Bedroom Design Tips for Kids with ASD
Having a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a life-changing experience. Parents of children with Autism often say they learn more about love, kindness, and joy from their child than anything else in life, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenging times. In those moments, being a parent is truly a labor of love.
One of the most effective ways to set your child up for success is to design your home and their bedroom around their specific needs, interests, and abilities, and a big part of that is safety. Here are a few ideas to help you make sure your child — and your whole family — has access to the space they need to live happily, healthily, and independently.
Sensory Safe Bedrooms
Children with ASD can have a variety of reactions to Sensory Stimulation. Sometimes, being overstimulated by sights, sounds, and smells can trigger tantrums or aggressive behaviors. For other children, that same stimuli can cause them to withdraw, retreat, or run away. One way to help your child manage his or her reaction to over stimulation is to design a bedroom that feels safe, secure, and comforting. For example, you can paint the walls calming colors or purchase an LED projector that uses blue, green, or purple. Some kids can calm down quickly when they feel safe and secure in a cocoon-like setting, which is where suspension swings and weighted blankets can be useful. It’s also important to have storage to keep toys, clothes, and other clutter put away. Clutter has also been shown to cause overstimulation in children with ASD.
Managing Wandering
Many parents of children on the autism spectrum have to deal with wandering. For some, the triggers are fairly easy to spot — boredom, over stimulation, frustration, fear — but for others, wandering can happen any time. It could be useful to install a lock on your child’s bedroom door and additional ones on all outside-facing doors, especially if they can be placed higher than the child can reach. Additional locks on windows are a good strategy for preventing wandering, too. Of course, even the best preparations cannot completely eliminate the risk of wandering. Some parents find it helpful to install outdoor security cameras that can help them keep track of their child. There are even some that can alert you to unusual outdoor movement. There are a lot of options out there; research and read plenty of reviews to find the one most helpful for your child.
Designing Rooms for Routine and Structure
All children thrive off routine, but for children with ASD, routine and structure are essential. Creating a predictable schedule doesn’t just mean sticking to similar activities at the same time every day; it also means making sure there is structure in the home. For example, a child with ASD might become disturbed or upset if they suddenly found the furniture in a room rearranged. The same can go for changing rooms, painting walls and hanging new art (especially if it is brightly colored). Keep your home predictable doesn’t mean you can’t make any changes, but try to make them incremental when possible, and do your best to have conversations ahead of time prepare your child for upcoming changes.
When your home is comfortable for a child with ASD, it is more comfortable for everyone. Though your child has an ASD diagnosis, he or she is a special individual with his or her own unique needs and wants. Try to blend these safety measures with things they already love and enjoy — music, art, books, pets, and anything else that helps them feel calm and joyful.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
