Toys R Us is trying to help families affected by autism this holiday season by offering special "quiet" hours at some of its stores.
The retail chain tested the idea of an hour with dimmed lights and no in-store music or announcements over the public address system at several stores in the United Kingdom this month.
According to Britain's Telegraph, the move was met with praise by at least one autism awareness group.
"Autistic children and adults can become overwhelmed with too much information inside a busy store," said Daniel Cadey of U.K.'s National Autistic Society to the Telegraph. "Simple changes like this can make a huge difference."
A spokesperson for Toys R Us said the company is testing similar "quiet" hours at some stores in America this holiday season, but couldn't provide a list of stores.
"We’re working on a plan to test these types of opportunities on a local level – pairing our stores with local organizations to create an event for kids with special needs and their families, and will also assess opportunities to scale it nationally," the spokesperson said in an email.
Clint Davis covers entertainment and trending news topics for the Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
