Serving Persons with Autism in the Library

Introduction
According to the Center Ior Disease Control, one in 110 children are diagnosed with autism.
Autism is a spectrum disorder that aIIects the communication, social skills and behaviors oI
children and adults. There currently is no cure Ior autism but a variety oI treatment options.
Since autism is so prevalent, chances are iI you are in a public or school library setting, you will
come into contact with someone with autism on a daily basis. It is important Ior library personnel
to know about autism and how autism aIIects a person's ability to communicate and learn.
Autism is a developmental disorder but this disorder does not preclude this population Irom
utilizing library services.

.
Books
Feinberg. Sandra. 1ordan. Barbara. Deerr. Kathleen. Langa. Michelle. (1999). Including
Families of Children with special needs. How to do it manuals for librarians. New York:
Neal-Schman Publishers. Inc.
Geared Ior the librarian serving children under age 5 with disabilities, this book again provides a
multitude oI resources Ior the librarian. The book provides chapters on the importance oI play,
how to choose appropriate toys Ior the library and resources Ior parents and proIessionals. Sally
Estes writes 'The authors stress the need not only to include but also seek out opportunities to
reach Iamilies with special needs children' and 'gives advice on readying a library, particulary the
children's services department, by training staII and communicating with parents' (Estes, 1999).
#ubin. #hea 1oyce. (2001). !lanning for Librarv Services to people with disabilities. ASCLA
Changing Horizons Series. Chicago: Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library
Agencies.
Williams writes a brieI review oI Planning for Librarv Services to people with disabilities in the
Librarv Journal . The article describes the book and how the book addresses issues libraries Iace
when complying with ADA. The book includes a list oI internet reIerences, Iederal resources and
state oIIices on disabilites (Williams, 2002).. Although not a book speciIically Ior persons with
autism, this book is quite helpIul.
'elleman. #uth A.. (1990). eeting the Aeeds of !eople with Disabilities: a Cuide for
Librarians, Educators and other service professionals. Phoenix: Oryx Press.
Again, this book is not speciIically on meeting the needs oI persons with autism, it is still a
valuable resource Ior those serving the population. According to Linda Lucas, 'The book's
strength is taht it identiIies and evaluates a vast arrage or resources...' (Lucas, 1991). This is a
Iollow-up book to Velleman's Iirst edition oI the book entitled Serving phvsicalv disabled
people. The scope oI the new book includes not only librarians but other service proIessionals
such as academic libraries and proIessors.

1ournal Articles
Akin. Lynn and MacKinney. Donna. (2004). Autism. Literacy and Libraries: The Three
#s#outine. repetition. and redundancy. Children and Libraries. (Summer/Fall 2004). 35-
43.
This article described in detail symptoms that the librarian needs to be aware oI when working
with people with autism, including the variety oI symptoms presented by persons with autism
and social and behavioral issues a librarian may Iace. This article also provides a number oI
strategies that are currently being used at home and at school to increase social skills, behavior
and reading skills in persons with autism. These strategies include social stories, picture
schedules, routines, repetition and a myriad oI techniques to engage a person with autism in the
program and the library. A well written and well reIerenced work Ior anyone working with the
autistic population in the public or school library.. The iournal hildren and Libraries is
published by the American Library Association. According to Amy Jackson, hildren and
Libraries is ' An essential title Ior libraries that provide services to children' (Jackson, 2010)
Bloomquist. Shannon. (2004). Autism #esources for Public Libraries: Issues. Challenges
and #ecommended #esources. Indiana Libraries. ('ol 24. Number 3). 23-31.
A thoroughly written bibliography on resources and trends in working with the person with
autism in the library. This article includes a set oI criteria Ior assessing the Ioundamental eIIicacy
oI the source as well as what can be seen as collection challenges. This article oIIers a good
source oI inIormation on books appropriate Ior any public library serving persons with autism.
Although there is no review in Ulrich's, the ndiana Libraries iournal can be Iound there.

Farmer. Lesley S.1. and Sykes. Maureen. (2008). Library Services for Students with
Autism. California School Librarv 1ournal. ('olume 31. number 22 Spring 2009). 25-27.
This article, again, addresses serving the child with autism in the library setting. What sets it
apart Irom other articles is that it clearly states that using the library should be on the child with
autism's Individual Education Program. This would increase the accessibity oI the library and
ensure that the librarian has the skills needed to serve this population. The article also includes
strategies the librarian can use when working with children with autism such as technology,
audio books, picture dictionaries and some computer soItware programs. Although the iournal is
Iound in Ulrich's there is no review Ior said iournal. However, UNCG does subscribe to the
database LISTA, which is where the iournal articles can be Iound.
Henry. Spring Lea. (2010). Hidden Gems: Teens with autism in the library. 'oice of Youth
Advocates. 33(3). 208-11.
Miss Henry is a young woman with high Iunctioning autism. In this article, she describes what it
is like to be a person with autism in a world Iull oI the bombardment oI sights and sounds that
are distracting Ior a person with autism. She provides insight into inner world oI the person with
autism and provides strategies to help the librarian address issues Iaced by persons with autism
such as sensory issues, communication issues and problems with sound. The iournal VOYA can
be Iound on Ulrich's and has a review by Amy Jackson, in which she states that VOYA is
'strongly recommended Ior librarians serving teens (Jackson, 2010)..
#ead. Kim Marsh. (2009). #elections on 'The World of Autism" in the World of Libraries.
LA Q, (15 no.2 Summer 2009). 12-15.
This article is a review oI the Oregon Library Association Annual ConIerence's 'The World oI
Autism' session.This paper serves as an overview oI what is autism, the problems inherent in
working with children with autism and how the librarian can better serve the population.
Provides librarians with practical approaches to be used when working with persons with
autism. Although the iournal is Iound in Ulrich's there is no review Ior said iournal. However,
UNCG does subscribe to the database LISTA, which is where the iournal articles can be Iound.


