A Sensory Friendly Classroom Is The Best For Autistic Kids

27th April 2022

Experts are saying that one of the best learning environments for autistic children is a sensory-friendly classroom. Autism teaching courses believe that having a sensory-friendly classroom for children with autism will motivate them more to become self-sufficient and independent. A sensory room is designed to provide calm, focus, and comfort to people with sensory processing problems, which often includes autistic kids.

While pursuing online special education courses in Vietnam, teachers have noticed in their vast years of experience that as soon as an autistic child enters a bright classroom having multiple children, they become more nervous. Children having autism are shy, nervous, and often have anxiety issues. Walking into a classroom where the walls are brightly painted and have numerous graphics hanging on the wall will cause a hindrance to their sensory feelings.

Learn about classroom activities for autistic kids
 

The auditory and visual senses of autistic kids work lethargically when they enter such a classroom. It is often explained as sensory overload. In a sensory-friendly classroom, the sights, sounds, and scents must be controlled to avoid over or under-stimulating autistic kids. Children with sensory issues can be easily overwhelmed by factors such as sounds, colors, textures, or temperatures, which in turn can interfere with a child’s ability to learn.

Therefore, it is important to create a sensory-friendly classroom for children with special needs. These classrooms will minimize distractions and kids with autism will be able to learn social skills, motor skills, etc., in a better way.

To make a classroom fit for kids having special abilities (especially students with autism), special education teachers must ensure that the walls, tables, and chairs are of neutral colors. The entire interior decoration of the classroom should be kept subtle and crisp. A simple calendar or daily schedule offers the structure these children crave while minimizing the likelihood of sensory overload. The classroom environment should be peaceful so that children having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) do not feel anxious to enter in.

Lighting is another significant factor. Some children experience such extreme sensory overload caused by lighting that they wear sunglasses or sun visors inside. To help students with this level of sensitivity, teachers should use LED lights instead of fluorescent lights to give them a natural feel. In other instances, placing colored tints over the panels helps to dim the light.

The layout and ambience of a classroom can also impact a special child’s ability to learn. Classrooms divided into sections for specific purposes can help keep children on task, as they associate the areas with the identified tasks. Teachers should not let the overall noise level go beyond a certain limit and other ambient noises in the classroom that may be present and create issues for a child.

This is how online special education courses in Vietnam are focusing on catering to the needs of specially-abled children. To make autistic kids feel more comfortable, teachers must always go for a classroom set-up that does not cause any sensory overloading. The main purpose is to make these special souls eligible enough to be self-dependent so that nothing can break their confidence. A sensory-friendly classroom contributes a lot to reaching that specific goal!