Brentwood SEPTA's Walking Into Acceptance expo brings resources, community to those with autism

Erica Tucker smiled wide as she watched her 5-year-old daughter Wynter explore a glue bottle, pompoms and Popsicle sticks.

The craft setup on a table inside a sensory room at Brentwood High School on Saturday allowed Wynter, who has autism and is non-verbal, to be "in her element," Tucker said.

"Seeing her happy, running around, playing with things that she likes, it's very exciting," said Tucker, a Brentwood native and mother of four who lives in Selden.

Sensory-friendly activities and crafts were among the highlights of the fourth Walking Into Acceptance Autism and Neurodiversity All-Abilities Expo, hosted by Brentwood's Special Education Parent Teacher Association and the school district.

In addition to the sensory room, the event included raffles, a gymnasium full of vendors offering various services to support those with autism and neurodiversity, and a walk through the halls of the high school that began just after 11 a.m.

Rhonda Young, the district's assistant superintendent for special services, said the event helps bring awareness to families and students with disabilities.

There are about 3,800 students in the district's special education program, she said, out of a total enrollment of nearly 18,000, according to 2024-25 data from the New York State Department of Education.

Approximately 1 in 31 children aged 8 years old in the United States have autism, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report last year.

The expo's sensory room featured toys like large building blocks, bubble push poppers and circular pieces of foam that could be woven through rope.

At one table, speech therapists Michelle Huppe and Kelly Roberts helped kids create sensory bags. A sheet of paper outlined eight steps, each one inscribed with words and visual cues.

"They need the structure and the routine," Huppe said, adding that it serves as a "calming activity."

Roberts said children with autism often engage in stimming behaviors like rocking or vocal noises. Sensory activities, whether involving smell, touch or taste, can give "that extra stimuli so their body can calm down," she said.

Monica Nichols, of Commack, said her 21-year-old son Sam has autism and was diagnosed at 2 years old.

"So for 19 years, this is my world," she said.

She developed an app, iDocThis, to help caregivers store and access documents for evaluations, prescriptions and progress reports that can span back years. She said she stored documents in boxes in her garage and realized there had to be a more efficient way.

Elvia Kahyaoglu attended the event to support the Brentwood-based nonprofit Janissa's World, named after her 20-year-old daughter Janissa Lloyd, who was born with Down syndrome. The nonprofit raises funds for scholarships at the high school.

"We just raise awareness and spread inclusion," she said.

Janissa is a senior at Brentwood and her mother is a member of SEPTA. Kahyaoglu said events like Saturday's expo allow parents to know they're not alone.

"And also for the individuals themselves, they feel like they are part of the community and they are part of the community," she said. "It's just a matter of putting it out there for everyone else to catch up to realize these individuals are productive and an amazing part of our community."