Analysis and Interpretation of Educational Space Needs for Differently-abled children
Sanjay Centre for Special Eduction, Porvorim, Goa
Introduction
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is to a broad range of conditions characte skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication. The me is presently inadequately equipped with means for sensitive management o the inadequacies, The Blank Slate conducted surveys Teachers and Paren needs, that aided us in understanding their needs and aspirations, and othe development of children with ASD. The was conducted using Survey Legen
This survey saw participation from teachers and parents from all around the responses were recorded. A varied questionnaire was prepared for parents and teachers to understan problems faced while managing children with ASD. The Questionnaire aim development of infrastructure in such schools. A total of 250 responses were collected and processed. The questionnaire Activities preferred by children, Sensitivity of children to certain things, Cha required for them.
erized by challenges with social ental health infrastructure in India of Autism. In order to understand nts of students with special er factors that help in growth and nd.
e country, and individual
nd their preferences and ms to delineate the concept for the
focuses on four major aspects: allenges faced and Development
Methods and Tools
Overview
Survey Legend is a portal to conduct interactive surveys in the form of questionnaires. The survey was conducted using this medium. A link to the questionnaire was sent to the participants, that opened up the form where all responses were entered and recorded. Two distinct questionnaires were prepared to be sent to parents and teachers. A compiled report of all the recorded responses is generated through Survey Legend, which includes statistical data like pie charts and bar graphs used further in this report.
The questions asked were of three different types, drafted to imbibe data about all aspects about the subject.
Type A: Multiple Checkbox List with Images
Type B: Multiple Checkbox List without Images
Type C: Individual Response Fields
Type D: Singe Choice Question
FACTORS TAKEN INTO AC
1
2
ACTIVITIES
SENSITIVITY
CCOUNT IN THE SURVEY
3
4
CHALLENGES
DEVELOPMENT
Activities
1
2
Learning through Games, Storytelling and Hands-on experiences is preferred.
Slides and Swings are the most approachable by children in a garden.
6 Outdoor proves more effective in development of motor skills.
Dancing, W Singing an some the c
7 Outdoor proves more effective in conducting therapy sessions.
4
5
Motor Development and Real Life Situations create more interactive environment in corridors
Painting and Cooking are the most preferred methods of teaching.
3
Water Games, nd cooking are hobbies of children.
8 Natural canopies are preferred over artificial canopies.
9 Swimming and Wall Climbing provides maximum aid in development
1 Games, Story Telling and Hands-on experience are preferred methods of teaching. When asked about the preferred methods of teaching the students, responses given by teachers and parents on similar lines. Both studies show that children learn better through games.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Singing Photography Sports visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile (VAKT method of teaching) Playway Method
Modelling
Competition
Experimentation and Demonstration
18%
19%
Story Telling
Games
8%
12%
Role Play
11%
10%
8%
13%
10% Hands On
11%
9%
Illustration
Drama
8%
16%
12%
9%
Project
10%
Group Discussion
0%
11%
Tactile Learning
Distribution of preference of various methods of teaching
PARENTS
TEACHERS
2 Slides and Swings are the most utilized and desired by children in a garden.
When asked about the features a garden should include, the survey shows that the most enjoyable features in a garden for kids are slides, swings and bridges.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Sand Pit
Sensory Walkway
Gym
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12% 14%
Balancing Bridge Slide Climbing Zones Playful Terraces Inclusive Ramps Inclusive Games Magic Beams Diy Corner Swing Adventure Activities Art Zones Graph showing the distribution in preference of different elements in a garden
PARENTS
TEACHERS
3 Dancing, Water Games, Singing and cooking are some common hobbies of the children. Parents were asked about the hobbies of their children. The responses highlight common hobbies among the children of the surveyed parents. They enjoy Cycling, painting, dance and sports.
