Mum and autistic son 'embarrassed' into leaving circus show

The mother of an autistic child has said she was "embarrassed" into leaving a circus performance half way through because staff did not understand her son's behaviour.

Kendra Hazlett and son Albie, who is five, were ringside at the performance on Wednesday night.

Kendra said they were left with no choice but to leave mid-performance after being asked twice for Albie, who is non verbal, to be "put in his seat".

Tom Duffy's Circus said it was committed to "making reasonable adjustments for all audience members" while ensuring audience safety protocols were adhered to.

"We had not been aware of Albie's disability in advance and didn't have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment, offer more suitable seats, or inform our staff of his needs prior to the show starting," the circus said.

They added that have now been in contact with Kendra to discuss her and Albie's experience.

Kendra said she had booked a ringside cubicle for the performance in Londonderry on Wednesday.

The family have been "three or four times before," she told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

"Any time we've went before, there's never been an issue. It's always been great," she said, adding that Albie loves "the lights" and the ringside cubicle allows him to "be up close and see everything".

"He likes to stand up and just basically watch that from start to finish."

As the performance got under way, Kendra said a staff member approached.

"He said: 'Put him in his seat'. I tried to explain that that was pretty much impossible.

"I tried to explain Albie's needs and that I would have a close eye on him. He wasn't anywhere that he shouldn't have been."

She added: "He wasn't hanging off railings or anything like that. He was just jumping and stimming, slapping his arms and making noises. That's how he shows how happy he is. So he was very, very happy."

Stimming, or self-stimulating behaviour, includes arm or hand-flapping, finger-flicking, rocking, jumping, spinning or twirling, head-banging and complex body movements, according to the National Autistic Society.

Kendra said the staff member approached a second time and she was again asked to "put Albie in his seat".

"I was left so embarrassed because there was other people as well. Then we had to take Albie out because we knew that he wasn't going to stop stimming. You can't expect an autistic child who's excited to stop stimming and just sit still.

"It's physically not possible. So we felt like we had to leave - that just caused Albie complete distress at that point."

In a statement, Tom Duffy's Circus said it placed the utmost importance on its audience enjoying a "safe and inclusive environment".

Before every show, audiences are advised to remain seated and keep their hands within the ring fences, the circus said.

"Our staff are also trained to advise audiences of these safety protocols when seating guests in ringside areas, and to provide polite reminders during the performance if there are concerns about individuals leaning or reaching over the fences."

That, the circus said, keeps performers safe and allows the audience to enjoy the experience.

"The circus would like to emphasise that these requests are made in the interest of safety and are never intended to cause offence or result in a negative experience."

Duffy's Circus added that it was committed to making any reasonable adjustments for audience members and circus goers should flag any additional requirements in advance.

It said they had offered Kendra and Albie a one-on-one tour of the circus and had outlined to the family plans to "improve the overall customer experience, including updated autism staff training".