The Human Sensorium and the Autistic Realm

Abstract

The phenomenon of Autism in society today demands a greater facilitation of intervention facilities for autistic therapy. Particularly in New Zealand, the growing need for autism facilities is widely acknowledged especially within the aspect of sensory development. While no autistic child is the same, it is possible to group them according to their sensory sensitivities when it comes to intervention methods. An Autism Therapy Centre is proposed for children within the ages of early childhood and primary school. The centre offers autistic sensory remediation which cannot be developed in mainstream education. Thus the centre is developed as a base school within a wider satellite program of adjacent mainstream schools, so that the autistic child may still be able to partake in mainstream schooling as well as acquire the sensory education which they need. The design was developed through extensive research from publications by practioners currently working in the field of autism, therapists, parents as well as adult autistics. Interviews with autistic children were not conducted due to the sensitive nature regarding issues of privacy as well as the communication difficulties faced by autistic children. Therefore the design was developed as a personal response to a specific site, based on the findings of the research. Thus the proposition aims at allowing the development of the necessary sensory processing abilities of autistic children in order for them to overcome the predicament of alienation and detachment created by their autistic condition. The design through creating an experiential and enriching sensory therapeutic environment, allows for the remediation of the sensory relationship between the autistic child and the world we live in. This in turn facilitates the underlying aim of independence of all education and therapy interventions.