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Schools need to be adaptable in order to teach students with all degrees of perception issues and be able to adapt the environment to a student ’ s specific needs .
as the gym and cafeteria . By looking at common sensory problems , a series of principles can be made to use as the basis of design for an autism friendly school . These principles outline strategies to reduce distraction from excess stimuli , to determine how the building should be organized as a whole , and how the building itself should be constructed .
Acoustics
Parents and teachers ranked acoustics as the most influential feature of the sensory environment on autistic behavior . Loud noises and sounds from things such as movement and mechanical systems should be mitigated through design . In most cases the sense of calm that comes with quieter spaces encourages better behavior in students and allows them to focus on learning . Special attend should be paid to material selection to limit reflected noise .
Lighting
The use of direct fluorescent lighting should be avoided . Individuals with autism are very vulnerable to the sub-visible flicker , which can cause headaches , eyestrain , and increased repetitive behavior . Lighting also needs to be controllable because different activities require different amounts of light . Natural light improves academic performance , relaxes students , permits better concentration , and reduces hyperactivity in children . However views to the outside and other distractions should also be controllable to prevent students from being distracted by what is happening outside , which can be done though clerestory windows or translucent glazing .
Colors and materiality
85 % of autistic children see colors with far greater intensity than a neurotypical student . Because autistic individuals may have a significant increase in color differentiation , small changes in color can dramatically affect their behavior . Grids and busy patterns should be minimized in areas that require student to focus , such as a classroom . Minimizing any offending stimuli can help improve autism spectrum students ’ ability to perform successfully in the classroom .
Adaptability
Spaces should be created to permit change depending on the children ’ s needs and to allow the students and teachers to rearrange or subdivide the spaces as needed . Finishes , materials , and spatial organization should be able to be manipulated not only by the staff but also by students . An environment which is able to adapt and change to the user ’ s needs is able to perform more functionally than a room with a set purpose . The environment could
32 essentials | fall 2018