Canberra science museum introduce quiet space

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Claire Dyer's office has earthquake simulations, caged lightning and robots and it is visited by around half a million people each year. But the Questacon worker found own children were overwhelmed by it all, so she’s done something about it.

Transcript

00:00 Children across the nation adore Claire Dyer's workplace, but her own kids find the curated

00:07 chaos of Questacon a bit much.

00:10 It is very loud, it is chaotic, and my kids struggle with it.

00:15 Ten-year-old Bailey lives with autism spectrum disorder. He likes enclosed spaces, uses toys

00:22 to communicate and can easily become overwhelmed.

00:25 He basically will shut down and we won't be able to get him to go anywhere or to do anything.

00:33 Little brother Alex has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

00:37 For ADHD they become even more hyperactive and they just run, they're not even taking in what's going on around them.

00:46 Claire believes youngest Jasmine is similarly neurodiverse, but yet to be diagnosed.

00:52 Guys, take it easy please.

00:56 Claire's drive to see her kids included has seen Questacon recognise neurodiversity for the first time in its 35-year history with calm space.

01:07 It's much quieter, the lighting is softer, there are textured services to actually feel and calm.

01:13 There are little nooks, like the one behind me, where you can actually go into a quiet space.

01:19 There's areas for reading and just quiet exploration.

01:22 Or maybe even a little nap, made possible by a mother's love.

01:27 love.

01:29 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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