Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2019 | Page 41

Design for Special Needs
Why is this important? Data suggest
that a significant number of students
have special learning needs that must
be addressed for them to thrive in the
classroom. During the 2017-18 school
year, 14 percent of students — or 7
million — had special needs, federal
data show, and one in nine children
under the age of 18 received special
education services. The latest data
from the Centers for Disease Control
show that one in 59 children has been
identified with autism spectrum disor-
have a big effect on how well all
students — but especially those with
special needs — are able to focus and
learn in that environment. Here are
five elements of learning space design
that teachers and administrators should
pay attention to as they seek to meet
the needs of all learners.
CHOICE
Choice is important in the classroom,
because it gives students ownership of
their learning. Though it seems mun-
decision-making and build confidence
in students. When students have the
freedom to make learning decisions for
themselves, they feel less isolated.
MOVEMENT
All students need to move through-
out the school day, and those with sen-
sory processing challenges or difficulty
self-regulating are apt to move more
frequently. Physical spaces designed for
all learners should accommodate the
need to move, and research supports
CHOICE IN SEATING STYLE accommodates different learning preferences for all students and makes classrooms more inclusive.
der—a number that continues to rise.
Many students on the autism
spectrum have sensory processing
issues and are overly sensitive to touch,
lights, and sounds. Sensory processing
challenges may coexist in students
with other special needs such as those
with ADHD who tend towards sensory
seeking behaviors. These conditions
make it all the more challenging for
students to find their place in the phys-
ical classroom.
More than half of students with
disabilities spend the majority of their
days in general education classrooms.
With the increase in students who have
special needs comes the imperative for
schools to meet these unique needs —
not just academically but also physical-
ly, through smart learning space design.
How a classroom is designed can
dane, something as simple as choice in
seating style accommodates different
learning preferences for all students —
not just those with special needs — and
makes classrooms more inclusive.
Classrooms and other learning
spaces that include multiple seating op-
tions, such as standing desks, clusters
for small-group learning, soft seating,
and traditional desks and chairs, help
students make choices to support how
they learn best.
Offering a variety of easily move-
able seating choices also ensures that
students with different preferences
can still work together: A student who
prefers a standing desk can work in a
group with a student who learns best
sitting in a beanbag chair, for instance.
These flexible, collaborative
learning spaces promote responsible
the idea that frequent movement and
fidgeting might actually help students
with ADHD learn better.
“Fidget” seating and “wobble” stools
allow for movement by letting students
twist, rock, or move in other ways
without disrupting the physical flow of
a classroom. Students who habitually
tip their chairs back may be seeking
extra vestibular or movement input for
self-regulation to help maintain focus
and attention. Seating that rocks and
allows for movement addresses this
need, while also keeping students safe
and preventing falls.
QUIET, CALMING SPACES
More and more school leaders rec-
ognize the importance of offering quiet
spaces or “chill zones” —separate areas
of the classroom that are available to
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