Aspies For Freedom

If you could design an inclusive classroom for elementary school students(k-6, not sure what this called is in other countries), how would you decorate it?

My daughter's teacher and I were discussing what makes an overstimulating general-ed kindergarten classroom. She mentioned how she couldn't stay in another teacher's room for a meeting once b/c there was too much on the walls and it was making her tense.

For me, it's confusing when the information does not have clear boundaries but instead overlaps in an asymetrical way. I know people in ad design and web design often consider what colors, fonts, arrangement, etc. are most readable and effective. There are people that who make a science out of lay-out retail stores. I wonder if anyone does this with classrooms where differentiated learning in addressed.

On the other hand, I've heard of a segregated autistic classroom that only has dim lights, nothing on the walls, and the volume is kept low at all times. The children only mingle with the other kids at lunch/recess, which must be a shock for them. This would not work for inclusion but there's room for lots of compromise. For example, I know flourescent bulbs save money but what if people designed classrooms to use more natural light, or regular lightbulbs and solar power.

What about seating? Are rows best? Or tables grouped about the room?

What about colors?

Rows are not good if you cant get up easily without pushing past someone.
I think a small table is better, for 2 or 3 kids.

Regular lightbulbs burn out faster than floiurescent tubes, which means that they would cost more to use reguardless of power.

Natural light, however, seems like a good idea(provided it wasn't cloudy)

As far as rows vs groups go, I think rows are better. This is because at least at my school, haveing people in groups seems to encourage the neurotypical class members to talk with each other, which can get kind of distracting during individual work(does it really take three people to figure out a vocab handout?)

I've always been distracted by noise that's behind me. I used to try to sit in the back of class so I could concentrate. I like those cublicle looking desks that they put in libraries but I think other people would be freaked out with kids isolated like that.

I always wanted to sit in the front row so I could see the teacher's mouth when he/she talked.  I found I could pay attention better and most kids in the back were not as well behaved.  Most teachers would put me in the back since I was taller.  My parents would usually ask for me to be put in the front.  

I liked rows of desks.  I liked to be further away from other kids and have a desk to put my books and pencils in and have it private and near me.  

I really hated the noisy lunchrooms.  

Red or purple walls are really bad.  I prefer neutral colours and some natural sunlight.  Fluorscent lighting is tolerable except when it flickers.  There does not have to be alot of decorations.  A few places where the children can put up their own drawings or work is good since it gives them some sense of accomplishment and sharing.

Ugg! Lunchrooms are a nightmare unto themselves. They should be abolished. I was so happy when I got to H.S. and could leave campus for lunch.

I don't honestly think it is possible to have a one size fits all classroom.  Different children are sensitive to different things, and different children are stimulated by different things.  In general, teachers try to create a classroom that will inspire and stimulate their class.  I think that is a fine goal, and I wouldn't want a teacher to hold back because one child "might" have trouble with the stimulation.  What the teacher SHOULD do, however, is clue into the children that are in the class, and pay attention that no children are becoming confused, upset, or overstimulated as a result of something in the classroom.  Once an issue has been identified, the best and most nuetral solution can be found.

My son has an issue with noise.  Last year his teacher sat him near the door to the anti-room (a really cool feature our new school was built with) and gave him permission to escape into that room whenever he felt the need.

OK, that is something I would use for my universal access classroom - it must have an anti-room, one that is comfortable for the children,  that they are allowed to use when needed.

Another thing about our new school is that each classroom has so many windows, the odds of over-decorating get pretty small.  The teachers struggle to put up the children's art between windows, over them, and so on.

Overall, I find it interesting, though, that room decoration could be upsetting for a child.  I hadn't thought about it.  I like the student's work all over the classroom.  But, now that you've brought it up ... I can see the potential issue.  Interesting.

As for room arrangement, I think my child would do better with a traditional seating arrangement, where his desk doesn't touch anyone else's.  He has never gotten that, however, and it has created lots of learning moments, which is good and bad.  Like when he didn't like his new neighbor because she always pushed his work off her desk, when his past neighbors hadn't (he couldn't grasp the concept that just because he thought HIS desk was too small, he didn't automatically have the right to borrow a part of someone else's desk; he couldn't clue into the fact the other child was facing the same space issue he was).

ANYWAY, I think it all comes back to teachers needing to be aware of what is going on their classrooms and trying to understand how the children are reacting to it.

Yes, an understanding teacher is crucial. There is something called Universal Design that I want to look into when I have time.

Okay, what the heck is an anti-room? It sounds like something from Star Trek.("Sir! We have a coolant leak in the anti-room !")

Also, while I don't think it would be very practical, it would be cool to have a room with some sort of ANC setup.

I hated sitting at a table, I always managed to get stuck with the part that had the leg, and there was no room to move so it would be symetrical.  Sometimes we all had tables for two people to sit on one side, and then when we turned around and worked in groups it would be four.  I could never manage to get comfortable.

Hee!  That's one of the things that I HATED about high school, couldbecousin!  Standing in amongst all those (usually smelly, why do so many NTs pong, I wonder?  And they have to nerve to say OUR hygiene is suspect!) teenagers was one sure way to make me meltdown!  So I'd bring my lunch from home and then get picked on for not doing what everybody else was doing and get high-fat foods from the cafeteria.
Alison

Our school was recently built, with lots of input from parents and teachers.  The design assumes 3 classes per grade, and the 3 classrooms are clustured together, with a shared room in between that is called the anti room.  It is basically a smaller room, with windows and a table or two, that can be used for personalized assitance with a small group of students, storage, and so on.  My son was sat near the door between the classroom and this smaller auxillary room, and sometimes he would leave the classroom and hang out in there by himself.  He had permission to do this when he felt he needed to.   Leave the classroom and be by himself, door opened or closed as he wished.  The anit-rooms are a fantastic set up, and it was perfect for my son at that time (he no longer needs this accomodation).

I don't agree with all of this guy's criteria but it might be interesting to those who are thinking about this topic:

http://iautistic.com/autism-friendly-room-test.php

Thanks for the link, Natalia. I agree with removing irritants and I thought the part about how to get the flourescent bulbs not to flicker was pretty cool, if its true. I don't know about the bare room thing. It sounds boring.

Yeah, you should see my office, it's wall-to-wall posters and colorful things.  And on the floor & desks, wall-to-wall clutter.  This has made me wonder if I'm a real autistic (as I'm unofficial), but I've met others who are equally chaotic and I came to suppose that there are neat autistics and chaotic autistics, just like there are among NTs.
And the flourescent lights don't bother me, i can't see them flicker even if i try.  But I know people who that does bother...
And while I can be aware of the hard-drive and the fridge and probably the airconditioning system noises, they don't bother me, it's just like a comfortable sound.  But if a student whistles or makes "bird noises" in the class (which some subset of college guys seem to do unconsciously when they are trying to think) that just hurts my brain.

I guess what I mean is what other people have said in this thread before, that there are too many individual variations for there to be one classroom environment that would be good for every autistic student.