mara   3 days later

Hi-- I have been doing a lot of research on playground design for children with autism. You can read an article I wrote with some suggestions at http://letkidsplay.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome-children-with-autism-on-your.html Fences, swings, and synthetic surfacing are the three most important things I heard when I interviewed parents. Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me at mara@letkidsplay.com for more ideas or here on kaboom.

lanak   7 months later

Hello! From the research that I have done, swings and sensory play are great for children with autism. When designing a play space for a child/children with autism, consider integrating tactile and sensory elements to the space. Gardens are a great place to experiment with sensory integration. Plant herbs, vegetables, and flowers that have interesting smells and textures. Incorporating swings is important as well. Research has shown that the swinging motion is very calming for children with autism.

kenny   9 months later

Hey there godofwar! I have worked on one playground that was specifically designed for an after-school autism program. The majority of my knowledge on this subject was gained from that experience. On this project more than any other, the teachers and parents of the children with autism really drove the decisions regarding playground equipment. Although we kept the children’s drawings in mind the entire time (this is normally our number 1 consideration when choosing a design), our main factor was how each piece of equipment would help the children develop physically, mentally, socially, etc. We chose very bright colors to take advantage of sensory-integration as much as possible. We also incorporated several musical panels into the design (drum panel, bell panel, and whistle panel) for the same reason. We chose not to make the structure too tall and to limit the more challenging overhead events (monkey bars, zip line, etc.) in an effort to make sure all the kids could use almost the entire structure. For this particular group of kids, the teachers and aides did not want any enclosed spaces so we avoided crawl tubes and tube slides (although I know these elements can be beneficial for other kids, depending on their specific needs). We also put a large "Bernie Bus" on this playground site, which sits on springs. This specific piece has really helped teach these students about teamwork, and Ramona Puget (the head of their program) has raved about the impact it has had on some of their social skills. Ramona has talked about the positive impact the spring riders have had on the children’s gross motor skills. The number 1 factor to keep in mind is that the parents, teachers, and aides know the children the best. Their input will be invaluable... and most playground designers should be able to create a playground specifically catered to these desires. Good luck!