Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2019 | Page 42

Design for Special Needs
students who need private moments.
These spaces allow teachers to give stu-
dents a “time in” to calm down without
excluding them from the classroom.
These quiet spaces, which can also
be located in a separate room, offer
gentle lighting and sound-absorbing
or sound-blocking qualities, along with
furniture that helps define spatial bound-
aries (such as chairs with higher backs
and sides) to help children feel secure
in their physical space. Sensory solutions
lights can help educators accommodate
sensitivity to fluorescent lighting. Green
Furniture Concept’s Leaf Lamp series
is one such light, pulling double duty
to offer ambient lighting along with
sound-absorbing qualities found in the
materials and shape of the leaves.
In one school, a nonverbal student on
the autism spectrum had trouble reading
his visual input communication device
because fluorescent lighting in the class-
room cast a glare on the laminated page
have trouble filtering out background
noise from computers, the hallway, or
even other students.
Large open spaces, such as those
found in cafeterias or gymnasiums,
are noisier — but some manufactur-
ers are designing aesthetically pleas-
ing, sound-absorbing panels, often in
the shape of school mascots, to quell
raucous noise. Classrooms, sensory
rooms, and media centers can offer
“noise pods,” such as this sensory pod
from Nook, which helps block noise and
prevent a sensory overload. These pods
give students with sensory issues a quiet
and calm space in which they can feel
secure.
THINKING BEYOND
CURRICULUM
PHYSICAL SPACES designed for all learners should accommodate the need to move to help
students with ADHD learn better.
that offer deep touch pressure input such
as a weighted lap pad or bean bag chair
may help promote self- regulation for
calming and organizing.
Visual or auditory input for calming
is another common “chill zone” feature.
Nature sounds, including water-related
noises such as ocean waves or a babbling
brook, work well in these spaces. Sen-
sory supports such as bubble tubes are
great for quiet spaces because they give
students something soothing to watch,
which may help promote a more calm-
ing, positive vibe.
LIGHTING
Because students with sensory chal-
lenges or other special needs are often
sensitive to lighting, fluorescent lights
can inhibit their ability to focus and pres-
ent a huge challenge. Classroom lighting
should come equipped with a dimmer
switch and the ability for teachers to
darken the room, and specially designed
42 essentials | fall 2019
of images. Teachers thought the student
had cognitive issues that prevented him
from using the device, until one ob-
served the student blinking very quickly
as he tried to get a good look. His special
education team realized the classroom’s
fluorescent lighting made it difficult for
him to see the laminated page.
This student began wearing a visor
to counteract the glare from the lights,
and educators printed images on a blue
sheet of paper instead of a white sheet to
help with visibility. He was actively using
the communication device within a few
weeks after those changes occurred.
ACOUSTICS
Most new schools or schools undergo-
ing extensive renovations include built-in
auditory amplification, but acoustics can
present a challenge in many older build-
ings. Classroom amplification systems
are helpful for students with auditory
processing disorders, such as those who
Educators receive extensive training
in how to differentiate instruction for
students. But what’s often overlooked
is training in how to differentiate the
physical space for students, including
those with special needs. We must
ensure there are enough choices in
educational spaces to help us meet
the needs of every learner. We can do
this by extending those same thoughts
about pedagogy and curriculum to the
physical spaces where students learn
each day. n
DR. CHRISTINA
COUNTS is Director
of Design and
Development for
School Specialty.
CECILIA CRUSE,
MS, OTR/L, is an OT
and Subject Matter
Expert in Abilitations
for the Special Needs
Division of the com-
pany. Together, they
have more than four
decades of experi-
ence in designing
learning spaces that
meet the needs of all
learners.