Autism and the Libraries

Abstract

In recent years, autism has been more broadly defined than it previously had been, and we now understand autism to be a problem of overstimulated nerves which may be moderate or extreme, and which makes the autistic person respond differently than the allistic one. Because of more comprehensive support in the schools, more autistic students are coming to college and entering the workforce. As a result, they are an increasing population in higher ed and in the broader community, and that means we are seeing more of them in the libraries. , , This presentation will focus on some of the ways in which autistic students' communication and study needs are different from those of allistic students, and what you might need to know in your interactions with them. We'll talk about hypersensitivities and how they shape behavior and about different perception regarding ambiguities, as well as some things you might want to know about social interaction with autistic users.