The percentage of individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is rising in our society. In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the ambitious new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets that promise to leave no one behind.
Autism is characterised by difficulties with social functioning, which can seriously affect a person’s ability to live independently. Adults with autism therefore often need support in managing daily tasks in their homes. In order to highlight the need to improve the lives of children and adults who suffer from ASD, United Nation’s (UN) World Autism Awareness Day is being celebrated on April 2 every year.
The theme for 2016 is “Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neurodiversity”. Neurodiversity is the idea that a neurological difference like autism is the result of normal, natural variation in the human genome. Autism is a lifelong neurological and complex condition that affects the way a person perceives and interacts with other people and the world around them. It is a spectrum condition, which means that whilst all people with autism share certain difficulties, they will be affected by them in different ways. Some may lead relatively independent lives while others require dedicated support every day.
Each of the autistic children’s sensory sensitivities differ from one to another. Some might be disturbed by the light, and some might feel annoyed by sound. Occasionally, to build the children’s confidence, they need a space for them to walk and practice their activities on their own while the parents can still supervise them. Architects should creatively design spaces which do not make the children feel confined, but make them comfortable enough to carry on their activities freely. The supervision should not create excessive intrusion in the child’s activities or interactions.
The design of residential buildings can profoundly impact on the health, wellbeing and behaviour of children and adults with autism. To enhance the confidence and independence of people with autism and complex needs, a holistic approach must be taken that aligns the building design and level of personal support with individual preferences and aspirations. Service staffs, prospective residents and their families are rarely consulted in the writing of design briefs and are typically not involved in the preparation and initial stages of building projects. Post Occupancy Evaluations (POE) is rarely done in such projects. (POE) represented a special opportunity to investigate the space designed for autistic people served their needs. A variety of research techniques (behaviour mapping, videos, and user interviews) are used to evaluate how the facility as a whole and its component parts supported the needs of the people.
Behavioural factors emphasize the relationship between behaviour and the physical environment. Some of the issues explored in this area are: How does the size of the facility affect its usersIJ What does the building’s image imply to the users and the communityIJ How does the proximity of areas in the building affect the frequency of their useIJ Does the configuration of the rooms and materials affect user behaviourIJ How do other factors combine with the physical environment to affect usersIJ Research and evaluations indicate that the physical environment profoundly affect the users behaviour. Without POE, it can be difficult and expensive to modify the building being evaluated, which may have several shortcomings.
The task for providing suitable surroundings for people with autism falls into the realm of architecture. Thus, architectural designs for autism treatment centers should incorporate both design approaches in order to keep up with treatment necessities and offer suitable surroundings for autism therapy. Autism therapy is mainly targeted towards children and focus on establishing the key abilities and social skills that facilitate their possibilities to integrate in the public education system. Autism treatment centres should not be isolated in spaces outside the city, but rather be located inside the urban area where they can establish relations with cultural, education and health institutions. This will facilitate interactions between autism children and the people outside, especially children studying at nearby schools and kindergartens. In this regard, the public interface becomes an extremely necessary part of an autism treatment centre and a tool for awareness and integration. The interaction spaces need to be large enough, and flexible to be able to accommodate many activities and circumstances that people may come across in day to day lives, from school environments to public spaces. Also, interaction spaces should have both indoor and outdoor areas in order to cover more levels of sensory stimulation.
To produce the behavioral map, each child was observed for a fixed time interval. His responses, movements and activities will be documented. This technique may be used for modification and reorganisation of space for better benefit of the autistic people.
Developing standard guidelines for creating autistic-friendly environments rely greatly on research. To provide a calm ‘back drop’ for people with autism can assist in reducing some elements of stress which is helpful for their well being. Housing providers and architects need to know how best to create autism-friendly environments and how residents can be helped to manage in their homes and their wider communities. There is a need to develop design guidelines for people with ASDs. The basic design considerations should focus on safety and security.
Autism Therapy Centre, Bhubaneswar is the outcome of strong determination, commitment and sustained efforts of a few parents of children affected with autism. The centre was founded in August, 2008. The Therapy Centre is managed by a trust called “Manage Autism Now (MAN)” since June, 2010. The Autism Therapy Centre, Bhubaneswar is fully conscious of this and is giving emphasis on creating public awareness in this regard, besides providing effective intervention to the special kids having autism spectrum disorder. These covers Behavioural Therapy, Speech Therapy, Social skills training, Yoga and meditation Therapy, Ayurvedic treatment, Sensory integration Therapy, learning through computers and alternative mode to develop communication skills. The centre also provides referral service to parents/families and professionals who work with them.
Architecture design for autism addresses sensory needs as it develops an environment which will enable them to lead a better life in autism-friendly built environment.
(Dr Praharaj works in Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)