Texas Children’s Hospital Autism Center and Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics opened its doors December 19 for its inaugural Parents’ Night Out event. Fourteen children participated in the event, which was open to clinic patients as well as their siblings. The event was staffed by volunteers from the Autism Center and Meyer Center, including physicians, psychologists, social workers, medical assistants, and administrative staff.
The idea to host a Parents’ Night Out came from a team discussion about how to give back to the patients and their families during the holiday season. Offering such an event allowed the clinic to reach several families and to give parents a much-valued gift: time. For many parents, finding reliable and trustworthy child care is difficult. For parents of children with developmental disabilities such as autism or intellectual disability, finding such child care is nearly impossible. This event provided parents with the peace of mind that their child was in a safe environment and was being cared for by trained professionals in a familiar place, which allowed the parents to then truly relax and enjoy a few hours to themselves. Many parents shared that it was the first time in months that they were able to spend the evening relaxing, going out to dinner, shopping, and going to the movies.
The children were welcomed by enthusiastic volunteers, and there were various activities and games set up for their enjoyment. Kids decorated holiday cards and cookies, played Nintendo Wii, board games and musical instruments, and kept busy playing soccer and catch. The children interacted really well together, and it is safe to say that everybody made some new friends that evening. Many parents told staff the following week that their kids kept asking when they were going to see their “new friends” again, and when they get to go “back to their doctor’s office to play.”
All in all, it was a successful evening. The children had a great time, the parents were extremely appreciative of the time volunteered by the staff, and the volunteers enjoyed spending time with the kids outside of the clinic setting. It was a wonderful way for the Autism Center and Meyer Center to kick off the holiday season!