Designing an impactful sensory garden for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder
Sensory gardens can be therapeutic environments for children with autism as well as welcoming spaces for all ages and abilities
Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience sensory integration challenges. Some children respond to such challenges by avoiding certain sensory experiences; others seek them out. Sensory gardens are sometimes used as buffers to the sensory integration and related challenges that individuals with ASD experience. Sensory gardens are also used to “provide children with important productive and holistic opportunities to be outside and exercise, socialize, learn, nurture their sensory systems, and improve their health.”
This field report describes how challenges for children with ASD were addressed through the design and installation of a sensory garden at The Els Center of Excellence in Florida. Individuals involved in the design of the garden included a landscape architect, a music therapist/special educator, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Els Autism Foundation, and an occupational therapist, educator, and researcher with expertise in therapeutic outdoor space design. While the designers focused on meeting the special needs of individuals with ASD through a therapeutic garden, they also sought to develop a garden setting that would be welcoming to the larger community, including parents, educators, therapists, and caretakers. As a destination for community events, the garden was also designed to promote the value, acceptance, and inclusion of individuals with ASD.
“The designers carefully considered every plant, material, and furnishing for its appropriateness, safety, durability, and therapeutic potential.” Their planting strategy reflected a combination of health-promoting design principles and an understanding of the unique needs of children and youth with ASD. The garden includes a number of “sensory rooms,” targeting each of the five senses. A dark band circling each room provides a subtle visual boundary and signals a change in sensory experience. The garden also features a series of “places away” – places offering reduced and integrated sensory experiences. These “places away” are designed to “provide calming counterpoints for those who may experience hypersensitivity or seek a moment of respite and refuge.”
The sensory garden at Els Center of Excellence serves as an outdoor living classroom and an enriching therapeutic environment for children and youth with ASD. It also serves as an inclusive, welcoming space for people of all ages and abilities. The garden “provides opportunity and choice for everyone to engage with nature on their own terms, in their own way, and at their own pace.”
Citation
Wagenfeld, A., Sotelo, M., Kamp, D., (2019). Designing an impactful sensory garden for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder. Children, Youth and Environments, 29(1),
