Meeting the Needs of those Living with Autism Across the Lifespan

Meeting the Needs of those Living with Autism Across the Lifespan

Autism Awareness Day at Fenway Park! We hope that this Guide to the Game will make you more comfortable about your big day at the ballpark. As you will see, there s no reason to be scared or anxious. Red Sox games are supposed to be lots of fun! Keep reading to find out more about what you can expect at Fenway Park!

To get to the Red Sox game, you and your family might choose to: Drive to the stadium If you do, be prepared to sit in some traffic. Lots of other Red Sox fans will be driving to the game too! Once you get near the stadium, there are a lot of places to park your car. Click on this link below for some ideas for parking: Parking at Fenway

To get to the Red Sox game, you and your family might choose to: Take a Train also known as the T! There are 2 train stops you can use to get to Fenway Park: Kenmore Square Fenway Remember to watch the gap when you step off the train!

Fenway Park Home of the Boston Red Sox! Here s what Fenway Park looks like from the outside. This is where you ll be spending your fun day with friends and family on Autism Awareness Day!

Time to Go Inside the Stadium! Before you can enter Fenway Park, you ll need to do 2 things: 1. Go through security The security guard will touch you lightly on your pockets. That s ok! He will also ask to look inside your bag (if you bring one). No big deal. This will be faster and easier if you are ready for him watch the person in line in front of you. There might be a line to get through security. It doesn t take long. Just try to be patient and stay calm. Fun is just ahead!

Time to Go Inside the Stadium! 2. Show your ticket to the ticket-taker Now it s time to go inside!

Before the game Yawkey Way Before the game begins, you can have some fun on Yawkey Way. You can get to Yawkey Way through Gate A or Gate D with your ticket and join the carnival-like scene! You ll see Big League Brian the stilt walker, a brass band, face painter, balloon artist and juggler. You can also see how fast you can throw a baseball!

Inside Fenway Park Before the Game There will be signs that tell you where to go inside the stadium. You and your family & friends can decide where you want to go first. You ll be able to see the field from almost anywhere in the stadium. So you can walk around and check out different spots without missing the game!

Inside Fenway Park Before the Game Sights: There will be LOTS of Red Sox fans at Fenway Park! Most of them will be very friendly, but not all of them. Even though everyone is rooting for the same team, that doesn t mean that it s safe to talk to strangers by yourself or walk away from your family and friends. Be careful! People will be walking around before the game buying food and checking out the different parts of the stadium. You will see people of all different ages, sizes, shapes, colors, and abilities. You don t need to ask anyone about how they look.

Inside Fenway Park Before the Game More Sights: Most fans will be wearing the Red Sox colors: red and blue. Lots of them will be wearing Red Sox hats and baseball shirts or jerseys. That s cool! It s a way of showing other people that they like the Red Sox! You ll also notice the huge scoreboard in the outfield part of the ballpark. It s got an awesome video screen! Plus, it will help you know who is up at-bat and which team is winning. They might show instant replays here too.

Inside Fenway Park Before the Game Sounds: You ll hear music playing through the speakers around the stadium. Don t worry, it won t be too loud. You might like some of the songs! You will also hear a kind of low murmur of the crowd. At first it will be quiet, but it will grow louder as more and more fans show up. It s ok to cover your ears when it gets too loud.

Inside Fenway Park Before the Game Smells: You will smell lots of different foods throughout the stadium. Some of them you will like, and some of them you may not like. That s ok. You can always ask if you can move away from a bad smell. Some of the foods you can expect to smell are hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels, sausage & peppers, nachos, French fries, and beer.

Inside Fenway Park Before the Game The game is about to start - time to find your seat! There are 3 important numbers on your ticket: a section, a row, and a seat number. Show your ticket to an usher, who will be in a red jacket or shirt. The usher will help you find your exact seat. The most important number to remember is your section number. Keep your ticket in your pocket just in case you forget!

Game Time - Play Ball! Before every baseball game, someone always sings our National Anthem. The announcer will ask everyone to stand up and remove our hats (if you are wearing one). Then the song will start. The singer will use a microphone - it won t be too loud, but it s ok to cover your ears if you need to. It s also great to sing along!

Game Time - Play Ball! One more thing before the game starts: someone needs to throw out the first pitch! This might be a celebrity or an important person or even a child. You can cheer them on!

During the Game The announcer will announce the name and position of each player as they come up to bat. Each player will walk up to the plate while one of his favorite songs plays over the speakers. Sometimes this music can be a bit loud, but it only lasts for about 10 seconds. It might be one of your favorite songs too!

During the Game Each inning has 2 parts: one for the visiting team to bat, and one for the home team, the Red Sox, to hit. Both teams will try to score as many runs as they can before they make 3 outs each inning. You can cheer for both teams. But most fans at Fenway Park will only be cheering for the Red Sox! Cheering can be yelling things like, Let s Go Red Sox! and We want a hit! or just clapping your hands.

When Most Fans Cheer the Loudest Homeruns! Strikeouts! Great Plays! Plays at the Plate!

When Most Fans Cheer the Loudest The most exciting play - and when Fenway Park will be the loudest - might be when the Red Sox hit a home run! That means that a Red Sox batter hits the ball out of the park! When this happens, everyone will stand up and cheer. You should too! And don t worry - it won t be loud for too long.

During the Game The Quiet Zone While you re at the game, if the sounds you hear make you uncomfortable, or you just need a break from all the noise, don t worry! The Red Sox have a special place for you called the Quiet Zone. The Quiet Zone is located in the Champions Club, just beyond the Big Concourse under the right field grandstand. There will be signs directing you and the map on the next page will help too!

During the Game The Quiet Zone Quiet Zone

During the Game First Aid Fenway Park is very safe for fans to enjoy the game but just in case anyone needs medical attention, you can go to the First Aid station. It s located in Section 12 on the concourse along the first baseline.

During the Game You will also see and hear lots of vendors. These are people who walk around Fenway Park selling treats like food, drinks, and souvenirs. All of these things cost money. If you want to buy something, try yelling out Hey! or waving to them. Or you can ask for help from someone you re sitting with.

Wally the Green Monster Wally the Green Monster is the very friendly mascot of the Boston Red Sox. He might look strange to some people, but he is always nice to all fans. He is also very quiet - he never says a word! But he will wave his arms and give lots of hi-fives!

The 7th Inning Stretch After the top of the 7th inning, it s part of baseball tradition for fans to stand up and stretch their arms and legs. This is called the 7 th Inning Stretch! You will hear a song play through the speakers called Take Me Out to the Ball Game. The words will be shown up on the video screen. Lots of people like to sing along!

The 8th Inning: Sweet Caroline In a tradition unique to Fenway Park, after the top of the 8 th inning, the crowd sings the song Sweet Caroline. You can sing along too! Everyone loves the chorus so good, so good, so good! And don t worry if you don t know the words they ll be on the videoboard!

The most important thing to remember while you are at Fenway Park is this: Red Sox games are meant to be fun! You should be comfortable and enjoy yourself with your friends & family. If there is a problem or you feel anxious or frustrated, please tell someone. Ask for help. It s ok!

Questions? We are here to help Please feel free to email us at familyservices@autismspeaks.org Or call us 1 888 Autism2 Or visit the Boston Red Sox website: redsox.mlb.com.