In a Queensland first, Autism CRC, Griffith University, Studio G (Autism Queensland) and Brisbane City Council are working together to pilot autism-friendly story time sessions in public libraries.
The importance of shared book reading for promoting early language and literacy skills in young children has been well established. Libraries regularly run story time sessions for young children and their parents to promote these skills in pre-schoolers, but visiting public spaces can be an overwhelming or distressing experience for some children on the autism spectrum.
As Dr Marleen Westerveld, Autism CRC Project Leader and Senior Lecturer for Griffith University’s School of Allied Health Sciences, points out: “The ability for children on the autism spectrum to attend their local library and participate in story time activities can be affected by factors such as the story time space and session structure.
“Autism is highly prevalent. Australian Bureau of Statistics data indicate that, in 2015, more than
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