A HOME FOR AUTISTIC CHILD:

RESIDENTIAL SPACES INTERVENTION IN MALAYSIA

Izawati Tukiman1*, Asiah Abdul Rahim2, Naziaty Mohd Yaacob3

and Nur Amirah Abd. Samad4
Asst.Prof.Dr., Department of Landscape Architecture, Kulliyyah of Architecture and
Environmental Design, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombak, 53100
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.1*
Professor, Department of Architecture, Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design,
International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombak, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia2
Dr., Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, 50603
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3
Graduate Architect, KAED Universal Design Unit, Kulliyyah of Architecture and
Environmental Design, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombak, 53100
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia4

Correspondence author: [email protected], [email protected]

ABSTRACT 1. INTRODUCTION

In Conventions on the Right for Children (CRC) 1995, Malaysia has highlighted Maslow’s theory on the hierarchy of needs highlights the importance of
the rights of children whom will be monitored from the aspects of survival, adequate housings for positive children’s development. According to Maslow
protection, development, and participation. This research will be focusing on (1948), one’s physical need such as the need for shelter is the most basic of all.
one of the survival an aspect which is living spaces or accommodation for Unfortunately, many autistic children live in homes that are not suitable for
children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The increasing number of their needs. The physical quality of most residences in Malaysia was designed
children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has alerted many on their for the basic family’s needs without consideration of adults and children with
education, health and safety, because these children are prone to injuries. special needs. The environments in which children spend most of their time
Therefore it is very important to provide these children with homes that are have the greatest impact on their development and these environments vary for
educationally interactive, healthy and safe. Many studies emphasized on the children at different stages. The physical quality of the residence would tend
importance of the learning environment for autistic children, but none have to affect infants more strongly than older children, while the characteristics
focused on the idea of inclusive and universal design in houses. This research of the broader neighbourhood become more important as children get older
will employ both qualitative and quantitative research methods based on Vandivere, Hair, Theokas, & Cleveland (2006). Furthermore, a family living
environmental and behavioural studies. Additionally, this paper will discuss in a well-maintained home in a safe neighbourhood, which has access to
literature reviews from various aspects that are associated with this research. high quality schools and safe outdoor play spaces throughout a child’s life,
The aim of the study is to establish a relationship between the physical will influence the child positively. This applied to autistic children more
environment and the architectural factors that affect issues of daily living in significantly. This research is based on the premise which implies that the
order to recognize autism-friendly inclusive house designs. This research is performance of children with autism could be improved in an appropriate,
beneficial for both children with autism and able-bodied children. inclusive, physical environment for living. Exploration of the architectural
requirements for comfortable and positive living of person with autism will be
Keywords: Autism children, space intervention, residential, inclusive design, beneficial for both children with autism and able-bodied children.
safe design

