Special Needs and Inclusive Library Services (SNAILS)

The Glenview Public Library hosted a wonderful Friendship Club event for special needs kids and typical kids seeking friendship (grades 3-8) and their peer volunteer buddies (Friendship Ambassadors grades 4-12). We invited musician and sound healer Preston Klik to conduct a session called Sound, Frequency and Sensory Fun . He brought his large gong, a variety of singing bowls and bells, crystal bowls, drums, rattles, and other instruments from around the world. After explaining and passing around his instruments, he conducted a sound meditation. The kids reclined on the floor and lights went off. A DVD with kaleidoscopic images played on the large screen while Preston took us on a meditative journey via sound and vibration. Everyone enjoyed this unique and relaxing experience, even a child with autism laid back and settled down for a time. Trying the instruments was neat, and we had sensory boards available for fidgety hands. This post was written by SNAILS member Silvia Kraft-Wa...

Our very own SNAILS group members Renee Grassi from Glen Ellyn Public Library and Sue Parsons from Plainfield Public Library presented an engaging program at the 2016 Reaching Forward Conference . This annual conference, hosted by Illinois Library Association, is a premier day of learning designed for library support staff. An audience of 40+ attentively learned a combination of theory and practice. Click here to download Sue's Sensory Storytime Favorites handout, which includes themes, books, songs, albums, and activities she has used in her program.  And don't miss this extremely useful resource list of articles, books, and websites on the topic of serving children with disabilities. If you're as captivated by Sue's approach as we are, don't miss her demo of Sensory Storytime from one of our previous SNAILS meetings.  You can find the video here ! What are some of your favorite resources for Sensory Storytime? Share them below in the comments!!

This looks like a promising webinar, even if it's geared towards educators/clinicians. Registrants are sent a link to the archive, so if you can't view it live be sure to register! Autism in the Community: A Desensitization Approach Wednesday, May 18 at 10 a.m. Central Time Hosted by edWeb.net Many children with autism have atypical sensory behaviors, which may negatively impact their participation in the community. Research indicates that using a desensitization approach, which emphasizes the child's needs while creating a positive and structured experience, can significantly improve community participation. Join this webinar and learn how to: Identify challenges encountered by families of children with autism, when participating in common community experiences Identify the child's sensory needs Explore ways to help the child desensitize to community experiences Teach caregivers how to assess the environment using a sensory approach Create and u...

There is no shortage of professional development opportunities on the topic of youth with disabilities this season, and I'm especially thankful for the gift of free learning opportunities! Here's one that I'm really looking forward to viewing... Sensory Integration: Recognizing and Responding to Young Children with Sensory Issues Thursday, December 10, 2015, 1:00-2:00pm CST Hosted by  edWeb,net , a free professional learning network, and sponsored by  Kaplan Early Learning Company . www.gryphonhouse.com This relevant webinar will be presented by Christy Isbell, pediatric therapist, professor, and author of  Sensory Integration: a Guide for Preschool Teachers  (which we have listed on our  Resources  page). Tune in to learn what sensory integration is and how it impacts young children's learning and behavior. Christy will focus on three areas that should be helpful for all librarians working with children ages 3-8: What is sensory int...