How do I design a bedroom for my autistic son?
Answers:
I was really intrigued by this question so I did a google search to see what I could find. I came across this post on ColorMatters.com I think it should be pretty helpful:
Classroom Color and Autism
David Goin
Our twenty year old school has strong colors (orange walls in this classroom). We need to select a wall color which will not stimulate autistic students simply by being in the room so that we (and they) can focus on a task at hand.
Elizabeth:
David I have worked many years in color, lighting and design with mentally impaired individuals, and at present a niece that is autistic. What I have found with these individuals, and especially my niece who I have observed from the age of 6 months, is that it takes very little to overstimulate them. Their environment should be very orderly, calm, and monochromatic. Mary a previous post, had mentioned blue and green as being good colors and she is correct, these colors calm, relax, and nuture. But more than these colors, you need to have a LOT of negative (blank) space in these rooms with light neutral colors as Mary suggested. Use bright colors as accent colors in the form of pictures, and/or seasonal display but be careful even with that, don't use very much. Surfaces with strong value contrast, especially flooring, can cause problems; the autistic person sometimes does not see a black and white tiled floor as black and white, but the white tile as the floor and the black tile as a hole and will be afraid to walk on it. The flooring should be close in value and hue to the walls. It has been very enlightening working so closely with my niece and observing her progress. As a side line she has had sound therapy and it is a miracle what that has done for her!
Other answers:
Place lots of balls in the room, have things that rotate, revolve, so that he can play with them. Include many soft objects in the room. Autistics love to manipulate objects with their hands.
Place lots of balls in the room, have things that rotate, revolve, so that he can play with them. Include many soft objects in the room. Autistics love to manipulate objects with their hands.
A friend of mine has a teenage son with autism. You didn't mention how old your child is. John's room is done in a medium taupe color with minimal black laquered furniture. His favorite color is purple, so incorporate the color while keeping it low-key, she has done the accents in black, grey, lavendar with pewter lamps and black shades.
If your son is still quite young, you could use the same black or dark color on the furniture. Take one of his favorite cartoon characters, like spiderman and use the colors for accent. Maybe you could put black and white pictures of the character himself in a red frame like you would use for a poster and the blue colors on the bed, etc.
Even a small child needs space to store things...you could stack cubes in a corner of the room to create cubbies with maybe a small table and chair. From what I understand, minimalism and keeping things low-key and orderly are essential elements. It's important that they be familiar and comfortable with the items in their space.