4. Less anxiety, less challenging behaviour: the case for well designed environments and how to achieve them.

An individual on the autism spectrum will spend a lifetime struggling with a range of challenges, trying to make sense of a life that is different to what is perceived as the norm. Sensory problems figure high on this list,... [ view full abstract ]

An individual on the autism spectrum will spend a lifetime struggling with a range of challenges, trying to make sense of a life that is different to what is perceived as the norm. Sensory problems figure high on this list, caused by: long and noisy corridors, poor lighting, complex textures, lack of space, temperature, colour etc. These are all encountered in the buildings that we inhabit and most of us spend a large proportion of every day in a building whether it be home, school, place of work, restaurant, shop etc.
We are all used to the ‘norm’ of noisy restaurants and public spaces, packed trains, busy corridors and bright colours with fussy patterns. We learn to live with these norms but for an individual on the spectrum any one of these features can cause extreme anxiety and build up to a point where challenging behaviour is the only way of expressing this extreme frustration and anxiety.
This presentation will set out the principles of achieving an autism-friendly environment and discuss an approach to designing out the features that so often lead to challenging behaviour. It is well established that behaviour is closely linked with the quality of the environment and that good design will result in behaviour that is easier to manage by families, carers and teachers.