Lincoln Children’s Museum adds social story to site to help children with autism

A new tool for the Lincoln Children’s Museum is helping all children have fun and learn.

In fact, the mother of a child with autism, said it’s given her son a new sense of freedom.

“He just runs from one thing to another, his new favorite thing is the Hyvee store and the Runza,” Kelli Stutzman, a special-needs mom said.

Stutzman’s son Matthew has moderate autism.

“For him, it’s all about sensory stuff with him. He sees things differently, he hears things differently– things just feel different to him,” Stutzman said.

All of that comes with some anxiety when going to unknown places, Stutzman said.

A tool that helps are social stories.

“A social story is a tool used by individuals with autism to help them prepare for new experiences,” Dr. Emily Dorsey an assistant professor of practice at UNL said.

Dr. Dorsey and a team of students created a social story for the Lincoln’s Children’s Museum a few months ago.

Social stories are books that have photos of the museum and explain what to expect and what kinds of behavior is acceptable.

“It’s about increasing the fun factor and reducing the overwhelming factor.”

It’s been live on their website for about nine months and it’s already helped children like Matthew.

“He can just be himself and run around and act goofy, just be his total self and nobody will judge him or make any comments– it gives him a sense of freedom,” Stutzman said.

Lindsay Bartlett, director of community and learning for the Lincoln Children’s Museum said these efforts are what the museum is all about.

“Our mission is to invite every child to create, discover and learn through play and we take that seriously,” Bartlett said.

These innovations and seeing Matthew having fun gives Kelli, a special–needs mom hope for Matthew’s future.

“We need inclusion, our kids need inclusion, our families need inclusion,” Stutzman said.

And hope for the future of all children with special needs in Lincoln.