The Rand family of Victorville, CA, has begun hosting “Autism Eats” events at local restaurants for families with children who are autistic or who have special needs. The objective of these social events is to bring families of autistic children together in an informal atmosphere to have conversations with like-minded people. The Rands themselves have an autistic child.
Events that are inclusive of families dealing with autism shows true support.
The events allow families to enjoy a meal in a nonjudgmental environment where everyone understands the challenges presented while raising an autistic child. Families provide each other support and encouragement, and openly share experiences—which can be especially beneficial to those with newly-diagnosed autistic children. The camaraderie helps build mutually beneficial relationships.
The Rands said many times their family has visited an eatery where Peyton has acted out because the pizza has “off colors” or the noise was too loud. Their son has also been known to scream, attack his parents or inflict injury on himself.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- The couple made the decision to host “Autism Eats” events for families who want to enjoy a good meal and conservation with like-minded people who have children with autism or special needs.
- It’s a place where you don’t feel the need to educate people before anything happens
- Autism Eats was created by an East Coast family who wanted to provide an autism-friendly, non-judgmental environments for family dining, socializing and connecting with others who share similar joys and challenges
See MTSS for schools
Is your child struggling in school?
Get your free personalized learning roadmap
You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.
- Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
- Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
- You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
- Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly
Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.
Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
