Visual Supports Guide
A guide to using visual information to support autistic children and their families at your library. This guide provides information on creating, displaying, and assessing visual supports at your library. Within our guide you will also find tips and tricks for using visual supports such as:
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- Wayfinding visuals
- Visual instructions
- Visual schedules
- Visual communication cards
Download Visual Supports Guide PDF.
Sensory Kit Checklist
The sensory kit checklist is designed to help library professionals improve access to the library for autistic children and their families by providing sensory support items. Sensory kits are an important way to support the sensory needs of autistic children and their families in your library. Items like noise reduction headphones can be used when there is overwhelming sensory stimulus. Other items, like fidgets, can be used to provide calming tactile sensory stimulus. Sensory kits help to improve library access for autistic children and their families.
This resource includes:
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- A checklist of items to include in a sensory kit
- Descriptions of each item
- How to use a sensory kit at your library
Download Sensory Kit Checklist PDF
Autism Information and Resources
This information and resource list provides basic information about autism and neurodiversity, and provides links to resources that can be used by both library professionals and families. This resource is intended as a brief overview, using definitions and information from the autistic community. This resource includes:
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- Information about autism and neurodiversity
- Resources and their uses
Autism Information & Resources PDF
A note on language:
Identity-first language is preferred by the autistic community to recognize, affirm, and validate autism as an inherent part of their identity. We use identity-first and affirming language in this resource and throughout our Toolkit. For more information on identity-first language preference, please see this article from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN): https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/identity-first-language/
Reader’s Advisory Resources
This resource contains a list of books selected for autistic children who are at a preschool learning level. While this list is not comprehensive, it is a good starting point for both library professionals and family members. This resource includes books for read-alouds that have autistic characters, and books for autistic children who are new readers.