What role does Architecture play in the education of people who place on the autistic spectrum and what factors must be taken into considerations when designing education spaces for those with ASD?
ABOUT AUTISM
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder , which causes people with autism to overreact to some stimuli and underreact to others (Grandin, Scariano 1986, pg9). Symptoms related to autism begin to show during early childhood between the ages of two and four, when social and communication skills tend to develop in neurotypical children. A study by Lotter in 1966 found that autism is more common in boys than girls with a 2:1 ratio. This dramatically increases to 5:1 at the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum (Lord, Schopler, 1987).
The first case of autism was described and recorded by French physician Jean Marc Gaspard (fig. 3) in 1802 while studying "The Wild Boy of Aveyron". However, autism was not recognised and named as a syndrome until 1934 by Leo Kanner (fig. 4) who was able to separate the syndrome from other mental illnesses seen in children (Wing 1979, pg.10). Kanner studied the development of eleven autistic children and described their common behaviours. His work in this area became recognised as the symptom of autism. He found that the children did not reach out to adults in preparation to being picked up during infancy and in some cases, they seemed to be completely unaware of other people. Whilst they had and excellent “rote memory” (Wing 1976, pg.9-10) some failed to use speech to communicate with others. Those that were able to speak displayed “delayed echolalia ” (Wing 1976, pg.9-10) and may incorrectly use pronouns during conversation. They also displayed great excitement or panic in situations where neurotypical children would not. The children also showed a limited and strived for the “maintenance of sameness” and preferred routine and repetition of activities (Wing 1976, pg.9-10). Despite these factors the subjects seemed to be intelligent and had a normal physical development, making autism an “invisible disability” (Autism NI, 2016).
fig. 3
fig. 4
fig. 3
Prior to 2013, the three different autistic disorders; classic autism, PDD-NOS and Asperger’s Syndrome, were recognised and put under the umbrella term of “autism.” Due to the strong similarities in the different forms of autism, many were misdiagnosed and in 2013, the different types of autism were placed on a spectrum, with one being high functioning and three being severe autism. Where a person is placed on the spectrum depends on their difficulties of social interaction, repetitive behaviour and communication. Whilst some are greatly impaired by their autism and require constant care, others are able to function independently within society.
DSM-5 is an international collaboration of mental health professionals and has been reviewed and refined over a ten-year period, the document details the full diagnosis for autistic people (American Psychiatric Association, 2017). The combination research is used to identify symptoms helping to diagnose people with autism. Currently, there is not a medical or chemical test to diagnose ASD for adults or children. Psychologists and physicians analyse patients for behaviour correlating with symptoms linked to autism including “persistent difficulties with social communication and social interaction” where these behaviours "limit and impair everyday functioning" (The National Autistic Society, 2016). Three significant traits and behaviours are known as the Triad of Impairments (Wing, Gould 1979) and have become the basis for recognising and diagnosing autism in modern medicine. In the Camberwell study, Wing and Gould found that the level of social interaction was closely related to the limited communication and imagination skills of a child with ASD. The three symptoms of The Triad of Impairments are:
Impairment in Social Interaction
Impairment in social interaction is manifested as indifference to others. Whilst some autistic people will approach others, this may be done in order to obtain simple needs and they may become distant again once these needs are satisfied. Adults may be able to develop some social interaction over time as the child learns the social rules of life (Wing, 1989, pg.10). (fig.5)
Impairment in Communication
Some autistic people may be completely non-verbal and show no attempt to communicate with other autistic, whilst others may use gestures as their main method of communication. Due to their impairment in imagination, autistic people often develop interests in a limited number of subjects. Higher functioning autistic people may make active but one-sided approaches to others about such topics and may display echolalia during conversation (Gaines, Bourne, Pearson, Kleibrink, 2016 pg.181). The autistic person may not show any interest in the responses of the other person, leading to a lengthy and tedious conversation (Wing 1989 pg.11). (fig.6)
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fig.8
Impairment in Imagination
The autistic child shows no ability in spontaneous play with others (Wulff 1985). Imaginative play is often replaced by repetitive activities such as the organisation of objects which must not be interfered with. As autistic adults tend to be far more interested in facts opposed to fictional television shows, restricted and obsessional play in childhood may develop into obsessional enthusiasm in later life (Happe 1994, pg. 37). (fig.7)
Autism on the Spectrum (Carpenter, 2013):