Blake Austin couldn't sit still in his seat at a recent screening of the animated "Monsters Vs. Aliens." So, the 7-year-old from Laurel got up and ran into the lobby. He took this sort of impromptu break from the movie about every 15 minutes.

During one of his breaks, while he was running in the sunlit, popcorn-scented lobby of Columbia's AMC Theatres with his mother hurriedly trailing behind, another child, 5-year-old Fabio Navarro, of Ellicott City, was running back into the theater, waving his hands and squealing with excitement.

There were no complaints from the 40 or so other patrons sitting in Theater 6 that day. And, management didn't mind at all.

Every parent who paid for the $6 10 a.m. show on April 4 had gone to the screening for the same reason. The "sensory-friendly" showing -- where volume was kept low, lights were kept on and trailers were omitted -- allowed children with autism and other sensory-related conditions to watch a movie at the theater without the fear of disturbing others or being asked to leave.

Autism is a developmental disability that affects one's ability to communicate and interact. It can heighten one's sensitivity to environmental stimulation.

"We don't go to normal movies because people would be throwing a fit because he'd be walking around," said Jennifer Austin, Blake's mother. "People here are so tolerant because they're all in the same boat."

Blake is autistic and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Fabio also has autism, and spent much of the movie jumping up and down, laughing and giggling, according to his mother Lorey Navarro, who added, "He must be happy."

The Columbia theater held its first sensory-friendly screening, "Bee Movie," in November 2007. Since then, the theater has continued to hold monthly sensory-friendly screenings of family-oriented G and PG-rated films, said Cindy Huffstickler, the company's community relations manager.

Based on the success of the program at the Columbia theater, the AMC corporation piloted similar programs in 11 theaters across the country in August 2008, Huffstickler said. Now, 67 AMC theaters in 36 metropolitan areas hold monthly sensory-friendly film screenings.

On April 2, World Autism Day, AMC announced an official partnership with the Autism Society of America.

"We're very proud of this program," Huffstickler said. "We get to be a first for so many families. Sometimes, this is the first time a family has been able to see a movie together."

'Something everyone else goes to'

According to Elkridge resident Marianne Ross, it all started with a phone call.

In 2007, Ross, a member of the Howard County Autism Society, called the Columbia AMC theater after her autistic daughter, Meghan, 9, was kicked out of a different local theater for "flapping" her arms and jumping up and down during a screening. Ross asked the manager to consider having special showings for families whose children are prone to overstimulation.

"I thought she can't be the only kid that has this issue," Ross said. "This is a wonderful way to integrate our kids into something everyone else goes to."

Ross said the sensory-friendly film screenings, during which families are encouraged to take breaks with their children if needed, are ideal for children with a variety of sensory issues, including Tourette's syndrome, physical disabilities and attention deficit or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

"We try to keep it open to everybody," she said. "They like to come here so their kids won't be made to feel different."

According to Huffstickler, AMC plans to expand the sensory-friendly film program, which she said has received a positive response overall. The theater chain also plans to start a program to provide employment opportunities for people with autism.

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