Sensory room means Warwickshire cricketer's son can watch him play

A sensory room at a cricket ground has made matches more accessible for autistic people, including a bowler's son who can finally watch him play.

Warwickshire and England player Danny Briggs said his eight-year-old son Stan found matches overwhelming.

A room created at Edgbaston will allow him and other neurodiverse children to watch in quieter surroundings.

Warwickshire is thought to be the first club in the country to introduce a sensory room.

Stan has been diagnosed with pathological demand avoidance (PDA), a condition considered on the autism spectrum, which means people are driven to avoid everyday demands and expectations, and is often accompanied by high levels of anxiety.

His parents said it meant he could often get overwhelmed in busy, noisy environments.

"If it's a hot day, he's in the stands and it's really busy, the lights, the music whatever it may be - there's a lot there to overstimulate him or overwhelm him," Briggs said.

"If he's sat in the crowd he can feel really anxious," added Stan's mum Linsey.

"So if we can come and have a break, it's like a sensory break as in your senses are calm - it's really quiet in here, but also he can move around and look at things that he needs to to give him that level of balance."

The sensory rooms have special lighting, music and objects, and are designed to be a calming space.

Warwickshire County Cricket Club said it hoped other grounds would follow its lead.

Stan said having the room had meant he was finally able to watch his dad play cricket.

"I wanted to watch him but the crowd was really overwhelming, and the speakers," he said. "But in here it's really not."

The rooms will be available for any visitor with special needs, not just players' children, and Briggs hopes by sharing his story, more people will feel able to enjoy the sport.

"For me it's to spread awareness of autistic minds and also an acceptance and this is part of that," he said.

"To have this space does help. If I can help spread that acceptance and awareness, that's a good thing."

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]