Autism has generally been ignored by the interior design community and excluded from building codes and guidelines, even those developed explicitly for special needs individuals. This research will look into how interior design factors affect individuals with autism; specifically with regards to acoustics. Today’s world has put much emphasis and consideration towards the diversity of individuals and their developmental and psycho-social disorders, yet research has not been thorough in this topic; thus, this article presents a further step when considering development. Therefore, one of the primary aims of this research is to correct this exclusion by developing a preliminary framework of interior design guidelines for autism. To reach this goal of developing a framework for architectural guidelines for autism, an extensive literature review was conducted and a behavioral observation took place. Four classrooms were identified in two schools (two rooms in each school) based on their noise levels and behaviors were recorded from 42 participants. Research results indicate that environment is important to the treatment of autism because it influences behavior. A significant positive correlation between noise levels and frequency of target behaviors was found; that is, as decibel levels increased, several of the observed behaviors occurred with greater frequency. This research gives practical solutions that architects and designers can use to modify the environment for children with autism. Developed and expounded by the author in two previous studies (Kanakri, et al. “An Observational Study of Classroom Acoustical Design and Repetitive Behaviors in Children With Autism,” Sage Publications, pp. 1-27, 2016) and (Kanakri, S. M., The Impact of Acoustical Environmental Design on Children with Autism. 2014), these analyses lay the groundwork for this article’s research which provides tangible modifications to help these children develop their skills, cope with auditory problems and improve their behaviors.
| Published in | American Journal of Pediatrics (Volume 3, Issue 6) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajp.20170306.15 |
| Page(s) | 89-94 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2017. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Autism, Interior Design, Noise, Behavior, Children, Classroom
| [1] | Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Washington, Londres: American Psychiatric Association, 2013. |
| [2] | H. E. Dingfelder and D. S. Mandell, “Bridging the Research-to-Practice Gap in Autism Intervention: An Application of Diffusion of Innovation Theory,” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 597–609, 2010. |
| [3] | A. Remington and J. Fairnie, “A sound advantage: Increased auditory capacity in autism,” Cognition, vol. 166, pp. 459–465, 2017. |
| [4] | S. R. Leekam, M. R. Prior, and M. Uljarevic, “Restricted and repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders: A review of research in the last decade.,” Psychological Bulletin, vol. 137, no. 4, pp. 562–593, 2011. |
| [5] | S. Leekam, J. Tandos, H. Mcconachie, E. Meins, K. Parkinson, C. Wright, M. Turner, B. Arnott, L. Vittorini, and A. L. Couteur, “Repetitive behaviours in typically developing 2-year-olds,” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 48, no. 11, pp. 1131–1138, 2007. |
| [6] | C. S. Martin, “Exploring the impact of the design of the physical classroom environment on young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD),” Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 280–298, 2014. |
| [7] | M. Brincker and E. B. Torres, “Noise from the periphery in autism,” Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, vol. 7, no. 34, 2013. |
| [8] | M. Mostafa, “Architecture for autism: Autism ASPECTSS in school design,” International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 8, pp. 143–158, 2014. |
| [9] | E. Atmaca, I. Peker, and A. Altin, “Industrial noise and its effects on humans.,” Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, vol. 14, pp. 721–726, 2005. |
| [10] | K. Mcallister and B. Maguire, “Design considerations for the autism spectrum disorder-friendly Key Stage 1 classroom,” Support for Learning, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 103–112, 2012. |
| [11] | B. Rimland and S. M. Edelson, “Brief report: A pilot study of auditory integration training in autism,” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 61–70, 1995. |
| [12] | American National Standards Institute/Acoustical Society of America. “American National Standard Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools, Part 1: Permanent Schools.” ANSI/ ASA S12.60-2010/Part 1, 2012. |
| [13] | M. Kinnealey, B. Pfeiffer, J. Miller, C. Roan, R. Shoener, and M. L. Ellner, “Effect of Classroom Modification on Attention and Engagement of Students With Autism or Dyspraxia,” American Journal of Occupational Therapy, vol. 66, no. 5, pp. 511–519, 2012. |
| [14] | T. Insel, “Post by Former NIMH Director Thomas Insel: Transforming Diagnosis,” National Institute of Mental Health, 29-Apr-2013. [Online]. Available: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/directors/thomas-insel/blog/2013/transforming-diagnosis.shtml. [Accessed: 27-Sep-2017]. |
| [15] | O. I. Lovaas, J. W. Varni, R. L. Koegel, and N. Lorsch, “Some Observations on the Nonextinguishability of Childrens Speech,” Child Development, vol. 48, no. 3, p. 1121, 1977. |
| [16] | J.-C. Tang, C. H. Kennedy, A. Koppekin, and M. Caruso, “Functional analysis of stereotypical ear covering in a child with autism.,” Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 95–98, 2002. |
| [17] | M. Turner, “Annotation: Repetitive Behaviour in Autism: A Review of Psychological Research,” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 839–849, 1999. |
| [18] | J. Goodwin, Blink patterns may be a window into autistic mind: Watching a video, toddlers with autism reacted to action, not emotional content. 2011. |
| [19] | S. Shultz, A. Klin, and W. Jones, “Inhibition of eye blinking reveals subjective perceptions of stimulus salience,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 108, no. 52, pp. 21270–21275, Dec. 2011. |