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2. UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM According to Professor Temple Grandin (2007), a university professor who
was diagnosed with autism, people on the autistic spectrum process both
Autism is an abnormality in the development of the brain in the areas of high-imagery and low-imagery sentences in the visual parts of the brain. She
social interaction and communication skills. Most children with autism have highlighted that autistic people think differently. However, they are very good
problems in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions and in visualising images. Smith (2009) stated that people with certain cognitive,
leisure or playing. Therefore, it is hard for them to socialise and are prone to sensory deficiencies, such as autism, which are less visible, have to struggle
self-injuries (NASOM, 2015). to understand the environment surrounding them, such as the composition
and layout of their living spaces. The alteration of activities or functions from
Based on statistics in the United State of America, 1 out of 68 children are one space to another may cause conflict that is too excessive for their brain to
autistic. In Malaysia, the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM) compute, leading to a panic attack.
has estimated that 9,000 children are born with ASD each year. According to
NASOM (2014), the prevalence of ASD is approximately 1 case in every 600 Cunningham and Tabur (2012) referred to Figure 1, Hierarchy of learning
births in Malaysia and the number continues to rise every year. In the mid- space attributes by Fred Kent, which shows the importance of space
1960s, hypotheses were replaced by well-founded theories explaining what characteristics that can make a space appealing and encouraging to people.
autism is about: a difference in information processing with a neurobiological He highlighted that the most basic space characteristic is access and linkages.
cause (Rajendran & Mitchell, 2007). These theories united parents to fight for This can be associated with autistic children in over calming their problems
their children’s rights, including better education and living circumstances. in changes of spaces and function in a building. Once they felt comfortable
As a result, attention shifted from large institutions outside of the community and clear with the flow and movement of the access and linkage in spaces,
to smaller domestic living arrangements within (Braddock et al., 2008, they will then attempt to engage themselves with functions and activities of
Venderbosch, 2008, Ahrentzen & Steele, 2009, Brand, 2010) (Heylighen, the spaces. A space that can build comfort and confidence may lead them to
2015). The growing number of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder develop social skills. Although autistic children tend to have deficiency in
(ASD) has alerted many on the importance of their education, health and communication, socialization, interest, sensory integration and behaviour, it
safety, because these children are prone to injuries. These children with can be helped through communication strategies and transitioning routines
autism are adversely affected by the surrounding environment in which they (Grandin, 2007). However, accessibility issues are of primary concern to
live in. Therefore, it is very important to provide these children with homes architects because there are no specific references made into mandate for
that are educationally interactive, healthy and safe. individuals with developmental disorders, or autism (Mostafa, 2008).

3. WHAT ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN SUITS AUTISTIC

CHILDREN BEST?
According to Mostafa (2008), autism is mostly being ignored by the
architectural community in many ways, including building codes and
guidelines. She had pointed out that the United Nations also failed to outline
building standards for autism in the Global Program on Disability. Basically,
these children’s sensory activities are highly sensitive (Grandin, 2007 and
Mostafa, 2008). Autistic children perceive their environment differently,
with most of the children having intensified sensitivities. Each of the autistic
children’s sensory sensitivities differs from one to another. Some might be
disturbed by the light, and some might feel annoyed by sound. Therefore,
the environment should be reflect clarity in order to ease the stimulation of
information in the children’s brains (Mostafa, 2008). Figure 1: Hierarchy of Learning Space Attributes
(Source: Cunningham and Turban, 2012)

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Mostafa (2008) has highlighted in his research that, or to activate the activity level for a passive autistic child. Sensory integration
“…autistic behaviour is credited to a form of sensory malfunction when disorders are a critical part of autism. The apparent symptoms may vary
assimilating stimulatory information from the surrounding physical between genders (Figure 3).
environment. “
3.2 Integrating Sensory Intervention in Design
Therefore, she suggested that architects should design spaces for autistic
individuals by altering the sensory input which will encourage the development
Architects are aware that there are individuals with different types and
of skills, enhance learning process, and building up their self-confidence.
degrees of disabilities (mainly visual, auditory and physical). Architects plan
and design spaces to allow them to be utilized. Therefore, it is not possible to
3.1 Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder design spaces for individual with “less visible” impairment such as autistic.
However, various criteria needs to be considered when designing buildings
for people with ASD. Architects could employ their understanding of positive
Sensory modification requires architects’ understanding of sensory integration sensory environment in their design. It is a common practice for architects to
disorder which is usually found in autistic children (Figure 2). This is a use a common pattern of cognition to guide and manipulate user behaviour in
condition in which sensory input is not organized properly in the brain. A a space (Mostafa, 2008).
positive sensory environment may help to calm a hyperactive autistic child,

Figure 2: Sensory Integration Disorder Symptom – The complete list

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Figure 3: Problems with Sensory Integration between boys and girls
(Source: https://www.dealwithautism.com/sensory-integration-disorder-symptoms/)

