Many librarians that I have talked to are reluctant to start a sensory story time. Familiar refrains that I’ve heard go something like this: I don’t know the first thing about children with special abilities; I don’t have specialized training; I don’t want to do the wrong thing and upset a child who already has special needs; I didn’t go to library school to do sensory storytimes; don’t I need a really big grant in order to secure materials for something like this?
Much has been written about how to begin a sensory storytime. We won’t cover that here. There’s plenty of stuff out there for you research, plus we’ve included some references below. However, you should know that you’re probably already equipped to do a sensory storytime right now! Joshua Farnum, the play, and active learning specialist at Chicago Public Library has started a string of successful sensory storytimes across the city and is expanding to more branches. Joshua states, “sensory storytime is a storytime that works for you. It’s a lot like traditional storytime, but it puts a particular emphasis on repetition, interactive activities, and sensory play. The best way to discover what sensory storytime is all about is to experience it yourself.” Indeed, a sensory storytime is, after all, just a storytime, with the special touch being the care you take to have things like a schedule, and manipulates (just to name a couple). With a very basic understanding of the abilities that your patrons exhibit, you will go a long way to making your storytime one in which a child or children with developmental differences can thrive in.
If you’ve ever wondered what people of special abilities need to feel comfortable? Then just ask! There are plenty of parent groups, cohorts, and organizations who host fairs for children and families who have developmental differences. Most parents would be happy to talk to you about their kids and what works or doesn’t work for them. If you have play manipulatives, already in your library, then you probably have a some essential items for some children with special abilities. You may not have gone to library school to be a sensory storytime librarian, but let’s face it, children with special abilities are on the rise in this country. Many parents of these children don’t feel comfortable in the library because of negative experiences with insensitive staff and or fear of being ostracized by other parents. By starting a sensory storytime for this group, you fulfill a need and help to serve an already underserved population. Sensory storytimes also foster literacy, engage the senses, and it’s a ton of fun!
Remember it’s for everyone!
Storytime for the Spectrum
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/03/01/sensory-storytime-spectrum-libraries-add-services-for-children-with-autism/
Libraries and Autism
http://librariesandautism.org/
ALSC Sensory Storytime Pinterest Board
https://www.pinterest.com/alsclibraries/sensory-storytime/
Sensory Storytime: A (brief) How-To Guide
http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2012/03/sensory-storytime-a-brief-how-to-guide/
SPD Foundation
http://www.spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder/
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Over the past few months, my library has partnered with a local resource center that provides early intervention and lifelong support to individuals with a variety of developmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorders. The resource center originally reached out to us looking for a librarian to read a few stories to their clients. I knew a sensory storytime would be a great fit, but in their experience, visits to offsite locations were rarely successful. Any activity we planned would have to take place at their location. So I took my sensory storytime on the road, and got a chance to really put my skills to the test.
I’m fairly new to sensory storytimes. Before this, I had incorporated concepts into my regular programming, and made real efforts to make those programs universally designed, but I certainly wasn’t actively promoting this. Partnering with the resource center gave me the opportunity to refine my skills and try new activities. My first visit wasn’t without hiccups. For example, sign-up sheets and library card applications became problematic due to HIPAA and patient privacy concerns. We also ended up with a lot more kids in attendance than we were expecting. But in the end, like Pete the Cat taught us in our story that day, “it’s all good.”
In taking these special programs out into the community, we’ve found that children and their caregivers can have a library experience in an environment that is comfortable for them, surrounded by people they trust. Plus, our partner organization has developed a better understanding of what we can offer. It has inspired other collaborations, with new programs and training for children’s librarians in the works.
There is a lot of information on the ALSC Blog to help you prepare sensory and special needs storytimes. I found Ashley’s Waring’s Sensory Storytime Tips and Jill Hutchison’s overview of Renee Grassi’s Beyond Sensory Storytime presentation to be particularly useful posts for providing information and talking points for communicating with the center’s directors and staff. In addition, an ALSC course I took this spring taught by Kate Todd, Children with Disabilities in the Library, was an amazing resource, and I recommend it for anyone interested in creating more inclusive library programs, or reaching out to children with disabilities in clinical settings.
Brooke Sheets is a Children’s Librarian at Los Angeles Public Library’s Children’s Literature Department and is writing this post for the Early Childhood Programs and Services Committee.
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As ALSC blogger Renee Grassi reminded us earlier this month, April is National Autism Awareness Month. For libraries, months that observe, celebrate, or raise awareness for a group of people or an issue should serve as annual checks for our services: “It’s National Autism Awareness Month; I should make sure that our library services to children with special needs and their families are excellent all year long.”
screen grab provided by the author
If you find yourself currently evaluating your programs for children with special needs of any type–in particular for young children and their families–I’m pleased to share that members of the Library Service to Special Population Children and their Caregivers (LSSPCC) Committee have been amassing and curating resources on a Sensory Storytime board on ALSC’s Pinterest account. They’re creating an excellent resource for libraries just setting out to offer sensory storytimes as well as for those of you in a place to evaluate and tweak what you’ve already been offering.
Thus far, the board offers a few dozen pins that link to program plans and write-ups; research related to special needs library services; and book recommendations for use in Sensory Storytime. Check out this resource for yourself to learn about some of the awesomely intentional ways you and your library can offer programs inclusive to every young library customer.
If you have favorite sensory storytime resources, link to them in the comments so our curators can add them to the board!
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Amy Koester is the Youth & Family Program Coordinator with the Skokie Public Library and is writing this post for the Public Awareness Committee.
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