How to Design Playgrounds for Optimal Sensory Development
CASE STUDY: ARISE AT THE FARM
Arise at the Farm is located at an adaptive horseback-riding farm. The main goal for the designer was to ensure that the playground would serve children with sensory and physical limitations. This meant creating a playground where all children would have the opportunity to play together. And because the ability to compress joints is often prescribed by occupational therapists for children with sensory processing disorders, the playground had to have equipment to meet that need.
Arise at The Farm is a completely ramped play area in a large outdoor setting. Ramps allow access to every deck of the playground, which uses multi-level play towers throughout. The series of ramps and decks creates motor planning through sequencing of events.
Crawling and climbing equipment address children’s need for vestibular and proprioceptive input. At Arise, there are simple crawl tunnels as well as more complex opportunities for proprioceptive input, such as a boulder tunnel. Multiple climbing structures are included within the towers’ design.
Play panels within the towers engage children by physically inviting them into a massive game of tic-tac-toe, through braille, and, for the hearing-impaired, via sign language.
Centrally located picnic benches and seating create a boundary between the play area for younger children and the one designed for older children, as well as a central place for children to sit quietly without feeling disengaged from play. Having a centralized seating area also allows caregivers to observe children on both sides of the playground and fosters social interaction between both age groups.
With hand peddlers and therapeutic rings, user input stimulates muscles and directs body motion.
An ADA-accessible articulated see-saw is a great example of a cause-and-effect social play component. Multiple hinged sections of this product move in unison which prohibits the impact with the ground that happens with traditional see-saws. The proprioceptive senses are stimulated as the user’s body position and muscle movements are adjusted during play. The up-and-down movement stimulates the vestibular sense. Plus, children love it.
Endnotes
i http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/132/5/958.full
ii Ben-Sasson, Carter, Briggs-Gowan, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2009
iii https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2012/01/31/congressional-briefing-military-children-autism
iv Christine Snyder, Providing Sensory Experiences That Meet the Needs of All Infants and Toddlers, vol. 25, no. 5, HighScope® Extensions
v http://occupationaltherapyforchildren.over-blog.com/article-crawling-85544642.html
Kathy Price-Robinson is a construction and design journalist who has developed dozens of AIA CEU classes. Her award-winning series on remodeling ran 13 years in the Los Angeles Times.
Dr. Zoe Mailloux received her B.S., M.A. and OTD degrees in occupational therapy from the University of Southern California. She is nationally and internationally recognized within the profession of occupational therapy in the area of sensory integration theory and practice. Zoe has participated in test development and clinical research related to sensory integrative dysfunction and autism and she was research assistant to Dr. A. Jean Ayres, the founder of sensory integration theory and practice. Zoe is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at Thomas Jefferson University. In addition, she has published over 60 journal articles and textbook chapters, and she has received a number of professional awards, including being named a fellow of AOTA in 1993, an award of excellence from the Autism Research Foundation, and the A. Jean Ayres Award (2005) and the Virginia Scardina Award of Excellence (2008) from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Zoe currently consults with businesses and organizations on projects aimed at increasing participation for individuals of all ability levels and she is committed to innovative practice that will enhance life satisfaction in new and effective ways for children and their families.
Contributor Biography: Knowledge and Experience with Background in Disability Access Requirements
Lloyd Reese, Director of Engineering and Development at PlayPower, Inc., has more than 30 years of experience in design engineering with 23 years focused on play and accessibility in the playground industry. Since 1993, Lloyd has been actively involved with the ASTM F1487 standards committee, which focuses on performance guidelines for outdoor play equipment. Lloyd is also a member of the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) Technical Committee of Children’s play spaces. He chairs the Equipment Certification committee of IPEMA (International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association), and in addition he sits on the Board of Directors of IPEMA and is a past President of the organization. Lloyd participated in the ASTM advisory group, which helped create the Access Board’s original Accessibility Guidelines for Play Areas. Lloyd has directed the development of innovative inclusive products such as Rock-n-Ship Glider, the Infinity Web, and the inclusive Avalanche slide that have provided sensory inclusion and accessibility for children of all abilities.
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