Miscellaneous
Kit caIIed the 100 Day Kit: 100_day_kit.pdf. (n.d.). . Retrieved from
http://www.autismspeaks.org/docs/famiIy_services_docs/100_day_kit.pdf

This website was cited on Librarians and Autism: We're connected as being one of the
two tools necessary for librarians who will be asked to provide information to families on
the diagnosis of autism. This kit has an abundance of information geared towards
helping the parent address issues, resources and treatment options for their child with
autism. This kit was developed by Autism Speaks, a leading source of information,
research and development in treatment. This website can be found on www.ipl2.org as
being a reliable website.
Iog post of Trician onhanon Twarogowski: Twarogowski, T. B. (2009, June 23).
Programming for Children with Special Needs. Retrieved from
http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/?p=800
This is a five part blog posting on American Library Association's ACRL (Association of
Libraries Serving Children) website. The link above is to part one, however you will be
able to access parts 2-5 from the above link. This is one's person's travels through
designing a storytime for children with special needs.


Organizations
Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies: ALA ' Assn. oI Specialized &
Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA). (n.d.). . Retrieved October 16, 2010, Irom
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/ascla/ascla.cIm
The ASCLA is a subsection oI ALA specializing in librarians working with diverse populations
including deaI/hard oI hearing, prison population, developmentally disabled population and the
aging ('ALA ' Assn. oI Specialized & Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), n.d.). The
ASCLA is Iurther broken down into particular subsections that deal with diIIerent subsets oI the
popuation such as prison population, hard oI hearing/deaI and the PluSCH, which stands Ior
libraries serving persons with physical, learning, social, cognitive and health disabilities. This
includes persons with developmental disabilites and in particular those with autism. This website
provides support Ior those serving persons with disabilities or other diverse populations. This
subsection oI ALA also has a community Iorum that is updated weekly.
The Autistic SeIf Advocacy Network (ASAN) - Dedicated to advancing
understanding, acceptance, & support for the autistic community. (n.d.). .
Retrieved October 17, 2010, from http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/

Although this website does not deal specifically with libraries, this is a great advocacy
website for persons with autism. The mission is to advocate for those with autism. The
website states it best with this part of its mission statement: 'Working in fields such as
public policy, media representation, research and systems change, ASAN hopes to
empower Autistic people across the world to take control of their own lives and the
future of our common community. Nothing About Us, Without Us!' ("The Autistic Self
Advocacy Network (ASAN) - Dedicated to advancing understanding, acceptance, &
support for the autistic community, n.d.). Although the website has some great
information, the format of the website is difficult to read with its small fonts and long
lines of writing.

PamphletsBooklet/Conference Proceedings
Standards Committee Subcommittee to Develop Guidelines for Library Services for People
with Mental #etardation. Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies.
(1999). Cuidelines for librarv services for people with mental retardation.Chicago:Standards
Committee Subcommittee.
This pamphlet developed by ASCLA in 1999, supports the need Ior library services Ior those
individuals with mental retardation. This booklet supports the idea that persons with mental
retardation do indeed use the library and are important, signiIicant persons in the community.
Williams states 'this booklet aims to help school, public, academic and special libraries such as
prisons and institutional libraries develop the appropriate services Ior this special population
(Williams, 1999).


Websites
ADA Home Page - ada.gov - InIormation and Technical Assistance on the Americans with
Disabilities Act. (n.d.). . Retrieved October 16, 2010, Irom http://www.ada.gov/
This website outlines the Americans with Disabilities Act developed in 1990. This is an
important website as the ADA states that 'No person in the United States shall, on the grounds oI
race, color, national origin, age or disability be subiected to unlawIul discrimination under any
program or activity conducted by or which receives Federal Iinancial assistance Irom the
Department oI the Interior. Discrimination includes: denial oI services, aids, or beneIits;
provision oI diIIerent service or in a diIIerent manner; and segregation or separate treatment'
('ADA Home Page - ada.gov - InIormation and Technical Assistance on the Americans with
Disabilities Act, n.d.). The ADA is the ground work Ior which persons with developmental
disabilites including those persons with autism have the right to services in their community.
This website provides inIormation on a variety oI items such as what is a disability, how to
Iollow ADA guidelines in serving persons with disabilities and also provides inIormation on how
a person with a disability may receive help when they are being discriminated against.
Association of CoIIege and Research Libraries: ACRL | Autism spectrum
disorders. (n.d.). . Retrieved October 17, 2010, from
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/crlnews/2005/oct/autism.cfm

Developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries, which is a sub-section
of American Library Association, this is a great resource for providing parents and
professionals with correct information regarding autism. This list of resources was
carefully selected to only include reliable, dependable and trustworthy sources including
the CDC and the Autism Society of America.
CDC - Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASDs) - NCBDDD. (n.d.). . Retrieved October 16, 2010,
Irom http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html
The CDC website on Autism Spectrum Disorder is a wonderIul resource Ior library staII and
others working with persons with autism. The website is easy to understand, inIormative and
updated regularly. The Center Ior Disease Control is located in Georgia and it's mission is 'CDC
has been dedicated to protecting health and promoting quality oI liIe through the prevention and
control oI disease, iniury, and disability'('CDC - Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASDs) -
NCBDDD, n.d.). The website provides such inIormation as symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
options. A great resource.
ChiIdren's SpeciaIized HospitaI | Foundation. (n.d.). . Retrieved October 17, 2010,
from http://www.chiIdrens-speciaIized.org/Foundation_new.asp?id=695

This site is part of one of the largest children's rehabilitation hospitals in the country, the
Children's Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. This website provides a
plethora of information on integrating persons with autism into the community at large,
not necessarily just the library. This website provides downloadable pamphlets,
brochures and presentation all geared to making the lives of persons with autism more
fulfilling with regards to community access, job opportunities and family time.
Healing Thresholds at www.healingthresohlds.com
Miller writing Ior the Library Journal 'This site is oI inestimable value to parents oI autistic
children. The thorough and careIule yoking oI current eIIicacious therapies, research and news
with extensive and geographically diverse directory oI autism proIessionals helps mitigate the
arcane and bewildering autism cosmos' (Miller, 2010). The Library Journal can be Iound in
Ulrich's with a review by Amy Jackson stating Library Journal's mission is to be a one-
stop source for the information needs of all librarians (Jackson, 2010).
Libraries and Autism: We're Connected. (n.d.). . Retrieved September 23, 2010, Irom
http://www.theiointlibrary.org/autism/
A great website to start oII any proiect involving persons with autism and the library, this
website has won the 2009 ASCLA/KLAS/NOD Award. The award is sponsored by the
Association oI Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), Keystone Systems and
the National Organization on Disability (NOD). Winners are honored Ior innovative and well
organized proiects that have successIully developed or expanded library services Ior people with
disabilities.( ALA, 2009). Also this website can be Iound on the IPL2 website as a reliable
website. The website includes reIerences, training videos and strategies Ior working with people
with autism.


Youtube 'ideos
Libraries and Autism Part 1: YouTube - Libraries and Autism - Part 1 oI 2. (n.d.). . Retrieved
September 25, 2010, Irom http://www.youtube.com/watch?vyGyhKgdr9mU
Libraries and Autism Part 2: YouTube - Libraries And Autism - Part 2 oI 2. (n.d.). . Retrieved
September 25, 2010, Irom http://www.youtube.com/watch?vwOId-WbHPb4&Ieaturerelated
These vidoes are part oI the Libraries and Autism: We're Connected website. These videos were
developed by the Scotch Plains Public Library and the Fanwood Memorial Library in order to
identiIy strategies that librarians can use when serving persons with autism. Both videos use
children and adults with autism as well as parents and caregivers. These are inIormative videos.



#eferences
ALA (2009, April 7). ASLA/KLAS/NOD award-winning proiect educates librarians about
autism.retrieved Irom http://0-
www.ala.org.sapl.sat.lib.tx.us/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/april2009/asclaklasno
d.cIm
Estes, S. (1999). |Review oI book ncluding families of children with special needs. a how-to-
do-it manual for librarians bv Sandra Feinberg. Barbara Jordan. Kathleen Deerr and Michelle
Langa|. Booklist.
Goodwin, H. (2007). |Review oI book ould it be autism? A Parents guide to the first signs and
next steps by Nancy Wiseman|. Journal oI Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

Jackson, Amy. (2010, March 9). Ulrichsweb.com--Full Citation. Ulrichsweb. Retrieved
September 27, 2010, Irom
http://www.ulrichsweb.com/ulrichsweb/Search/IullCitation.asp?tab6&navPage1&serialuid
457233&issn
Lucas, L. (1991). |Review oI the book Meeting the needs of people with disabilities. a gude for
librarians. educators and other service professionals bv Ruth A. Jelleman|. RQ.
Miller, B. (2010). Free Reference. Library Journal.

Williams, W.W. (2002). BrieIly Noted |Review oI the book Planning for lbrarv services to
people with disabilities bv Rhea Jovce Rubin|. Library Journal.
Williams, W.W. (1999). BrieIly Noted |Review oI the booklet Guidelines for librarv services for
people with mental retardation|. Library Journal.