LASN is a photographically oriented, professional journal featuring topics of concern and state-of-the-art projects designed or influenced by registered Landscape Architects.
Issue link: https://landscapearchitect.epubxp.com/i/320919
72 Landscape Architect and Specifier News Johnson+Southerland worked with a Seattle public alternative school, Salmon Bay K-8, to redesign their playground, to make it a better place for kids in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) program, as well as making it better for all kids at the school and in the neighborhood. It is not an autism-only playground, but a playground designed for a large, urban, K-8 public school with multiple objectives and a very tight budget. We would design it differently in a different setting, but the principles we developed around making it inclusive for kids with ASD may be applicable in a wide variety of settings. ASD and the Playground There are playground standards for accommodating physical disabilities, especially wheelchair accessibility, but when we set out to design Salmon Bay playground we could not find precedents or guidelines for autistic kids or children with other neurological disorders. We consulted with parents of kids with ASD, experts in the field and the school's special education teachers. Many people formed impressions of autism from the 1988 movie Rainman. Dustin Hoffman plays an autistic savant who performs amazing feats of mathematics and memorization, but can't take care of himself or tolerate a hug from his brother. ASD, however, is a whole range of brain disorders that affect social interaction, communication and imagination, and may play out as obsessive and repetitive behaviors. The Centers for Disease Control estimates about 1 in 68 children have some form of ASD. The term "spectrum" indicates a wide range of effects. People at the lower- functioning end of the spectrum may be unable to break out of their own world, may never learn to speak or take care of themselves. Those at the higher-functioning end, sometimes diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, can lead independent and highly successful lives, while still being awkward in social interactions. Daniel Tammet, author of Born on a Blue Day, is at the high- functioning end of the autism spectrum and also a mathematics and language savant. His book is a treasure trove of playground memories that provided us insights. ASD children are easily over In addition to the slide, there's an orbital spinner, parallel bars and a parent-specified piece—monkey bars. Given how some kids use the parallel bars, it's comforting to know there is now pour-in- place safety surfacing (Vitriturf, MWR & Assoc.) on the playground. 70-77.indd 72 5/22/14 8:33 AM