Leeds Library and Information Service - outreach support and partnership working

 Evaluation has shown that over 200 people have benefited from Boardmaker learning sessions. The sessions have been delivered to teachers, school support staff, children’s centre staff, social workers, clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists and workers from Voluntary Action Leeds and Mencap.

 As a result of using Boardmaker in libraries more schools in Leeds have purchased Boardmaker software and school staff are contacting the library service to help with staff training.

 Feedback suggests that parents, the STARS team and library staff have found the monthly advice sessions extremely rewarding. As well as families already known to the STARS team, parents of children who have not yet received a diagnosis are coming to the sessions for guidance and support.

 On the computers where Boardmaker is installed it is often the third most popular application after Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word.

 Boardmaker’s usage statistics continue to improve.  In the six months from April to September 2010 it was used 514 times for 184 hours. 

Direct impact on children and young people

The Library Service staff rarely come into direct contact with the children and young people the project is designed to help. To collect more qualitative information, staff recorded conversations with parents and partners.  The resulting case studies really showed the value of the project and the difference it was making to the lives of everyone involved.  The case studies helped the project team meet the original aims of the UK Online funded project to demonstrate the social impact of computers and ICT.  They also helped in the application for awards, to promote the project to staff and other partners and user groups. 

Sample quotes from the case studies include:

“Without the symbols, he just doesn’t even make the effort to speak… For me and him, in our little world, pictures are fantastic.”

“The symbols give Christopher some control and they give him a voice.  He can say what he wants to happen.  In terms of his confidence, he’s much happier now.  I’m building up the number of symbols that I’ve got at home by coming to the library.”

“I honestly don’t know what I would have done without this service, I really don’t. It just felt like, in this world where you have to fight for everything, somebody cared.”

Benefits for families:

 Families know that autism and associated communication and behavioural issues are more widely understood and accepted by library staff.

 Families have easy access to Boardmaker software and no longer have a long wait for new symbols.

 Families no longer have to buy books to find out more about their child’s condition. The books that STARS recommends are now available from any of the libraries in Leeds.

 Families have access to informal advice and support sessions.

Parents report that access to this wide range of symbols opens up a new world of communication between them and their children.

“When STARS were working with us, my STARS worker used to bring me some symbols when she came to visit, and I bought some symbols with animals on from eBay. So I’d got a few, but nowhere near what I needed. I haven’t been able to expand communication with him because I didn’t have the facilities. But now I’m in the library about three times a week and I’ve been printing out all sorts of symbols. The next step will be emotions and things like that.” Parent

“For me it was fantastic because it stopped a lot of his aggression. It’s so nice for him now to be able to use his symbols to say, “I want this.” or “I want that.” He can ask for something and interact with the world. Since he’s been using symbols his speech has developed a little bit too. He does try to say what’s on his sentence strip. Without the symbols, he just doesn’t even make the effort to speak.” Parent

Library staff have received feedback from parents about numerous situations in which use of the symbols to explain what is happening (for instance on a plane journey) has significantly reduced anxiety and behavioural problems.

Maintaining high standards

Library staff were all trained ahead of the initial launch of the software but there is a fairly regular staff turnover and movement of staff between libraries. It is therefore really important to keep on top of training and ensure that librarians in libraries with Boardmaker are trained in the use of the software and autism awareness.

In addition to staff awareness of autism, it is also really important that parents receive a quick response when they initially come to the library to access the software. Waiting times for initial software training differ across sites and the Project Coordinator would like to make response times more uniform across the city.

Further supporting quotes

“This project has been both innovative and empowering for parents. Boardmaker is now freely available for parents in libraries across the city. With advice and support from local libraries parents are able to make, print and laminate visual support materials for their children. The library service is actively facilitating communication development for this group of children. For children with autism and their families, this project has been the most significant development in the city this year.”  Lesley Lewis, Advanced Skills Teacher in Autism

“I don’t feel so isolated or overwhelmed now. It really has made things easier and I feel very lucky that this has become available at the time James was diagnosed.”  Parent

“At the monthly session I discovered that there were lots of people on hand, both professionals and experienced parents, who could help with a variety of problems my son was experiencing.  Because Boardmaker is also available at the sessions I am able to discuss the best strategy and visual prompts for his problem and print them off there and then.”  Parent

“It’s so exciting to have the opportunity to have a meeting place in libraries… it’s an enormous comfort to realise: I’m not alone in this, my child isn’t the only child who does this.”  Parent

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