INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH ASD ORGANISATION PROBLEMS IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSEUMS

Abstract

Museums today play a pivotal role in creating an environment that follows principles of social inclusion and is accessible for individuals with disabilities including museum visitors with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Extracurricular activities are an integral part of comprehensive support for children with ASD that require coordinated efforts of museum professionals, psychologists, and educators. However, museum professionals may lack information about autism and appropriate approaches. The Federal Resource Center for Organization of Comprehensive Support to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders at MSUPE studied this process by conducting a survey about the availability of resources for accommodating individuals with ASD as independent visitors as well as participants in museum programs. The results of the survey attest to a high level of engagement of museum community in creating provisions for visitors with ASD in addition to the demand for consulting centers that would facilitate development of appropriate tools. We present a project that has introduced “social narratives” as an instrument for ASD in a setting that can serve as a model for such a center.

Keywords

• museum
• inclusion
• autism spectrum disorders
• visitors with asd
• research
• social story