jumping COOKING painting
Dancing Reading storybooks Cycling
Sports Dramatization writing Reading storybooks Singing Building blocks
WATER GAMES
Art and Craft work Working with Computer Common Hobbies of the Children
4 Motor Development and Real Life Situations create a more interactive environment in a corridor When asked about the elements they would like to see in a corridor, Parents and Teachers prefer motor development activities and real life situations to decorate the school corridors. Corridors are transitional spaces, hence it is important to make these spaces interactive for children
RECOMMENDATIONS: Remove furniture
Aquarium
Sensory Wall
Painting
S
16%
19%
15%
14%
11%
Motor Development Real Life Situation
9% 11% The Positive Path
10%
7%
Seating With Storage
10%
10%
Act of Kindness
14%
14%
Maths Games
9%
15%
12%
Wall of Hope
Self Introspection Distribution of preference of elements in a corridor
PARENTS
TEACHERS
5 Painting and Cooking are the most preferred Indoor activities. The participants were asked about the children's' most preferred indoor activity. The results suggest the most common ones being painting, dancing and cooking.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Competitions Dramatization Hands On Board games Contact sport Audio Visual
Photography Zumba
General Exercise Martial Art
18%
13%
Painting
11%
0%
Block Building
8% Music
3% Theatre
9%
5%
16%
14%
Dancing
2%
3%
String Art
6%
Sensory Art
8%
6%
0%
Stamp Painting
9%
Hand Painting
3%
8% Cooking
7%
9%
Clay Art
5%
4%
6%
Sand Art
Distribution of preference among indoor activities
PARENTS
TEACHERS
6 Outdoor proves more effective in development of motor skills. INDOORS
14% 52% 34% BOTH
OUTDOOR
When asked about the preferred environment for development of motor skills, most of the teachers find outdoor training important but the preference also varies with the child. Hence, both are preferred.
Outdoor Environments are preferred over indoor environments
Indoor Environments are preferred by a lesser number of children
PARENTS
TEACHERS
7 Outdoor proves more effective in conducting Therapy Sessions
When asked about the preferred environment for therapy, most of the teachers prefer outdoors but the preference also varies with the child. Hence, indoors are also recommended.
55% 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%
OUTDOORS
INDOORS
BOTH
Distribution of preference between indoors and outdoors for therapy
8 Natural canopies are preferred over artificial canopies.
Natural canopies consist of shade from deciduous trees and shading elements such as pergolas, green trellis and green canopies, which are preferred over artificial canopies.
Artificial Canopies
90%
80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
Artificial Canopies
Natural Canopies
Distribution of preference between natural and artificial shade
PARENTS
TEACHERS
9
Swimming and Wall Climbing provide maximum aid for development of children. When asked about the activities preferred by the children that aid development, swimming and wall climbing were the common answers
RECOMMENDATIONS:
DANCE AND MUSIC
CYCLING PATHWAYS
BRIDGES
BALL GAMES
24% 26%
Swimming 14% 19%
Magic Fountain 23% 20%
Wall Climbing
23% 22%
Trampoline 14% 10%
Archery Distribution of preference among developmental activities PARENTS
TEACHERS
Sensitivity
1
2
Children are most receptive to basic shades such as Red, Blue and Yellow.
Children calm down through Playing Outdoors, Listening Music and Eating. in a garden.
5 Most children find butterflies playful but some get irritated or remain indifferent.
6
Musical gam enhance sens children with
3
4
Children are more receptive to natural flooring like Grass, Mud and Sand.
6
mes and plates may sory development in h respect to Sound.
Sensory path design may enhance sensory development of children. with respect to touch.
7 Particular factors that bring about emotions like happiness, sadness, disturbance and anger in children
1
Children are most receptive to basic shades such as Red, Blue and Yellow. Children absorb colour effortlessly and love to work with colour creatively, creating and making with colour will keep their attention on the project at hand and keep them focused.
Distribution of preference among colours
PARENTS
TEACHERS
2 Children calm down through Playing Outdoors, Listening Music and Eating. When asked about calming activities for children, both teachers and parents agreed that when child is anxious or stressed, these calming activities and soothing techniques are great for helping them settle so they can move past any problem.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Story Reading
Dancing
Massage
Computers
Speech Therapy
Aerobic
Watching Cartoons Visual Sensory Toys
11%
14%
11%
Eating
8%
11%
Amidst Nature
7%
7%
Pets
6%
4%
Quite Isolation Zone
19% 15%
18%
10%
Meditation
Playing Outdoors
Rubik Cube
12%
3%
8%
6%
11%
Clay Modeling
5%
7%
Squishy Ball
13%
Music
Distribution of preference among calming activities
PARENTS
TEACHERS
3 Children are more receptive to natural flooring like Grass, Mud and Sand. When asked about the most preferred flooring materials, if was found that the children are more active and creative when exposed to nature.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Bubble Mat Marble Titles
Bed and Blankets Rock
SAND
25%
GRASS
30%
20%
no effect
WOOD
5%
RUBBER
10%
MUD
15%
Distribution of preference among flooring materials
PARENTS
TEACHERS
4
Sensory path design may enhance sensory development of children with respect to touch. When asked about tactile sensort elements to be included in the sensorial walls, both teachers and parents voted for sensory path made by natural elements and stones painted by kids. It helps kids focus, exercise and learn.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Soft Toys
Vibration Feelers for the deaf
Sounds of animals
27% 27%
Natural Elements 29% 25%
Stones painted by kids 25% 25%
Different size pebble
21% 18%
Informative Pathway Distribution of preference among tactile sensory elements
PARENTS
TEACHERS
5
Most children find butterfly playful but some get irritated or remain indifferent.
