Designing for Special Needs
confidence — a place to learn how to regulate and manage their emotions , behaviors , and disorders so they can experience the type of accomplishment that so many take for granted . The school provides a national model of tailored education for children with special needs . In 2018 , a newly constructed building will help accommodate planned programming expansion intended to meet growing demand for the Academy ’ s services , replacing a small rented space just a few blocks away . The new 64,000-squarefoot school building will house 21 classrooms , a gymnasium , cafeteria , kitchen , administration , and various specialist rooms .
As our team began the planning phase of this new home for Spero Academy , one of our highest priorities was to ensure we upheld an empathetic approach to design decisions large and small . To accomplish this , we needed to understand how students process and respond to the sensory environment to the best of our ability . We knew it would not be possible to customize a school to fit each individual ’ s specific needs , because each student is unique and copes and responds to the sensory environment in different ways . We did know , however , that the physical spaces where students learn have an active role in shaping their experience and that certain design strategies have been found to have an effect on student learning and behavior . This drove us to seek out more specific research and recommendations on designing for autism and to speak to educators to glean their insights into the needs of students at Spero Academy .
A focus group was held with 10 educators , including classroom teachers , a music therapist , speech therapists , occupational therapists , and a behavioral specialist . Questions included probes
into the specific behavioral , educational and environmental challenges each participant faced in the current building and what environmental qualities their ideal learning or therapy environments would embody in the new space . Their insights and recommendations were then vetted with the research recommendations that were uncovered in order to determine what would be included in the proposed design . While many of the specific strategies identified from the research require more research to determine effectiveness , our team was able to uncover several expert theories and recommendations on which to formulate our design .
Sensory Sensitive vs . Neuro-typical Approaches
One of the first sets of theories we uncovered was the sensory-sensitive and neuro-typical approaches to designing environments for students with autism . Of the two theories , the sensory-sensitive approach is the approach most typically employed and studied regarding design for the autistic population . It involves tailoring an environment to best accommodate the needs and sensitivities of students with autism . However , we also uncovered several advocates of the neuro-typical approach . This is essentially the philosophy that children with autism should experience “ typical ” environments for all activities , including education , with the hypothesis that it will help with overall integration into society . There are strong arguments for each approach , but , as of now , there are no definitive studies comparing the sensory sensitive approach to the neuro-typical approach . Henry concludes that the best approach to designing for students with autism may be a combination of both theories .
Putting Theory to Practice
While our initial design philosophy for the new Spero Academy building primarily followed the recommendations of the sensory-sensitive approach , our design team has ultimately integrated strategies from both neuro-typical and sensory-sensitive theories into the design where deemed appropriate . Many of these theories were inspired by “ Interior Design for Autism ” written by A . J . Paron-Wildes . Below are just five of many different ways these approaches are being realized in the final design .
1 . A Welcoming Entry Sequence
First impressions are very important , especially for charter schools , where students and parents have the choice whether or not they want to enroll . Parents visiting the school have to determine if this is the right school for their child to spend nearly every day for the next few years of their life ; therefore , creating an inviting and comfortable entry sequence is crucial for Spero Academy to realize their growth goals in Minneapolis . As a result , the entry sequence follows a neuro-typical design approach , creating a sense of
32 essentials | summer 2017