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4. METHODOLOGY AND PARTICIPATIONS Parent 1, is a mother of a 9-year-old boy diagnosed with mild autism and
dyslexia and live in a terrace house in Gombak. Parent 2, is a father to a
For this research, the descriptive survey analysis method was adopted. 7-year-old boy diagnosed with severe autism and Global Development Delay
According to Leedy, this method of research looks with intense accuracy at the (GDD). They previously lived in a village house and have recently moved to a
phenomena of the moment and then describes precisely what the researcher’s terrace house. These unstructured interview questions were based on various
sees (Leedy, 1993). Descriptive studies describes and measures as precisely as studies as mentioned earlier in the literature.
possible one or more characteristics and their relationship in a defined group.
In addition, the approach used by this research drew from post occupancy Photo documentation has been gathered from ‘Autism Malaysia’ Facebook.
evaluation, the latter is the process of evaluating buildings in a systematic Since this is an ‘open group’, many parents have been sharing pictures of
and rigorous manner after they have been built and occupied for some time. their kids’ activities. The pictures have been selected based on the home
Post occupancy evaluations focus on building occupants and their needs, and environment in order to study the possibility of the parents modifying their
thus they provide insights into the consequences of past design decisions and houses to suit their children’s needs, and activities. Photos collected were
the resulting building performance. This knowledge forms a sound basis for categorised based on the space attributes.
creating better buildings in use (Preiser et al., 1988).
5. FINDINGS
Designing a residence for an autistic child is subjective. It cannot be interpreted
directly (Kinnaer et al, 2014). Sanchez (2011) emphasized that the design The interview reveals that most parents prefer to have a minimal furniture
qualities should be flexible, non-threatening, non-distracting, predictable, layout or a large space to allow their children to utilise the space without
controllable, sensory-motor attuned, safe and non-institutional. In order to injuring themselves. Various posts showcasing the situation of the children
recognize the suitable design interventions for autistic children in houses in in their house were collected (Table 1) and categorised based on Hierarchy
Malaysia, respondents have volunteered from ‘Autism Malaysia’ group on of Space Attributes (Figure 1), Theory of Sensory (Mostafa, 2008) and study
Facebook (Figure 4). by Sanchez (2011). From the interviews it was found that some parents did
a vast modification on their residential unit, and some took passive design
Autism Malaysia group on Facebook is a parent support group for parents with solutions. The photo documentation worked best in providing an insight on
autistic children. Two parents have come forward to share their experiences. how parents in Malaysia modified their houses to suit with various types of
Interviews were conducted via ‘WhatsApp’ application. The online interviews problems faced by autistic children.
were adopted in order to respect their privacy and allow the respondents to
share their experiences without any inhibitions and reserves. Responds from
the parents were very encouraging.

Figure 4: Autism Malaysia Facebook

(Source: Facebook)

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Table 1: Posts sharing the situation of children in their house categorised based on the Hierarchy of Space Attributes.

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 Figure 7: Space for outdoor activities are difficult to achieve for families that
Figure 5: Railings have been provided to ease the autistic child with GDD live in a high-rise residential.
movement within his home. (Source: Facebook Autism Malaysia) (Source: Facebook Autism Malaysia)

Figure 6 (a, b & c): Since these children are prone to injuries, many parents Figure 8: Utilization of spaces in residential
opt for an open plan approach with simple furniture layout. (Source: Facebook Autism Malaysia)
(Source: Facebook Autism Malaysia)

