It took three years before there was a major turning point in teams’ approach to accommodating children with sensory challenges.

In February 2016, Amy and Jeff Belles of Akron, Ohio, took their son, Carson, who was 11 at the time, to a minor league hockey game on Autism Awareness Night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

Carson, who is non-verbal, wears an iPod Touch, equipped with a speech app and a Bluetooth speaker, that is strapped to his chest. The device set off the metal detector in the arena and Carson became agitated. A security guard, not trained to recognize and address sensory overloads, yelled at Carson’s parents to “get control of that kid.”

It had taken the Belles years to make Carson feel comfortable enough to attend a game. In that moment, Amy Belles said, “We were kind of left feeling defeated, a little embarrassed, our dignity kind of stripped.”

She made her concerns known via Twitter and arena officials responded, working with KultureCity to install a sensory room, train the stadium staff and make sensory kits available to spectators. In 2017, the stadium — now called Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — became the first sensory-inclusive arena certified by the nonprofit in the United States.

The Cleveland Indians also opened a sensory room this May and Carson threw out the ceremonial first pitch that day at Progressive Field.

“Our kids can and should be part of the community with simple accommodation and training,” said Ms. Belles, a physical education teacher for children with special needs. “That’s all I wanted. Just give people an opportunity and a little compassion.”