Holiday Party at Stone Fire Pizza
75 families are expected to celebrate the holiday season together, but it’s their commonality that often causes them to feel alone.
“When my son was diagnosed with autism, the doctor told us the incident rate was two in 10,000,” says the Autism Society of Southeast Wisconsin’s Executive Director Emily Levine. “Today, it’s one in 150.”
Autism rates are on the rise in Wisconsin. With it, the level of misunderstanding from the non-affected public. That’s why StoneFire Pizza Company has opened its doors this Sunday from 5:00pm to 8:00pm for some 300 people dealing with autism today.
“When you have a child with a developmental disability, they’re not going to act like other children,” Levine says. “That’s very isolating for families. We’re grateful to StoneFire Pizza for allowing us to have this event so these families don’t have to feel self-conscious or like they’re being judged.”
Autistic children can display a wide range of quirky and sometimes disruptive behavior. Because of this, families dealing with autism are sometimes told they can’t dine in certain places, must remove the troubled child or are simply stared at.
“These folks are just like anyone else,” says StoneFire Pizza Company General Manager Ted Cutting, “and we’re honored to be able to give them a fun, safe environment for this party. No one’s going to treat them differently here, and I hope other business owners will see the value in protecting and helping these families any way they can.”