Irritated
28% 10% Indifferent
Playful
61%
When asked about children's perception towards insects and animals, it was found that children are attracted to the colours of a butterfly but some may develop allergies and get irritated whereas others may remain indifferent due to absence of sensitivity towards colours.
Perception of children towards insects and animals
6
Musical games and plates may enhance sensory development in children with respect to Sound. MUSIC PLATES
35% 65% MUSICAL GAMES
When asked about the prefercene between different types of sound sources for sensorial integration, informal musical activities were found to influence the maturation of auditory discrimination and attention in preschool-aged children.
7 Particular factors that bring about emotions like happiness, sadness, disturbance and anger in children When asked about particular activities, colours, sound, light, texture or material that stimulates a child, the teachers and parents answered as follows
Happy
Zumba and Swinging
Playing
Velvet cloth and smooth surfaces
Stretching Sad
Angry
Disturbing
Rough and thorny material
Withdrawal of toys or activity Change in seating arrangement
Art and Craft
Colours Black Colourless walls and Red
Not allowed to participate in activities
Walking
Rubbing of blackboard
Rough texture
Heat
Confusing Activity Contrasting Colours
Loud disorganized noises
Outdoor games
Toys
Water, bubbles, patterns
Rainbow colours on walls
Learning their lessons
Different Smells
Clay Upbeat modelling Music
Too much movement
A broad range of elements can act as emotional triggers
Red Colour Too much light
Emotional Issues
Challenges
1 Poor communication skills and Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are major challenges faced by children.
4 Reading is the most challenging academic section for children. in a garden.
2
Children m difficulty with like Navigatio and Moto
5
As childre develop and g dexterity
2
may face basic skills on, Direction or Skills.
5
en begin to grow, some face problems.
3 As children begin to develop and grow, there are signs of possible motor skill difficulties.
6 Subjects that children find difficult may be taught by other tools and strategies.
1 Poor communication skills and Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are major challenges faced by children. All the answers are given by the teachers which highlights all the difficulties faced by the children. Lack of Fine motor skills, malnutrition and lack of family support are one of the issues.
Lack of hand-eye coordination
Poor communication skills
Lack of Lack of fine and gross exposure to society motor skills and natural elementsPhysical Disability Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
family support
Delay in speech and language barrier Low Vision
Poverty and Malnutrition
Behavioural problems because of emotional disturbances
Delayed Milestone
Major challenges faces by children with ASD
2
Children may face difficulty with basic skills like Navigation, Direction and Motor Skills. Both teachers and parents voted for navigation as major problem faced by growing children followed by direction and jumping. Few of also struggled with climbing and waking.
20%
15%
Jumping
21%
24%
26%
Navigation
19%
Climbing
20%
25%
Direction
13%
14%
Walking
PARENTS
TEACHERS
3
As children begin to develop and grow, there are signs of possible motor skill difficulties. Parents listed out many motor skills difficulties faced by children. These can be corrected, though with early intervention at school level by including activities and games that enhance motor skills.
Cycling
Catching
Direction
Cutting
Cutting Vegetables
Climbing
Crossing Hurdles Motor skill difficulties faced by children
4 Reading is the most challenging academic section for children. When asked about what subjects children find the most challenging, teachers and parents agreed that children find reading more difficult than writing and maths. Academic concerns are also closely related to the mental health of children.
42%
36%
35%
28%
Reading
Writing
29%
30%
Maths
Distribution of the most challenging subjects as percieved by children
PARENTS
TEACHERS
5 As children begin to develop and grow, some face dexterity problems.
Dexterity is the ability to use your hands skillfully, fluently, quickly, and easily. Parents noticed that child fatigues quickly during fine motor activities and struggles with fine motor skills like cutting with scissors or manipulating small objects.
Fine Motor Skills Tying Shoe Laces Eating Food Holding Pencil Cutting with Scissors Bad Handwriting Work a Zipper
Challenges with dexterity faced by the children
6
Subjects that children find difficult may be taught by other tools and strategies.
Parents and teachers suggested various strategies based on interest of their child which may be used for teaching difficult subjects easily.
