Special Story Times

I am delighted to announce that this Fall, Bellevue Library will join Green Hills Library in offering a monthly Saturday story time 
especially for those with special needs. Librarian Donna Reagan
plans her first monthly Saturday story time for September, 2012.
Donna Reagan has an especial affinity with special needs 
children because her son had autism and she volunteered in a 
preschool classroom which included children with special needs.
This will give Nashville parents two Saturdays a month when
they can take advantage of a very special time.
If you do not live in an area which offers such a story time, 
and you would like one, try asking a librarian. 
That's how the Green Hills story time started. 
It's been a great success.
The librarian there reports that in the year and a half she's
been offering it, she only remembers two occasions when
she needed to read louder because of a crying child. And
reading louder is no big deal. She's happy to do it.
She also appreciates the great role modeling of the parents 
who come. Unlike some of the parents at a usual story time, 
the parents model attentive behavior and sing along with the 
songs.
She's foregone the usual cds to let the children pick the
verses to "Old McDonald" and to make sure the song
lasts as long as the children's attention does, no longer
and no shorter.
Many thanks to all of Nashville's wonderful librarians, and
a very special thanks to those librarians doing something
new and wonderful for our kids with special needs.
-Spectrum Mom

A Librarian's Thoughts

As fascinating as I find my son, I want this 
blog to help a wide variety of people who 
may have different reading likes and needs. 
So I not only ask you readers for comments,
I email friends and acquaintances and beg
for them. Many thanks to the kind people
who respond.
Today's suggestions come from a 
librarian who has personal and professional
experience. Her suggestions follow:


"http://www.asperger.net  
They carry an alphabet book called 
I am Utterly Unique:  Celebrating the 
Strengths of Austim with Aspergers Syndrome
and High Function Autism by Elaine M. Larson. 
[also available from Amazon, see above.] 
In addition to the obvious books published 
specifically for children with autism, any 
book that focuses on the child's interest is 
excellent.  I see kids and young people with 
autism go straight to the juvenile nonfiction 
to find books about their favorite topic.  
I like the books with helpful self-care topics 
as well.  Books on how the body works, 
taking care of your teeth and hygeine books.  
Books on manners can be helpful.  Simple 
cook books are nice for kids.  It's part of 
the self help and there are tons of them 
out there these days that are attractive, 
simple to use and well illustrated." 


Please let me know if you'd like
to be credited, friend-Spectrum Mom

Elementary, my dear-Ask a Librarian

School librarians are wonderful.
But most are not reading experts
(I am still looking for reading
experts who work mostly with
kids with autism, write in! but
I digress)
and are often reluctant to make
book recommendations for my
boy with autism.
So instead, I ask for specific
types of books,
like books with picture support.
Here's a book list from a
wonderful Elementary School
librarian of books with strong
picture support:
Black Lagoon Adventures
a school based series
SWAT Secret World Adventure Team

Stink series/McDonald

The Adventures of Uncle Stinky/Rumble
My boy enjoyed the Mercy Watson series,
very easy, heavily illustrated books
with lots of funny stuff and very short
chapters. That pig loves her toast.
He tolerated the Stink books in 2nd
and 3rd grade.
I've thumbed through SWAT
and found the concept too confusing 
and saw nothing that would grab his 
attention in the Black Lagoon. 
Uncle Stinky is unknown to me.
But any of these may be just
right for your kid, if you're
looking for more books with
picture support.
Caveat: always check out the
book to make sure the 
illustrations match the text.
Pictures that don't match
distract instead of support.


Enjoy your toast,
-Spectrum Mom