Having an autistic family member makes a lot of things in life more difficult. Including taking vacations. The Clinton Inn Hotel in Tenafly, New Jersey is hoping to change that. Their new Alpine Suite is specifically designed for families with autistic kids.
Featuring furniture with rounded corners which cannot be moved, an alarm on the door to alert grownups if a child tries to leave, plastic glasses instead of glassware, flat-panel television set affixed to the wall and safety latches on all the cabinets and drawers, the Alpine is a safe place for children with varying degrees of developmental difficulties.
Tony Morreale, the hotel’s manager, has an autistic child of his own. After struggling to find a hotel that would be safe for his family, he realized just how few options are available to the growing number of families dealing with autism.
Autism is a neural development disorder that causes varying degrees of impaired social interaction and communication, including restricted and repetitive behavior. Symptoms typically begin before age three. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering synaptic organization, a process that is still not well understood. The causes of autism are still unclear, many suspect environmental causes, though maternal age and genetics are clearly also factors. Autism is four times more likely in males than females and sharp increase in autism diagnosis’ since 1980 may or may not simply be due to new diagnostic techniques. According to a report from a New Jersey task force, 1 in 94 children in New Jersey has a form of autism. About 1 in 110 children nationwide fall somewhere on the Autism spectrum. There is no known cure.
But at least they now have a safe, friendly hotel to stay at.
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