Modelling
Group Dramatization Discussions Competitions
Videos
Practical
Personal Attention
Art and Craft
PICTURES
Mobile apps
Hands on
Flash Cards
PLAYWAY METHOD
Visual Graphics Story Based Study Material Alternative tools and stratergies that can be incorporated into teaching
Development
1 Tactile Environment and Competitions improve the growth of the child.
4 Creative workshop under school supervision helps in development of children.
2
Swimming and W provide maxim development o
5
Sensory elements positive development recommended by th
2
Wall Climbing mum aid in of children.
5
s that can aid t of children, as he participants
3 Suggestions and factors to be taken into account when designing various typologies of spaces
6 Recommendations to improve the conditions of individual spaces
1 Tactile Environment and Competitions improve the growth of the child. All the options are suggested by the teachers helps in improving the strength of the children,. tactile environments, competitions and many other activities improve the skills of children.
SPEECH THERAPY Hands on
Sensorial Vocational Skills Integration Competitions Motivation and Enthusiasm
Physiotherapy
Assistive Software Extracurricular activities
Sports and Games Tactile environments
Interaction with other students and teachers
2 Natural elements like birds, butterflies and flora affect children positively. All the options have good response from the teachers and parents. This shows child's growth rate is high when they are in a natural environment. Aquarium and Vegetable Gardening is also preferred by children.
RECOMMENDATION:
Aquarium
Vegetable Gardening
Sand Pit
Hydrotherapy
19% 22%
Birds 24% 23%
Inclusive Garden 19% 19%
Butterflies 12% 15%
Puddle Pool 22% 19%
Flowering Shrubs
PARENTS
TEACHERS
3 The following were the suggestions and factors to be taken into account when designing various typologies of spaces
COURTYARD SPACE
GARDENING SPACE
ACTIVITY AREA
CORRIDOR AREA
Courtyard Space
Gardening Section
Activity Area
Corridor Space
Seating arrangement
Water Body
Lawn Space
Flora
Accessibility
Variety of Texture
Storage Space
Increasing height of pots
Variety
Ease of Use
Provide computer games
Ventilation
Medicinal Trees
Provide space for circulation
Water Supply
Variety in activities
Colour coding of spaces
Incline it towards academics
Non-slippery tiles Obstacle-free path
Other Space
Safety
Stairs with math tables
Display of Children's activity Numbers and Alphabets
Inclusivity for all students
Vertical Garden
Rubber matting
Colour coding of spaces
All open spaces must be assigned a function
4 Creative workshop under school supervision helps in development of children. Parents were asked whether they'd like their child to participate in a creative workshop to design and build a small part of the school under adult supervision, to get hands-on experience, the response was positive.
NO YES
13%
87%
5 Sensory elements that can aid positive development of children, as recommended by the participants When asked about other elements that can aid positive development of children, apart from the ones mentioned in the survey, the following options came to the fore.
Ramps
Sand Pit
Swings and Slides
Cycling
Sensory Zones
Teaching Learning Material
Play park
Occupational Therapy
Montessori play equipment
Obstacle Course
6 The following were the recommendations to improve the conditions of individual spaces
Sanjeevani Saksham Section
Shraddha Section
Shruti Section
Special Faculty
Physiotherapy sensory Play area Equipment zone Irregular water supply in toilets
Furniture
A quiet corner
Space for to carry out vocational skills
Unavailability of space Classroom space for games indoors
Open space
Bocce court
No space for Black Board
Football turf and indoor facility
No quite Unavailability of space Provisions should be made to carry out teaching in different methods and benches conner
Unavailability of space for games indoors
No quite conner
Audio-visual aid or smart boards
Speech Absence of therapy room ramps
Football turf and indoor facility
Acoustic rooms for speech therapy
Unavailability of sensory zone
Play ground
Audio instruction in lifts
Rubber matting
A quiet corner
The surveys were conducted kee vision and demonstrate potential
The survey conducted by The Bla more precise and accurate analys different perspective. Parents gav on observation of groups of childr most of the questions which stren
The set of questions tries to get a questions are categorized in four survey maximum votes were bag creativity. We also came to know navigation etc.
Conclusion
eping in mind the varied interests of the user group to generate a collective l design possibilities.
ank Slate used two different questionnaires for teachers and parents to create sis. We tried to look at the lifestyle and difficulties of growing children from two ve a detailed view of individual child whereas answers of teachers were based ren. However, the survey converges when they both showed similar votes for ngthen our trust in the survey as a reliable source for further design strategies.
a holistic view of factors that influence development of children. The r heads that is activities, sensitivity, challenges and development. In the gged by activities that exposed children more to nature and enhances their w about major difficulties faced by children such as fine motor skills,