A Kansas State University student is designing a playground for children with autism. Most playgrounds are overwhelming for autistic children because of the number of children and activities in a confined space. Chelsey King, a master’s student at Kansas State, is creating areas that could be added to any school playground to give autistic children a comfortable place to play.
Making some additions
“My main goal was to provide different opportunities for children with autism to be able to interact in their environment without being segregated from the rest of the school,” King said. “I didn’t want that separation to occur.”
Through research, King was able design a schoolyard with both traditional aspects — such as a central play area — and additional elements that would appeal to children with autism, including:
- A music garden where children can play with outdoor musical instruments to help with sensory aspects.
- An edible garden/greenhouse that allows hands-on interaction with nature and opportunities for horticulture therapy.
- A sensory playground, which uses different panels to help children build tolerances to difference sensory stimulation.
- A butterfly garden to encourage nature-oriented learning in a quiet place.
- A variety of alcoves, which provide children with a place to get away when they feel overwhelmed and want to regain control.
Future plans
Right now King is still in the design phase and hopes her plans are one day implemented in playgrounds across the U.S.
“Although there are no current plans to construct the schoolyard, designing for a real school allowed Chelsey to test principles synthesized from literature against the actual needs of an educational facility,” Katie Kingery-Page, assistant professor of landscape architecture said.
“Chelsey’s interaction with the school autism coordinator and school principal has grounded her research in the daily challenges of elementary education for students with autism.”
