The sign outside the room reads “North Pole.”
Santa Claus sits inside the room, ready for kids. The lighting is low. The room is small. There’s a love seat, and a Christmas tree with presents under it. Wyatt Lovato, 6, enters the room to sit with Santa.
No kids are lined up behind him, waiting to meet Santa, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
On Tuesday, Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center’s pediatric rehabilitation unit hosted a sensory-friendly Santa event for young patients who aren’t comfortable with visiting Santa in a mall or noisy, crowded environments.
About 30 kids visited Santa that day. Cara Cram, a pediatric physical therapist at Legacy, said those kids might be on the autism spectrum, have Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or might prefer not to be in busier environments.
According to Disability Scoop, a news organization covering development disabilities, there are close to 750 sensory-friendly Santa events planned at U.S. shopping centers this holiday season. The Santas are trained for interacting with kids who have special needs.
Wyatt, who has cerebral palsy, visited Santa with his caregiver Christiana Jones, who has been working with Wyatt for about a year. She said the environment was perfect for Wyatt, since there wasn’t much overstimulation like a mall would have.
“Who wouldn’t want to come see Santa?” Jones said. “He loved it. He’s going to be telling everyone he knows about it throughout the week.”
‘It’s awesome’
Josh Cavazos brought his 4-year-old daughter, Charlotte, after she had physical and speech therapy near the sensory Santa. Legacy staff invited them over to meet Santa, and they couldn’t decline the offer.
“It’s awesome. She was really excited to see him,” Cavazos said.
Cram said the hospital wanted to have a sensory Santa since so many kids in the pediatric rehabilitation unit can’t visit Santa in the mall. But it also is helpful to parents, who check that item off the Christmas list without having to track down a time and place to see Santa. They could just stop by his makeshift North Pole after an appointment Tuesday.
“People were really thankful it was here and available and they didn’t have to seek it out somewhere,” Cram said.
Lisa Lyons, manager of the children’s center, said there were smiles and hugs throughout the three-hour event. She said the sensory-friendly event provided a piece of normalcy to kids, and made sure they weren’t missing out on a special holiday tradition.
“Families want their kids to experience all the things kids normally experience,” Lyons said.