| [20] | R. R. Grinker, Unstrange minds: Remapping the world of autism. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2007. |
| [21] | S. M. Kanakri, The Impact of Acoustical Environmental Design on Children with Autism. 2014. |
| [22] | S. M. Kanakri, M. Shepley, L. G. Tassinary, J. W. Varni, and H. M. Fawaz. An Observational Study of Classroom Acoustical Design and Repetitive Behaviors in Children With Autism. Sage Publications, pp. 1-27, 2016. |
APA Style
Shireen M. Kanakri. (2017). Spaces Matters: Classroom Acoustics and Repetitive Behaviors in Preschool Children with Autism. American Journal of Pediatrics, 3(6), 89-94. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20170306.15
ACS Style
Shireen M. Kanakri. Spaces Matters: Classroom Acoustics and Repetitive Behaviors in Preschool Children with Autism. Am. J. Pediatr. 2017, 3(6), 89-94. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20170306.15
AMA Style
Shireen M. Kanakri. Spaces Matters: Classroom Acoustics and Repetitive Behaviors in Preschool Children with Autism. Am J Pediatr. 2017;3(6):89-94. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20170306.15
Share This Article
Twitter
Linked In
Facebook
Copy
Download@article{10.11648/j.ajp.20170306.15,
author = {Shireen M. Kanakri},
title = {Spaces Matters: Classroom Acoustics and Repetitive Behaviors in Preschool Children with Autism},
journal = {American Journal of Pediatrics},
volume = {3},
number = {6},
pages = {89-94},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajp.20170306.15},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20170306.15},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajp.20170306.15},
abstract = {Autism has generally been ignored by the interior design community and excluded from building codes and guidelines, even those developed explicitly for special needs individuals. This research will look into how interior design factors affect individuals with autism; specifically with regards to acoustics. Today’s world has put much emphasis and consideration towards the diversity of individuals and their developmental and psycho-social disorders, yet research has not been thorough in this topic; thus, this article presents a further step when considering development. Therefore, one of the primary aims of this research is to correct this exclusion by developing a preliminary framework of interior design guidelines for autism. To reach this goal of developing a framework for architectural guidelines for autism, an extensive literature review was conducted and a behavioral observation took place. Four classrooms were identified in two schools (two rooms in each school) based on their noise levels and behaviors were recorded from 42 participants. Research results indicate that environment is important to the treatment of autism because it influences behavior. A significant positive correlation between noise levels and frequency of target behaviors was found; that is, as decibel levels increased, several of the observed behaviors occurred with greater frequency. This research gives practical solutions that architects and designers can use to modify the environment for children with autism. Developed and expounded by the author in two previous studies (Kanakri, et al. “An Observational Study of Classroom Acoustical Design and Repetitive Behaviors in Children With Autism,” Sage Publications, pp. 1-27, 2016) and (Kanakri, S. M., The Impact of Acoustical Environmental Design on Children with Autism. 2014), these analyses lay the groundwork for this article’s research which provides tangible modifications to help these children develop their skills, cope with auditory problems and improve their behaviors.},
year = {2017}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Spaces Matters: Classroom Acoustics and Repetitive Behaviors in Preschool Children with Autism AU - Shireen M. Kanakri Y1 - 2017/11/30 PY - 2017 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20170306.15 DO - 10.11648/j.ajp.20170306.15 T2 - American Journal of Pediatrics JF - American Journal of Pediatrics JO - American Journal of Pediatrics SP - 89 EP - 94 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2472-0909 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20170306.15 AB - Autism has generally been ignored by the interior design community and excluded from building codes and guidelines, even those developed explicitly for special needs individuals. This research will look into how interior design factors affect individuals with autism; specifically with regards to acoustics. Today’s world has put much emphasis and consideration towards the diversity of individuals and their developmental and psycho-social disorders, yet research has not been thorough in this topic; thus, this article presents a further step when considering development. Therefore, one of the primary aims of this research is to correct this exclusion by developing a preliminary framework of interior design guidelines for autism. To reach this goal of developing a framework for architectural guidelines for autism, an extensive literature review was conducted and a behavioral observation took place. Four classrooms were identified in two schools (two rooms in each school) based on their noise levels and behaviors were recorded from 42 participants. Research results indicate that environment is important to the treatment of autism because it influences behavior. A significant positive correlation between noise levels and frequency of target behaviors was found; that is, as decibel levels increased, several of the observed behaviors occurred with greater frequency. This research gives practical solutions that architects and designers can use to modify the environment for children with autism. Developed and expounded by the author in two previous studies (Kanakri, et al. “An Observational Study of Classroom Acoustical Design and Repetitive Behaviors in Children With Autism,” Sage Publications, pp. 1-27, 2016) and (Kanakri, S. M., The Impact of Acoustical Environmental Design on Children with Autism. 2014), these analyses lay the groundwork for this article’s research which provides tangible modifications to help these children develop their skills, cope with auditory problems and improve their behaviors. VL - 3 IS - 6 ER -
Information
Email: