Topic 3: Checklists

Another support you can provide for people with autism visiting your library is a version of a "tour checklist." The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) developed a tour checklist that people with autism can use to plan their visit to the museum.

The tour checklist has picture cards of the major galleries at the Met and other cards for things like going to the restroom, getting a drink, finding a quiet space, and going home. These are followed by pages where people with autism can place the cards to plan their visit - what galleries they will see and the order they will see them in. They can then check off the gallery when they are done visiting that space. You can download the checklist from the Met's website. (The Met has a page of resources for visitors on the autism spectrum that also includes a variety of social stories for different ages and programs.)

Although this tour checklist is designed for a museum, it can easily be adapted for a visit to a library by featuring cards describing your library's spaces, programs, and services. Remember to include cards for things like restrooms, water fountains and quiet/sensory rooms. This can let users with ASD plan what their library visit will be like each time they come.

References

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2015a). My Met tour: A visual checklist for visitors on the autism spectrum. Retrieved from http://www.metmuseum.org/-/media/Files/Events/Programs/Progs%20for%20Visitors%20with%20Disabilities/My%20Met%20Tour.pdf.