Activities for Kids with Differences and Disabilities in the Dallas Area

Adapted Aquatics – The City of Dallas offers swim classes for persons with disabilities at the Bachman indoor pool.

Adept – This dance studio offers adaptive classes and performance, regardless of ability, on Saturdays in Plano.

Alamo Drafthouse – On Tuesdays before 2:00 p.m., the Alamo for All program offers screenings with the lights turned up and sound turned down. Some weekend screenings are adapted, too.

AMC – Enjoy a lights-up, sound-down screening on the second and forth Saturday. Feel free to get up, move around, and even raise your voice!

Chuck E. Cheese – On Sensory Sensitive Sunday, Chuck E. Cheese opens two hours early (9:00 a.m.) to offer a quieter environment, dimmed lighting, and a trained and caring staff on the first Sunday of each month.

Dallas Central Library Children’s Center – On sensory day, local arts and culture organizations collaborate to provide sensory-friendly play, spaces, and programming.

Dallas Children’s Theater – DCT offers a quiet room during its live, sensory-friendly shows. They also modify lights and sound.

Dallas Stars Adaptive Rookies – This indoor ice hockey league is for players with special needs and varying abilities.

Nasher Sculpture Center – The museum for all types of learners customizes experiences including those who have sensory processing challenges. Join its free, sensory-friendly, family event in person, or log on to access activities designed by occupational therapist students from Texas Women’s University.

North Texas Performing Arts – The Starcatchers program offers classes and camps that are shorter than theatre productions and focus on an individual topic or skill. Register for its free musical appreciation class certain Sundays, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Studio Movie Grill – Movies are shown with the lights up and the volume down. Feel free to move around, talk, or even dance in the aisles! Free for children with disabilities and their siblings.

Urban Air Adventure Park — Check out your local park’s weekly activities to catch the next sensory-friendly jump designed for children with a diagnosis on the spectrum.

We Rock the Spectrum – Located in Dallas, DeSoto, and Plano, this indoor playground offers social skills groups and arts and crafts for children across the spectrum.

YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas – The Y offers programs adapted for kids with disabilities, ages three and up, such as horseback riding, yoga, sport leagues, camps, and even field trips!

For more options for extracurricular fun, check out the thorough resource, “Extracurricular Activities for Kids in DFW.”

Acing Autism – A volunteer-driven non-profit organization dedicated to helping children with autism grow through the sport of tennis.

Carrollton Adaptive Programs – From adapted sport fields to sensory-friendly break areas, the city of Carrollton prioritizes the needs of its residents living with disabilities.

Coppell Special Olympics – This Special Olympics Texas Team offers year-round sports for people with intellectual disabilities.

Dallas Parks & Recreation – Certified therapeutic recreation specialists lead programs such as day camps, special Olympics, wheelchair basketball, and dances for individuals with disabilities.

Dallas Stars Adaptive Rookies – This indoor ice hockey league is for players with special needs and varying abilities.

Irving Special Needs Programs – The city of Irving offers an adult therapeutic day program, Irving Special Olympics, and the AquaStars swim program.

Richardson Adapted Recreation – Archery, dance, karate, and soccer are on offer at Heights Recreation Center’s program for adaptive recreation.

Six Flags Over Texas – As a Certified Autism Center, Six Flags provides personal care attendants, wheelchairs, and even welcomes service animals.

Allan Shivers Park – Scottish Rite Hospital’s playground is open to the public, and allows easy access and appropriate range-of-motion for children at all levels of physical ability.

Ann Eisemann Park – This Richardson playground features an adapted merry-go-round, high-backed plastic swings, roller slides, a double see-saw, sensory garden, an accessible restroom, and water fountain

Coffee Park – Murzin Playground located in University Park is a barrier-free playground that provides rubberized surfaces and uncontested pathways to all play equipment for children of all ages and abilities.

Cottonwood Creek – Head to Irving for this wheelchair-accessible playground, complete with shaded pavilions, smooth walkways, a pond, and playground.

Flagpole Hill – Just north of White Rock Lake, this all-abilities playground is encompassed by a walking trail, green spaces, and plenty of picnic tables.

Klyde Warren Park – This Dallas fixture was engineered for easy navigation of wheelchairs and includes accessible restrooms, a ramped entrance, soft surfaces, and multiple spraygrounds.

Playgrand Adventures – This Grand Prairie playground provides a safe, fun, and wheelchair-accessible playground experience for all ages and abilities.

A Kid Again – This organization curates a completely free adventure at Texas amusement parks and attractions for families who have a child facing life-threatening conditions.

Ability Connection – From in-home respite care to parents’ night out, this organization supports families of children and adults with varying disabilities.

ACES Dallas – If you are navigating a diagnosis on the spectrum, ACES supports parents with training and workshops. It also offers comprehensive autism therapy, utilizing ABA teachings and methodologies.

Achievement Center of Dallas – Located in Garland, ACT is a socialization center that specializes in caring for folks with intellectual or physical disabilities.

Autism Treatment Center Dallas – With locations in Dallas and Fort Worth and 25 group homes, ATC offers residential, educational, therapeutic, and adult services for autism.

Belay On Autism Services – This organization offers ABA therapy in-home, in-school, or at a community treatment center for children diagnosed with autism in North Texas.

Center for Biofeedback and Behavior Therapy – This Addison-based center provides cutting-edge therapy, proprietary counseling, and peripheral biofeedback techniques to assist physicians, parents, and patients.

DFW ASD – This site provides resources in support of our local autistic and neurodiverse community.

Elijah’s Retreat – This East Texas camp in the piny woods is a sanctuary for families facing an autism diagnosis.

It’s a Sensory World – This Farmers Branch-based center for neurodiverse individuals provides affordable support in the form of full-time education, extracurricular activities, seasonal camps, and a sensory gym.

Jewish Family Services of Greater Dallas – For more than 60 years, JFS has helped families living with disabilities reach their highest potential by providing resources such as speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, play therapists, and more.

Sensory Days Dallas – The Dallas Sensory Consortium partners with cultural, arts, and entertainment venues to make them inclusive, welcoming, and safe for visitors with autism and sensory challenges.