Most moms are happy when they see their child is ahead in school. For Renaé Polensky-Gugler, she saw it as one of the many signs her son had autism.

Her son Simon was writing in cursive by 4 years old. He froze if something wasn’t in order. He fought to be first in line. Change was scary. Noise was disorienting.

“He seemed to be ahead academically, but on the playground he struggled socially,” Polensky-Gugler said.

By 5 years old, Simon was diagnosed as high-functioning autistic with Asperger’s and sensory processing disorder.

Polensky-Gugler said while she has a strong support system and an amazing son, it could be hard to find outlets for her Simon locally.

“I think the valley is learning how to respond to autism, but I think everywhere is pretty strapped for resources,” she said. “The number of kids with it are growing so quickly and we don’t have answers as to why. It’s hard to keep up.”

Roughly 1 percent of the world population has autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The prevalence of autism in U.S. children increased from 2000 — where one in every 150 child was born with autism — to 2010, when that number narrowed to one in every 68.

Polensky-Gugler said she wanted to support kids and their families affected by Asperger’s, autism and other disabilities in a simple way: a movie night.

On Saturday, Polensky-Gugler is sponsoring a sensory showing of “Finding Dory” at the Cinemark Theatre in Kalispell for children with disabilities that often make going to the movies stressful.

Polensky-Gugler said while she was worried that it would be hard to fill the 50-seat theater she initially rented for the event, she said 70 people have registered.

“We’re out of room at this point — families are traveling in from Missoula for the showing,” she said. “Some of these children are 10 and have never been able to sit through a movie for more than 15 minutes. They have to leave because they won’t stop singing, or they start pacing the aisle. That’s welcome Saturday.”

Polensky-Gugler said while autism is very complex and doesn’t have a single set of symptoms, there are things that can trigger overstimulation. She said a sensory movie takes into account what can overstimulate someone on the spectrum.

“A theater is normally dark, which can be scary. And it’s loud, which can frustrate the child,” she said. “For this event, we’re turning the lights up, the noise down, and letting the kids wiggle as much as they want, change seats or wander the aisle. It’s their time in the theater.”

Polensky-Gugler said while all seats are taken, there’s always the chance someone will cancel. To check on availability, call Polensky-Gugler at 406-890-1206.

Show time is Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.