REPORTING. At Paris Basketball, a “sensory room” allows autistic children to enjoy matches in a suitable space

For its matches, Paris Basketball is the only French club to be equipped with a sensory room. That of the Adidas Arena, where the Turks of Fenerbahce and Paris Basketball will compete this Wednesday, allows children with autism spectrum disorders to experience the matches in an environment adapted to their needs.

Paul, a 17-year-old teenager, is happy to be there because, for him, attending a basketball game is brand new. He is autistic and even if he is deaf with hearing aids, the experience can be intense. With the lights and the crowds, a calmer break is sometimes necessary.

His father accompanies him to a dedicated space, behind the stands, with enveloping sofas facing a large screen. All in subdued light. “There is a fallback tent, it’s a tent where children can go to calm down,” explains Méline Marchina, head of the Paris Basketball Foundation. “There are games, anti-stress balls, coloring books, a whole bunch of things that we bought to make this place welcoming.”

“Yes, I like the match,” said Paul. It's a step forward for Thomas, his father: "There are forms of autism where children are in pain and may have difficulty remaining calm, and it's not their fault. Typically, this kind of environment also helps reassure parents to say that the child is going to be okay, that everyone is going to be okay and that it's going to be a great time."

For Pascal Andrieux, director of societal engagement at Malakoff Humanis, who helped implement this sensory space, this first for an indoor sport must call for others: "There are not enough sensory rooms. There are some at Paris FC, I think there is one in Metz. We have just created one at Aviron bayonnais. We are creating one at the end of the month at the Stade français. We have the chance to be at Paris Basket which opens this room."

“The idea,” continues Pascal Andrieux, “is that all the rooms, all the Top 14 clubs, all the Ligue 1, Pro D2, Ligue 2 clubs, develop these sensory room spaces. It already exists a little in the culture. When we go to music festivals now, there are specific spaces, sensory rooms for children. go there to enjoy the show with their loved ones, their friends, their brothers and sisters."

This room will be accessible to all matches with the presence, for 10 matches this season, of educators and psychologists.