Classroom Environment Threats for Students with Autism

Subject: Education
Pages: 2
Words: 384
Reading time:
2 min

Apart from focusing on improving the learning environment by introducing essential elements into it, a teacher that has to address the needs of ASD learners will also have to consider the items that inhibit successful studying and get rid of them. For example, the items that will challenge the sensory abilities of students with autism are to be excluded from the learning environment. Therefore, it is crucial that there should not be any elements that provide a visual or an aural distraction. For instance, the posters that are too bright or the background noise that may not register on other students’ radars yet affect the academic progress of ASD ones should be viewed as a potential threat.

Furthermore, the noise issue should be addressed. In many schools, noise is a problem during recess, especially in hallways. Given the fact that ASD learners and students with autism are very sensitive to noise, it will be necessary to provide a set of guidelines for students to follow during recess in hallways. Thus, the noise levels will be monitored and reduced successfully so that ASD learners can feel comfortable and relaxed in the target environment.

Once the items that may affect the target audience’s emotional state negatively are removed from the classroom environment successfully, a productive learning process can be started. Therefore, when designing the environment for autistic children, one should consider the factors that contribute to the creation of a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. One might argue that to train the relevant skills successfully, learners need a challenge, while a completely comfortable setting may relax them to the point where they will be reluctant to engage in academic activities. However, when meeting the needs of children with autism and the associated issues, one must bear in mind that a relaxed setting is the only one in which they can study. More importantly, by focusing on the elements of the classroom, one will be able to encourage ASD learners and students with autism to engage in a self-directed lifelong learning process. As a result, independence will be encouraged among autistic children. The identified step should be viewed as crucial in assisting ASD students in their further development, including not only academic but also personal and professional ones.