Hi Gwen,

Thank you for your excellent question. In my previous position, (at a natural history museum) I oversaw  one volunteer who offered up the information that he was on the spectrum. I also oversaw about 5 other volunteers who I suspected were on the autism spectrum- I didn't feel it was appropriate for me to ask, although this might not have been the right thing to do. All volunteers had a space on their application form where they could let us know about a medical condition if necessary, including the emergency contact. I worked with these volunteers by making sure they had specific instructions, but also allowing them freedom in their activities.

 Specifically, the volunteer I knew for sure had autism, worked in a hands on exploratory area of the museum. He liked showing kids how the experiments worked and was very outgoing. However, it was apparent he did need more time to "recharge" for continued interaction than other volunteers. Most volunteers would see any given nature film two or three times over the several months it was showing, but he usually watched it once each 4-5 hour shift. In his position, it wasn't a problem for him to do this, and I didn't mind at all since I think it  helped him to  recharge. He usually worked 2-3 shifts a week (quite a bit for any of our volunteers).  I felt confident in his knowledge of the space and his interactions, so when we had 3 or 4 new volunteers who wanted to shadow someone and get training in the exploratory area, this volunteer was able to facilitate the training. Before committing to anyone, I asked him if he was interested, explained what he would need to do, about how long it should take, etc. He would train individuals one-one one since he worked well with people that way., and enjoyed working with other volunteers in that exhibit area, After the first trial, he was excited about what he'd done and offered to help train volunteers in that area any time. I made sure to always review how  each training went, and made sure to tell him he did a great job, and that we were so glad to have his help. The affirmation and the new responsibility helped keep him interested in volunteering with us and boosted his confidence.

I felt helping pair individuals, giving them flexibility, being specific with instructions and recognition, helped them try new things, improve their skills, and maintain a positive relationship with us. 

I know a lot of this is anecdotal rather than hard research, but I hope it helps. You can also find some helpful case studies on autistic interns/volunteers working in museums from the Museum Access Consortium below.

http://museumaccessconsortium.org/resource/supporting-transitions-case-studies/

Samantha

Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts