She would acclimate to one activity and be OK, but when it switched, she would be back to distressed mode. Then I did something I’ve never done with her: I covered her ears with my hands. She instantly relaxed in my arms, so I held them there.

It had only been about five minutes when my husband, looking confused, handed me a pack of earplugs. He said he was told to just pass them down. I smiled and put them in Ashlynn’s ears. They were perfect. She enjoyed the rest of the show without incident. I literally wanted to kiss whoever gave those to her.

I didn’t know if it was a parent or a staff member who gave us the earplugs until after the show. I asked my husband, and he verified it was a staffer who asked everyone to pass them down our way. I almost teared up on the spot. Who noticed that? Who took action? Are they always prepared for that? Is this why they have a great reputation with kids with special needs? I had so many unanswered questions.

At the end of the show, we had a chance to take pictures with one of the Blue Man Group performers. They don’t talk, even after the show. I’m sure he saw the earplugs in her ears, and even though he stood when he was with the other kids, he immediately knelt down when he saw Ashlynn. And he stayed there.

I was trying to get a good picture, but as her SLPs would say, “She was taking it all in.” She kept staring at him and never looked at me or my camera. He let her. He was kind and patient. Others wanted their photo op, but he never hurried us along. He wanted her to feel safe. He wanted her to understand. He wanted her to take it all in and not feel pressured.

He seemed to know how important it was for me to get a good picture, and no one else seemed to matter during the time he was with her. Because of his kindness, I didn’t even care anymore that she didn’t look at the camera.

It was just a beautiful moment, and that’s what I wanted to capture. After this experience they are my new favorite. I truly can’t say enough.

Follow this journey on SLP Mommy of Apraxia.

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