Using An Environmental Check For People On The Autism Spectrum (Part 1)

Introduction
Working in the field of autism for many years, it has				Suggested solution
continually surprised me that many practitioners and				Re-paint walls with pastel greenand ask students
carers had not fully considered the impact of the				withautism to choosethe colour.
environment on people on the autism spectrum. Some
had thought the only sensory difficulty in autism was				Is the environment clutteredwith
hypersensitivity to noise. Other professionals such as				� Yes or No
teachers or occupational therapists knew
environments were not ideal, but were not sure where
to start looking to change this.				" It has been suggested that people
Whilst visiting a school one day I had a conversation				with ASD find it helpful if furniture is
with a teacher who was very knowledgeable about				kept to the sides of a room and the
the needs of children on the autism spectrum and very				central space is kept clear"
aware of the environmental impact on her class of
eight children. She told me that she had been slowly				(Nguyen, 2006)
completing sensory profiles on all her pupils using Olga
Bogdashina's book as a basis (Bogdashina, 2003). We				Current situation
agreed that these individual profiles were excellent and				Most of the room is uncluttered,althoughsometimes
very thorough, although they took a long time to				activities arenot tidied away properly andmaterials are
complete.				left out.
We discussed how the classroom was not ideal in
sensory terms. Space was at a premium, noise and				Suggested solution
other distractions were numerous, and I admired how				Ensure room is left tidy at all times.
she coped and was able to get any teaching done at
all. I therefore decided to consider how the				Implications for practice
environment might be assessed.				As a nurse myself I can see the impact of an
Review of the literature				unfriendly environment on the wards and in the
Attwood (1998) argues that				community. Patient care can be compromised and
"…40% of children with autism have some sort of				people on the autism spectrum can suffer as a result.
sensory sensitivity…the incidence may be the same				In education, teaching staff can find themselves unable
for Asperger syndrome"				to teach and more importantly, students on the autism
and there are a number of other books that focus				spectrum may be unable to learn. An environmental
on the sensory issues for children on the autism				check has the potential to empower carers and
spectrum (e.g. Godwin, Emmons and McKendry, 2005).				professionals to assess their homes, wards,
There appears to be less literature on the impact of				classrooms and other settings in relation to the
the sensory environment. The leaflet by Nguyen				individuals with autism they are living and working with
(2006) for the National Autistic Society entitled				to consider whether changes may be beneficial.
Creating an autism-friendly environment was probably				*There has been an initial pilot of the checklist which
the most accessible and easy to read for carers and				has been used in schools and community health teams
professionals Morton-Cooper (2004) also has a				with very positive feedback. This will continue and be
chapter highlighting the clinical environment, although this				further evaluated over the coming year.
was tailored particularly for health professionals.				Concluding comments
Whitehurst (2006) described the design of a new				It would be very useful to conduct a small study to
building for children on the autism spectrum and				evaluate the use of the checklist and its effects. For
Humphreys (2005) looked at this topic. This literature				someone on the autism spectrum, the sensory
provides good background knowledge but none had				environment can have a profound effect on behaviour,
an assessment tool that I could use to determine how				stress levels, learning and task performance.
suitable a setting was. I therefore decided to develop a				Sensory profiles on the children and adults on the
checklist myself.				autism spectrum are recommended in addition to this
How to do it?				environmental checklist, such as that provided by
The main purpose of developing the environmental				Bogdashina (2003).
checklist was to create a tool that was quick and				The very nature of autism means that changing the
easy to use. It needed to be accessible by all parents				environment may be upsetting for some people on the
carers, professionals and people on the spectrum. I				spectrum. However, this should not deter staff and
wanted it to be used to improve or enhance good				carers from change if it is felt to be beneficial, as
practice.				disruption to the environment may be minimal and short
The categories addressed in the checklist needed to				lasting. There will be practical considerations (e.g.
reflect the frequently reported issues. I wanted the				money, time) and sometimes a clash of individual
checklist to indicate how friendly the environment might				sensory profiles that need to be discussed and
be to someone with on the autism spectrum, and a				resolved (e.g. a person who likes the light and
catalyst for change.				someone who likes the dark sharing a room). I hope
I decided to divide the checklist into four areas:				this paper will prompt others to consider the
				environments they create and the effects on those
- Sensory -The sensory areas covered include touch,				who live and work within these.
sight, smell, hearing, taste, balance and body				References
awareness				Attwood.T (1998) Asperger syndrome: a guide for
- Communication systems				parents and professionals, London. Jessica Kingsley
- Escape (how and where can people escape from				publishers.
stressful situations)				Bogdashina. O (2003) Sensory perceptual issues in
- Other (factors such as financial constraints)				autism: different sensory experiences - different
				perceptual worlds, London. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Each of the four areas has a number of questions				Clements, J. and Zarkowska, E. (2000) Behavioural
that need to be answered				concerns and autistic spectrum disorders: explanations
Yes or No				and strategies for change. London Jessica Kingsley
Not all questions are relevant to all environments. I				Publishers
decided that after each question, examples could be				Godwin Emmons, P. and McKendry Anderson, L.
given and solutions suggested.				(2005) Understanding sensory dysfunction: learning,
I decided not to give too specific solutions and for				development and sensory dysfunction in autism
these to be generated through discussion. For				spectrum disorders, adhd, learning disabilities and bipolar
example, carers may need to look at the mix of needs				disorder. London. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
of other children or adults. Teachers may need to				Howlin, P (1998) Children with autism and Asperger
consider learning and the practicalities of a school day.				syndrome: A guide for practitioners and carers.
Everyone is an individual				Chichester. Wiley
There has been some criticism that each individual on				Jordan .R (2001) Autism with severe learning
the autism spectrum is different so how can you				difficulties: a guide for parents and professionals.
create an environment totally ASC friendly?				London. David Fulton
I would recognise this however think a check to see if				Humphreys, S (2005) ‘Autism & architecture'
all is being done to recognise the effects of the				_feb-mar_2005 accessed 16 March 2006
environment can only be beneficial.				Morton-Cooper, A. (2004) health care and the autism
In saying this however I would recognise that on				spectrum –a guide for health professionals, Parents
occasions there can be opposing sensory preferences				and Carers, London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
and sensitivities experienced by 2 or more people				Nguyen. A (2006) Creating an autism-friendly
making the creation of an ideal environment more				environment,London. National Autistic Society.
difficult.				Plimley. L (2004) Analysis of a student task to create
An example of a completed section of the checklist				an autism-friendly living environment. Good Autism
is given below to illustrate its use.				Practice Journal 5, 2, 35-41
Sight/Visual				Schopler. E (1995) Parent Survival Manual; A guide to
				crisis resolution in Autism and related Developmental
Are the colours inthe environment low arousal,such as				disorders. New York and London, Plenum Press
cream and pastel shadesand not red or				Whitaker.P (2001) –Challenging Behaviour and
� Yes or No				Autism-Making sense, making progress; A guide to
				preventing and managing challenging behaviour for
Consider whether all rooms /spaces needneed a				parents and teachers. London. National Autistic Society.
change of paint or wallpaper?				Whitehurst, T. (2006) The impact of building design on
				children with autistic spectrum disorders, Good Autism
Current situation				Practice Journal, 7, 1 31-39
There are a variety of colours in ourroom.				Wing.L (1996)-The Autistic Spectrum; a guide for
				parents and professionals. London. Constable and
Approximately half of the walls arebright pink and				Robinson.
maybe too vibrantfor someone with autism				Stephen Simpson B.

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Using An Environmental Check For People On The Autism Spectrum (Part 1)

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