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6. DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION Therapy based activities were always conducted by the parent at home to
help their children improve their weaknesses. Therefore, lighting intensity is
These discussions have been structured based on the association between important to ensure the children are not disturbed by the light and focus on
space attributes and the autistic sensory needs. It has been decided earlier their activities. The architects should understand their user preferences before
that this study will be focusing on the issues by considering the common providing the lighting system that can give them comfort. However, some
residential type, the economical aspect and the community in Malaysia. activities are not suitable to be conducted indoor. Many parents have put an
effort to take them to nearby parks. However, too much crowd put them in
Autism has a wide range of symptoms which differ from one individual to uncomfortable conditions.
another, and these differences make it difficult for architects to customize a
public space for autistic children. However, it is possible to create a calm Occasionally, to build the children confidence, they need a space for them
and conducive living environment in a residential building. Some suggestions to walk and practice their activities on their own while the parents can still
highlighted are focusing on sensory modification (Mostafa, 2008; Sanchez supervise them. Architects should creatively design spaces which do not make
et.al, 2011). the children feel confined, but make them comfortable enough to carry on
their activities freely. The supervision should not create excessive intrusion
in the child’s activities or interactions. A good acoustic in a space should be
6.1 Access and Linkages considered because, there are Autistic children whom are very sensitive to
noise; it is difficult for them to differentiate sounds when a space has a great
In general, many families stay in linked houses, especially in urban areas. deal of noise. Therefore, it is important to take into consideration acoustic
Therefore, the houses have very limited outdoor space. Access and linkage issues.
are very simple with not many corridors, but staircases were used as linkages
between the ground floor and upper floor. The design should consider the
smooth flow from a space to another to reduce confusion and avoid panic 6.3 Sociability
attacks. Some parents provide rails to aid the child movement within the
residence. Autistic children have problems with social interaction. However, parents
need to encourage them to build up their confidence before subjecting them
Other than that, parents avoided excessive details in the spaces, which can to social situations in public. Some autistic children are physically weak,
reduces focus and create confusion to the autistic child. Focus is crucial to needing the parents to assist them. Moreover, it is important to include a space
the brain’s ability to process information, which influences their attitude that is suitable for them to play with friends at home.
and decision. Light is important, especially in access and linkages. This is
to reduce the possibility of self-injury. However, the brightness of the light
might be considered based on the child needs because some autistic children 6.4 Comfort and Image
are sensitive to bright colours, whilst some are afraid of the dark.
Comfort is not an issue to the parents as long as the house conditions meet
6.2 Uses and Activities the needs of their children. Most parents opt for spacious and safe residences.
Priorities are more towards providing spaces that can be utilised for the
Many parents preferred spaces with a minimal setting to provide room for children therapeutic activities at home. Architects are professionals who are
their children to move. Since these children are prone to injuries, areas with responsible for creating environments that accommodate the needs of all types
less furniture are more suitable. The selection of materials is important to of users. Individuals with special needs should not be exempted from such
ensure that they will not slip on the wet floor or injure themselves on a rough accommodation. They are special individual whom Sanchez (2011) remark
texture. Design proportion is very important to prepare a space that meets as people who perceive space in a unique, different style: with the “eyes of
their comfort. Some might prefer bigger spaces because they feel confined the mind”.
in a smaller space. However, some might prefer smaller space to feel secure
and safe.

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7. REFERENCES

Cunningham, H. V., & Tabur, S. (2012). Learning Space

Attributes: Reflections On Academic Library Design And Its
Use, Journal of Learning Spaces 1, no.2 (20 12). Retrieved
from http://libjournal.uncg.edu/jls/article/view/392
Leedy, P. D. (1993). Practical research: Planning and Design.
5th Ed. New York: Macmillan.
Mostafa, M. (March, 2008). An Architecture for Autism:
Concepts of Design Intervention for The Autistic User.
Archnet-IJAR, International Journal of Architectural
Research, 2(1).
Preiser, W.F.E., Rabinowitz, H.Z & White, E.T (1998). Post-
Occupancy Evaluation. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Sánchez, P. A., Vázquez, F. S. & Serrano, L. A. (2011). Autism
and the Built Environment, Autism Spectrum Disorders -
From Genes to Environment, Prof. Tim Williams (Ed.), ISBN:
978-953-307-558-7, Intech. Available from http://www.
intechopen.com/books/autism-spectrum-disordersfrom-
genes-to-environment/autism-and-the-built-environment
Smith D. (2009), Spatial Design as Facilitator for People with
Less Visible Impairments. Australian Medical Journal,
1(13), 220-227.
DOI: 10.4066/AMJ.2009.123
The National Autism Society of Malaysia has provided an
overview of autism (http://Www.Nasom.Org.My/Autism/)
Vandivere, S., Hair, E. C., Theokas, C., Cleveland, K.,
Mcnamara, M., & Atienza, A. (2006). How Housing Affects
Child Well-Being. Retrieved from www.fundersnetwork.
org/files/learn/Housing_and_Child_Well_Being.pdf

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