Social Stories: SPECTRUM Project

For many individuals with autism, going to a museum, zoo, aquarium or public place is incredibly challenging because it is unclear as to what the place will look like, if you need to interact with people, where the quiet places to decompress are located, and if it will be busy with lots of people. 

Having this knowledge, I developed the Social Stories SPECTRUM Project during my tenure at the San Diego Natural History Museum. The project  ran from January to December 2017 and provided a structured opportunity for high-functioning verbal young adults (ages 18-25) with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to meet up with their peers and practice social skills, participate in organized trips to seven museums in Balboa Park, and work together to create “social stories” for the museums visited.

Social stories are guides or tools to help prepare individuals with autism for social interaction and public events; in this case, a visit to a museum.

Below are the social stories (in English and Spanish) for the San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat), Fleet Science Center, San Diego Museum of Art, Museum of Man, Japanese Friendship Garden, San Diego History Center, and Museum of Photographic Arts.

This opportunity was made possible in part through generous funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), National Foundation for Autism Research (NFAR), and the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership.

To learn more about the Social Stories SPECTRUM Project, please read the project blog.