Imagine what it would be like if the flickering of flourescent lights was physically painful. Or if unexpected changes in your routine left you feeling absolutely panicked. Or if an automatically flushing toilet terrified you. Or if you couldn't read social cues. Or if your child had some self-soothing behaviors that drew the disapproving glances of others.
Sometimes going into a library can be a big hurdle for people on the autism spectrum, for reasons we just don't understand. Sometimes, once folks are there, it can be difficult to communicate effectively with them.
With 10 percent of the population somewhere on the spectrum--which is very broad-- you certainly have some people using your library (and maybe even on your staff) who have autism. Take the chance to educate yourself about autism so you can be better prepared to serve everyone in your community!
IFLS is having a workshop on
Thursday, April 7 at IFLS from 9:30-3:30 that will help librarians understand autism and figure out concrete ways to adapt services to be more welcoming to people on the autism spectrum. Register
by March 31.
Check out the flyer for more information.
If you want some great information right away, take a few minutes to peruse the excellent resources gathered by the Scotch Plains and Fanwood Memorial Libraries in Connecticut have put together in their site:
Libraries and Autism: We're Connected.Labels: autism, service, workshops
