INCLUSIVE COLOUR (CONT) . AUTISM
“If you’vemet one personwith autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” Dr Stephen Shore, EdD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Adelphi University
People with autism can experience a sensory overload in the everyday environment and this can be overwhelming.
Triggers for a reaction can be fluorescent lighting, bright lights, strong perfumed smells, brightly colouredwalls, strong tasting foods, fabric that is itchy or aggravating and physical contact without permission. Hyposensitivity is under responsiveness to the senses. People can experience a low sensitivity to pain, objects appear darker than what they are, distorted central vision but clear peripheral vision, poor contrast and difficulty in depth perception that result in clumsiness.
There are conflicting theories on the best approach to take when designing a day centre or school for pupils with autism. One approach is to create a safe haven, a controlled environment, dimmed lights, controlled acoustics and a subtle colour scheme. Critics argue that this creates a greenhouse effect and that it takes longer to adjust to the outside environment after spending time in a protective bubble.
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