Meeting the Needs of those Living with Autism Across the Lifespan

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Allyson Verity McCarthy
5 years ago
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2 Meeting the Needs of those Living with Autism Across the Lifespan

3 Autism Awareness Day At Oriole Park at Camden Yards! We hope that this Guide to the Game will make you more comfortable about your big day at the ball park. As you will see, there s no reason to be scared or anxious. Orioles games are supposed to be lots of fun! Keep clicking to find out more about what you can expect on at Camden Yards

4 To get to the Orioles 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 Orioles fans will be driving to the game too! Once you get there, you might need to walk across the big, busy parking lot. Be careful and keep your eyes up! Holding hands is a good idea here.

5 To get to the O s game, you and your family might choose to: Take the Light Rail to Camden Yards

6 Camden Yards Stadium of the Baltimore Orioles Here s what Camden Yards 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 Camden Yards, you ll need to do 2 things: 1. Go through security The security guard will touch you lightly on your pockets. That s ok!

7 Time to Go Inside the Stadium! Before you can enter Camden Yards, 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!

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

You and your family & friends can decide where you want to go first.

9 Inside Camden Yards Before the Game There will be signs that tell you where you 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!

10 Inside Camden Yards Before the Game Sights: There will be LOTS of O s fans at Camden Yards! 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.

It s a way of showing other people that they like the Orioles!

11 Inside Camden Yards Before the Game More Sights: Most fans will be wearing the O s colors: orange and black. Lots of them will be wearing O s hats and baseball shirts or jerseys. That s cool! It s a way of showing other people that they like the Orioles! You ll also notice the huge scoreboard in the center-field part of the ball park. 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 Camden Yards 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!

12 Inside Camden Yards 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! The scoreboard will also be playing some advertisements like the ones you see on TV. 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 Camden Yards 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.

13 Inside Camden Yards 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 Camden Yards Before the Game The game is about to start - Time to find your seat! Make sure you have your ticket. That will tell you and the usher where you re supposed to sit.

14 Inside Camden Yards Before the Game The game is about to start - Time to find your seat! Make sure you have your ticket. That will tell you and the usher where you re supposed to sit. There are 3 important numbers on your ticket: a section, a row, and a seat number. The most important number to remember (in case you lose your ticket or get separated) is your section number. But keep your ticket in your pocket just in case.

15 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!

16 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!

17 During the Game The announcer will announce the name and position of every player as they come up to bat. Each player will also 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!

18 During the Game Each inning has 2 halves: one for the visiting team to have a chance at-bat, and one for the O s chance to hit. Both teams will try to score as many runs as they can every inning before they get 3 outs. You can cheer for both teams. But most fans at Camden Yards will only be cheering for the O s! Cheering can be yelling things like, Let s Go O s! and We want a hit! or just clapping your hands.

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

20 When Most Fans Cheer the Loudest The most exciting play - and when Camden Yard swill be the loudest - might be when the O s hit a home run! That means that a O s batter hits the ball out of the park!

During the Game Sometimes you will hear sound effects that come out of the speakers around Camden Yards. They might sound like hands clapping or like a trumpet tooting.

21 During the Game Sometimes you will hear sound effects that come out of the speakers around Camden Yards. They might sound like hands clapping or like a trumpet tooting. They can sometimes seem loud to us. It s ok because they last less than one minute. The O s do this when they want their fans (like you!) to start cheering louder. They might want the fans to yell, Let s Go O s! Let s Go O s! or Chaaaarge!

During the Game You will also see and hear lots of vendors. These are people who walk around Camden Yards selling treats like food, drinks, and souvenirs.

22 During the Game You will also see and hear lots of vendors. These are people who walk around Camden Yards selling treats like food, drinks, and souvenirs. All of these things cost money. It 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.

23 During the Game Bored? Need a break from the game? Check this out! Camden Yards have number memorials for the greatest Oriole players. There is also a statue of Babe Ruth, the great New York Yankee who was born in Baltimore.

24 The Oriole Bird The Oriole Bird is the mascot of Baltimore Orioles. 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!

25 The most important thing to remember while you are at Camden Yards is this: O s games are meant to be fun! You should be comfortable and enjoying 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!

27 Questions? We are here to help Please feel free to us at Or call us Autism2 Or visit the Baltimore Orioles at their website:

Meeting the Needs of those Living with Autism Across the Lifespan

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