COEUR d'ALENE - Laurie Loew is used to the comments. She hears them, now and then, when family outings include her son, North.

Why can't you keep your child quiet?

You need to be a better parent.

What's wrong with you?

What's wrong with him?

She has heard the remarks for years. And still, they hurt.

"It's so heartbreaking. There's so many things I have to leave him out of," Loew said. "There are places as a family we're not able to go."

That's simply because her 12-year-old son has autism.

The developmental disorder means North, sometimes, acts inappropriately in public places. Whether during movies, dinners or shopping trips, North Loew doesn't understand etiquette.

He has been known to shout, to run, to move all around, especially when he gets excited.

All that will be OK on Saturday during a special production of Beauty and the Beast by Christian Youth theater-North Idaho. The 11 a.m. abbreviated show is for patrons with special needs and their families/caretakers. Tickets will be $6.

Laurie Loew said North was excited when he came home the other day with a promotional flier for the performance.

"He was very excited and waving it in my face," his mom said. "He said they were doing a special play for him."

The Loew family has front row seats.

It will be relaxing, she said, to be able to take her son in public, to a show. It will be OK if he shouts, jumps up or just makes noise. No one will run over and tell him to be quiet, or tell Laurie to control her child.

"We desperately need things like this for kids," she said.

Seventy-eight local school children ages 8-18 make up the cast, with an additional 25-plus on crew - all overseen by 65-plus adult volunteers.

Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the Broadway stage version includes all the songs from the film, plus new songs like "Home" and "Human Again."

Bliss Lanier, CYT-North Idaho director, said they were happy to add an extra performance for those who might not otherwise attend.

It will be shortened to an hour and a half from two hours, lights will be a bit brighter and some verses of songs will be cut.

Lanier believes the show will be a blessing for those hesitant to bring a child to a place where they might disturb others.

"I think it's something we will try to continue," she said.

Greg Washington appreciates it.

He and his wife, Phebe, adopted twins, Maara and Mihret, out of Ethopia six years ago. Maara has autism.

He said it is typically difficult to take Maara to dinner, movies or entertainment centers. There are times she suffers from sensory overload and kind of has a meltdown.

It's common for her to sing or bounce. Others who don't know of her condition think she's being rude and her parents aren't handling the situation.

"They think we're having parenting issues, we can't keep her sitting still," Washington said. "People look, they're uncomfortable, they don't know what's going on."

When that happens, usually he or Phebe step out with Maara. When given the chance, Greg or Phebe will explain their daughter's situation.

"Once people know she has autism, they're far more gracious," he said. "It's nothing personal. We understand it. They just don't know."

Washington encourages families to bring their special needs kids to Beauty and the Beast and let them be themselves, "without any judgment."

It's a chance for his daughter to be in an environment where she can be disruptive and not have everyone stare and whisper.

"Maara is a sweet, sweet girl. She has a good heart. The world just isn't built for her," her dad said.

Beauty and the Beast will be a family affair for the Washingtons. Son Jackson is an usher, and daughter Kynzie is in the show as a fork.

"We'd love nothing more than to hang out and go to a show," Greg Washington said.

Maara will be also watching Saturday. And clapping. And shouting, maybe jumping around. It will be wonderful, Washington said, when no one in the audience tells her to "shhhh" and glares at him or Phebe.

Special needs kids, he said, shouldn't have to feel they don't belong.

"They just see and experience the world different than we do," Washington said.

If you go:

n The 11 a.m. Saturday show of "Beauty and the Beast" by CYT-North Idaho is for patrons with special needs and their families/caretakers. Those tickets will be $6. This is an abbreviated performance that is adapted for an audience with special needs.