Families with autism enjoy night out at Bridgewater restaurant

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — A restaurant in Bridgewater set up a special night for families with autism.

Crispi's, an Italian restaurant owned by Laura Crispi, opened up their doors to those families on Monday night, who may not have the easiest time going out to eat in public.

"It doesn't matter," Crispi said. "It doesn't matter if you make noise, if you get up and down. You can just have dinner."

Erin Desrochers, a behavioral therapist, said the opportunity was a rare one for those families.

"They want to do it, and they're not really given the opportunities a lot of times," Desrochers said.

Family after family took Crispi up on her offer, including Chrissi Steele. Steele brought her family, including her son Daniel.

"When you have a room full of people all in the same boat, it makes it easier," Steele said.

More than 90 reservations were booked, which is more than the usual 60 people who visit the restaurant on a regular Monday night.

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Sean Noonan said this idea was perfect for his family, especially given the usual difficulty the family had when they tried to take their son, Connor, out to eat.

"When he was young, it was too loud, noisy or the wait was too long," Noonan said. "We were really precluded from going to any restaurants. We think it’s a great idea and think it should be happening more often.”

Cox Media Group