Clowning for Autistic Kids

[OkiDoki]

Altough most things are already said here my 2cents worth.

I personally love to perform for people with special needs. Why? Because of their unpredictability. Does this sound strange? Maybe but when you perform open minded, flexible, with ease and let happen what happens the most wonderfull things can happen. The intensity is much higher than in normal performances and that makes it so special.

Pickles enjoy this rollercoasterride.

P.s. In these kind of performances I also often go in a lower gear. Do things less suddenly but be more preparetive. In this meantime constantly try to sence where they are standing towards where you are going to with your performance. This way you've got some control over the rollercoaster. It does stay a roalercoaster though

[Pickles]

Hey, Clowns!

Today I did the birthday party for the autistic boy and all his classmates (remember, this is the party I've been fretting over for the past couple months).

I'm happy to report that the party was.....A BLAST!!!

These kids were so sweet and so much fun. There was one little boy who was absolutely mesmerized by me. I kneeled down so he could get close to me, and he put his head right up to mine and repeatedly touched my nose. Then he flapped his arms and laughed hysterically. He did the same thing with my bowtie, my dress, and my shoes. Then he started all over again with my nose. When we were dancing the "Hokey Pokey," the same little boy came over to me and started hugging me. So I picked him up and danced with him for the rest of the song. It was really a neat moment.

I definitely over-prepared for the event, bringing way more activities than I needed. I didn't use half of what I brought, but that's okay. The bubbles were a huge hit. Ohmygoodness, the kids played with them forever. I brought my battery-operated bubble machine, and they loved it -- especially the birthday boy. I also had bubble wands of all different sizes, and they had so much fun with them.

There was also a petting zoo at this party -- a baby llama, piglets, deer, goats, rabbits, and exotic chickens (who incidentally laid an egg during the party!). Some of the autistic kids weren't really interested in sitting during the entirety of my magic show, so they kind of wandered back and forth from my show to the petting zoo. It actually worked out really well. Our magic words for the magic tricks were "Wow, Patrick's 4!" and sometimes -- even when Patrick wasn't taking part in the magic show, he would turn around and smile when he heard his name.

Remember how paranoid I was about popping balloons and how these kids might react to that? Well, we did balloon hats & animals, and they DID pop. But the kids thought the popping balloons were FUNNY! Whew, what a relief!

And, get this, the birthday party mom gave me a $60 tip! Wow. That's never happened before. (If you will recall, I'm the clown who started the whiney thread about never getting tips. I'll never complain again.)

So, a HUGE thank you to all of you who have been sharing your experiences with me; you were very helpful. I know a couple of you included me in your prayers, too, and I really appreciate it.

[Pinky59]

I had all the faith in you that it would come out as a blessing, and it did! I know the family was privileged to have you there, and they demonstrated how much they appreciated it (the tip). You go, Pickles!!!

[Nettie Belle]

Pickles ... you're awesome! I'm so happy things turned out so well. And a $60 tip? Wow! That's super. I had no doubts in you. I'm sure you will be called back year after year after year.

[MrsFix]

Outstanding! I'm so glad it went well. :-)

Of course, I am going to have to handle my own autistic kid's birthday party on July 19th--as mom AND face painter AND a bit of a clown. ;-) Zoe LOVES the rainbow chips, coin trick (disappear and behind ear), and magic coloring book.

Just curious... What activities worked well for you? If you're willing to compare notes, maybe I can get some ideas for some of the other kids' birthdays. The special ed people in the district know me, so maybe we can get a referral thing going.

You have no idea how much special needs parents network. You may get a lot of word of mouth about this.

Most important, I'm glad it worked out so well. You are awesome!

[The_Princess_of_Bozonia]

Awesome Pickles!

[Fitzwilly]

Very well done Pickles! A pat on the back for you.

[tim]

I WANT TO GO TO THE PETTING ZOO!

(Tim misses Santa's Village.)

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by MrsFix

Just curious... What activities worked well for you?

Well, I would say that the birthday kid's mom definitely knew what she was doing when she planned this party. At most parties, everybody does the same activity at the same time, e.g. everybody watches the magic show, everybody eats their cake, etc. At this party, you could either eat, pet the sheep and other exotic animals, or hang with the clown. The autistic kids didn't have great attention spans, so it worked out so well for them to be able to go back and forth from different activities.

All of the kids' parents and siblings were invited, too, so that the birthday kid's mom wasn't responsible for watching all the kids. Smart move on the part of the mom.

I would say that the autistic kids liked the bubbles and the music the best. They did enjoy the visual aspects of the magic (Foam Cake from Dove Pan, Blooming Bouquet, Flowers from Invisible Seeds), but they couldn't sit and listen to the patter. However, it was essential to have the patter for the non-autistic kids.

One funny moment was when I was going to turn a little boy into a rabbit. He said that he needed to go ask his mom if it was okay. So I stopped the magic show while he ran to the other side of the yard to get permission to be turned into a rabbit. His mom didn't even hesitate before she gave me the go-ahead. (I did turn him back into a boy again.)

The dancing was also pretty humorous. At one point when we were wildly flapping our wings during the "Chicken Dance," I happened to glance over at the sheep. All four of them were standing together intently watching our dancing. I think if they hadn't been in a pen they would have joined us.

As I mentioned earlier, all the kids seemed to enjoy the balloons. Early in the party, some of the autistic kids indicated that they did not want balloon hats or animals, but by the end of the party, they were asking for them. They really enjoyed watching me inflate them. I think we were all fortunate that none of the party-goers minded the sound of balloons popping -- this could probably present a problem for some autistic kids.

I am sad that I didn't get a chance to use some of the props I had brought to the party. I had my "Bunny in Top Hat" puppet along, but we didn't have time for that. I also had my "Clarissa the Caterpillar" magic flower, but I didn't get a chance to do that either. I would have liked to see what type of reaction I would have gotten to those. I also realized that we never got to use my lip-shaped whizzers for our birthday march. Oh well. Next time.

Mrs. Fix, if I were you, I would try to get a friend or relative to step in to take over your "mom" role at your child's party. I have tried to be both a clown and mother at my kids' parties, and it's very difficult to switch back and forth -- especially when wearing a wig and red nose.

I don't know if this post answered any of your questions, but if there's anything I can do to help you, let me know.

[Fifi D. Clown]

Pickles,
That is wonderful that your party went so great. Doesn't it seem that the parties we spend the most time fretting over (and so preparing for) turn out the best. If we just remember to go with the flow once we get there.
CONGRATULATIONS!