Exploring classroom design for autistic children

Abstract

This research study attempts at identifying how classrooms should be designed and built to limit noise within the learning environment for autistic children. The purpose of this study is to uncover a connection between how noise within a school’s classroom affects the behavior of autistic children. As the number of individuals with autism continues to grow, it is important to understand their background and traits in order for an attempt to be made that allows for interior designers to create interior environments that limit distractions and allow for focus, growth, and safety. This research studies how parents of autistic children observe the way their children interact and behave with various interior elements such as lighting, color pallet, and finish selections within any built environment. This study also gathered information on the perspective of teachers and teaching staff on behavior changes they observed their autistic students participating in while solely in the school setting caused by various noises within learning environment. The research gathered in this study is an attempt to better understand how classrooms should be designed in order to be more inclusive for the autistic community.