Hi Abbey!

I previously managed a volunteer on the spectrum and just want to say that the experience was very rewarding for our museum! I think the key here is to listen to the person and help them find what they are interested in.

Our volunteer particularly loved the hands-on exhibit in the natural history museum. This area required special training- training is done by staff but could also be facilitated by volunteer "experts", who had logged a certain number of hours. We worked with the volunteer to complete our regularly scheduled training for using/demonstrating the exhibits. After that, he took it upon himself to learn more about what he was interested in! He was very engaged in finding new information. I made sure to check-in with him every shift, to make sure he felt comfortable with me and comfortable in the exhibitions. He became a staple in exhibit hall.

Hope this helps,

Samantha