Services for Special Needs Children

Since The Hairy Elephant opened nearly five years ago, we quickly saw the need to support parents of children with special needs. The salon environment is welcoming and we never want a parent to feel self-conscience about their child and their haircut experience. We understand that it can be very scary to some children and our staff works hard to make these children feel comfortable.

Children with Autism has become a special area of focus for all of our staff. Special training for our staff was provided by local Autism groups, as well as, information on what would be helpful to make a routine haircut easier for these children.

Besides training, we work hard on the atmosphere and search out special tools of the trade.  We utilize the quietest clippers and trimmers available professionally and most stations have novelty cars for kids to sit while getting a haircut. Adult styling chairs are also available for bigger kids or a child that is more comfortable sitting on their parents lap. Each station has a TV/DVD/VCR so children can watch one of our many movies or bring a favorite from home. We also have weighted lap pads and continue to look into other equipment to help make the haircut experience better.

Lastly, we encourage parents to request the same stylist each visit, as this allows the stylist and the child to get to know each other. We learned that when a child consistently sees the same stylist, they know what to expect and ultimately, the haircut experience becomes more comfortable, if not, enjoyable.