Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic people: A Guide for Holding your Affirming Organisation or Group by Scott Neilson and Laura Hellfeld is a great go-to guide for making and maintaining accessible, appropriate and safe(r) spaces for Autistic adults and young people.
Scott and Laura, with some help from other Autistic advocates, reflect on topics including language use, participant access and involvement, supporting participants in distress and much, much more. This book is advertised as a ‘booklet’ but has so much well-informed and well-rounded ideas and signposting.
There are some ideas which will be really useful in my research with Autistic people, including having readily available sensory and fidget toys at sessions. And giving clear instructions on how to get to a space, including public transport and a photo of the building entrance.
Creating Safe Spaces also covers Rejection Sensitivity, supporting PDA Autistics, and situational mutism. As well as giving an general over view of supporting Autistic people in a professional capacity.
Creating Safe Spaces is well laid out, easy to read and will make a great reference book for anyone supporting Autistic people.
Creating Safe Spaces can be bought here (including a colour reduced version):
An e-book will also be available soon – I will update this blog as soon as it is available.
2 responses to “Creating Safe Spaces book review”
[…] writing and publishing. My favourites from this year: Autistic and Black by Kala Allen Omeiza; Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic people: by Scott Neilson and Laura Hellfeld; A Guide to Autism and Psychosis by David […]
[…] inclusive, neuro-affirming and accessible to disabled people is so important (great guides include Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic People). These spaces are sacred. They are how we come to know ourselves and our joy. Access is not just […]