Dollywood Adds ‘Calming Room’ For Autism

Dollywood, the Dolly-Parton owned themepark, has opened a calming room so that families of children with autism have a place for when they have sensory overload. The feature is the first of its kind at any theme park in the world, according to reports. Dollywood partnered with Autism Speaks on the room’s features and layout. “The children, as soon as they come in, will just go into the teepee and be by themselves,” said Judy Toth, with the Ride Accessibility Center at Dollywood. “We have the fiber optic lighting, and they will either sit or lay down and just look at the lights.”