Engaging Children with Autism at Historic Sites: Developing an Audience-appropriate Curriculum

ABSTRACT

While historic house museums have traditionally employed verbal-based programming, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often feel most comfortable engaged in sensory learning. Historic house museums, due to their tangibility, have the potential to tap into sensory experiences that can teach history to this audience. Despite this advantage, few house museums offer such programming. With an estimated one in 68 students in America diagnosed with ASD [Autism Speaks. 2012. “What is Autism?” Autism Speaks. May 31. Accessed February 4, 2016. https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism] and the need to welcome new audiences to historic houses, this is a key area of work to be explored. The Historic House Trust of New York City is working to become more accessible to children, ages 2–18, with ASD. The author describes the evidence-based curriculum that the Trust is formulating, which can be used as a model of best practices for historic houses to engage such students.

KEYWORDS:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• curriculum
• historic house museum
• handicap accessibility
• New York City
• children

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Amy Kelly, Dr Wendy Ross and Glynnis Harvey at Devereux for creating the pilot program curriculum. Thanks also goes out to Frank Vagnone, who without his vision, this project would not have been a reality.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Funding information

This work was supported by the Jeanette and Paul Wagner Educational Program for Children with Disabilities.

About the author

Ansel Lurio, M.A., is Program Manager of the Jeanette and Paul Wagner Educational Program for Children with Disabilities. Physically disabled himself, Ansel is active in the disability rights movement in New York City and is Communications Chair for the Museum Access Consortium.

ORCID details

Ansel Lurio http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8442-6433

Notes

1. Langa, et al., “Improving the Museum Experiences of Children.”

2. Autism Speaks, “What is Autism?”

3. Vagnone and Ryan, The Anarchist’s Guide, 38–39.

4. Leist, Levinsky-Raskin and Stemler, “Visitor Voices.”

5. Bennett, “Autism and Trains?!”

6. Metropolitan Transit Authority, “Programs.”

7. Museum Access Consortium, “About.”

8. National Endowment for the Arts, Design for Accessibility.

9. Art Beyond Sight, “Initial Accessibility Survey 2011.”

10. Gray and Garand, “Social Stories: Improving Responses.”

11. Art Beyond Sight, “Accessibility in Practice.”

12. Spellbound Theatre, “Before we Grew.”