Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2018 | Page 30

BY DAVID LEESTMA, AIA
According to the Center for Disease
Control, the number of students with
autism is growing rapidly. From 2000
to 2014 the prevalence of autism in
children has gone up from 1 in 150 to
1 in 59 due to better recognition of the
condition. However, the educational
system for those with autism has not
caught up to the growing population.
The students are often overlooked by
school districts and given classrooms
that are detrimental to their senses.
In order to serve the needs of autis-
tic students, new facilities need to be
built and current facilities need to be
adapted in order to accommodate this
growing population.
To understand the specific ac-
commodations and requirements for
30 essentials | fall 2018
Designing
for the
Spectrum:
Autism-
Friendly
Educational
Design
an autistic user, it is imperative to
understand what autism is. Autism is
not a single disorder, but a spectrum
of closely-related disorders albeit
with a shared core of symptoms.
Every individual on the autism spec-
trum has problems to some degree
with social skills, empathy, commu-
nication, and flexible behaviors. The
major symptoms of autism are social
communication difficulties, language
disabilities, and repetitive behaviors,
with many related signs and symp-
toms including sensory perception
problems, emotional difficulties and
uneven cognitive abilities. The area
where architects can make the big-
gest impact is in designing buildings
that mitigate these sensory issues.