SPECIAL NEEDS
SENSORY STORYTIME
By Carrie Rogers-Whitehead
WHY DO THIS TYPE
OF STORYTIME?
Liam, his brother and
mother
“I have never had the ability to take my 4 year
old to story time because I can't bring her older
brother even to the library let alone story
time. She loved story time today and it was so
nice to be able to see her enjoying the program so
much and not have to worry about my son and
having to grab her and leave because of his
behavior. I have searched and searched and
have not found any other programs for the more
severely affected kids out there whatsoever.”--Monica Carpenter, parent of an autistic boy
WE’RE NUMBER ONE
The most recent statistics have
found that Utah has the NUMBER
ONE highest rate of autism in
children in the country.
Utah number one in autism cases
WHAT IS AUTISM
SPECTRUM DISORDER?
http://carlysvoice.com/home/carly-in-the-media/
Carly’s voice video
It is sometimes said
that if you know ONE
person with autism,
you know ONE
person with
autism.
The Autistic Brain
How different parts of the
brain are affected
• Amygdala
• Cerebellum
• Hippocampus
• Corpus Collosum
• Frontal lobe
Autism is a Sensory Processing
Disorder
“Self regulation is the nervous system’s
ability to attain, maintain and change levels
of arousal or alertness.” (Williams and
Shellenberger, 1994)
Sensory Seeking vs. Sensory Aversion
Under Responsive
Over-responsive
General Impairments
1. Communication
2. Social Interactions
3. Socially irrelevant behaviors
Autistic people create OUTPUT to
prevent INPUT
Autistic people SYSTEMIZE rather
than EMPATHIZE”
HOW IS THIS TYPE OF
STORYTIME
DIFFERENT?
SIMILARITIES
 Songs
 Stories
 Visuals
 Format
 Audience
But there are differences…
Board Maker
Autistic children are
very visual and often
use picture symbols
to designate activities
and abstract
concepts.
Different types of books
Simple, repetitive text
As literal as possible
Toddler books are great
Always have a visual to
go with your book or
some kind of physical
activity
Try books that you sing
instead of read
Use BIG books
Autistic Children are visual learners
Double visuals
Let the children
help tell the
story.
Visual Learning: Space
 Visually demarcate “your” space vs. “their”
space
 Understand that many children cannot sit
and will move. Do not restrict this
Are many of these children sitting?
Proprioception:
sensing the
orientation and
motion of ones
limb’s and body
through space
Proprioception
contd.
Weighted
blankets and
fidget toys are
a great way to
calm sensory
seeking
behavior.
Visual Learning: No Distractions
 Hide program supplies in a basket next to
you
 Put away any wires for CD players or
other electronic equipment
 Hide craft supplies with tablecloth
 Put away any other items, display cases,
flags, decorations, pull blinds away
 Digital projectors etc. not recommended
No Distractions (contd)
 Dim the lights (optional)
 Keep door closed to prevent escape
artists
 If possible put a volunteer near the back
of the room near the door to control
outbursts etc.
 Provide earplugs to sound-sensitive
children
No
Distractions
(contd)
Have
parents sit
with their
children.
Do not
provide
chairs
unless
necessary.
Managing Behavior
Follow the 8 to 2 rule
Let parents be the ones who discipline, it
is not your role
Show children visually what you want
them to do
Praise good behavior
Have other children model proper
behavior, the other children will see it and
follow
Songs
 Autistic children
love songs!
 Include more
songs than your
regular storytime
 Make songs
tactile through
scarves, ribbons,
beanbags,
parachutes,
shakers or
anything else
you can think of
Making “snow” with
a parachute during
a song.
Rest Area
 Include a space in your storytime
room/auditorium for the children to take a
break
 Put related books and stuffed animals in
this area
 A rest area can be great for upset
children, do not call it “Time out”
 Having a rest area lets the
children and parents participate
without having to leave the room
Crafts
Adapt your
regular
storytime
crafts to
ones that
are more
tactile and
less
complicated
Playtime/ Social Hour
Always leave time afterwards for the kids to run
around and play. Parents also want a time to
socialize and meet with other parents that have
autistic children.
My autistic
children LOVE the
bubbles and play
time. I always play
music afterwards
too.
Marketing and Outreach
More Tips:
 Research
 Outreach
 Be adaptable
 Treat autistic children differently than
the children in your regular group
 Repetition
 An e-mail group is a must
 Consistency
Libraries are spaces for
EVERYONE
Myself with
Christa, Liam’s
mom about
year after
starting the
Sensory
Storytime.
Resources to check out
Tricia’s blog on her autistic storytime on ALSC:
http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/?p=536
1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising
Children with Autism for Asperger’s by Ellen
Notbohm
Utah Parent Center:
http://www.utahparentcenter.org/
Autism Speaks: http://www.autismspeaks.org/
Boardmaker Share: Find great picture symbols for
your storytime for free.
http://www.boardmakershare.com/
Your local Special Ed teachers. Find some here:
http://www.schools.utah.gov/sars/
If you have any questions or are interested
in starting your own storytime for autistic
children. Please contact Carrie RogersWhitehead at 801-944-7611 or
crwhitehead@slcolibrary.org