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1 Exploring the Efficacy of Design Interventions in A EXPLORING THE EFFICACY OF DESIGN INTERVENTIONS IN A DAY CARE CENTER FOR AUTISTIC ADULTS By MINA BEVAN A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF INTERIOR DESIGN UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2013 1 © 2013 Mina Bevan 2 To my grandmother and the rest of my family 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would you to express my sincere gratitude to my committee chair (Dr. Nam-Kyu Park) for her tremendous support and guidance throughout my study. Her endless dedication, enthusiasm, and encouragement helped me in all the time of research and writing of thesis. I also like to thank Dr. Margaret Portillo for her patience and support. Their mentorship went beyond my thesis. Special thanks go to Professor Kijeong Jeon and Robert Irvine, the Executive Director of California Vocation Inc. Without their helps for conducting this case study in the COVE center, this thesis could not have been made. Also I must thank California Vocation staff members for their valuable insights about their clients. Finally, I thank my family and close friends for their continuous and unconditional support. This thesis could not have been made without their valuable insights. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ 8 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... 9 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... 10 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 13 Research Purpose .................................................................................................. 15 Definition of Terms .................................................................................................. 16 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 17 Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) ........................................................................... 17 Autism and Built Environment ................................................................................. 24 Multi-Sensory Environments ................................................................................... 29 Summary ................................................................................................................ 32 3 METHDOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 35 Research Setting .................................................................................................... 35 Primary Spaces: Main hall, Computer Room, and Quiet room ......................... 37 Main hall..................................................................................................... 37 Computer lab ............................................................................................. 38 Quiet room ................................................................................................. 38 Secondary Spaces: Entrance, Staff office, Kitchen, and Bath room ................. 39 Entrance..................................................................................................... 39 Staff office .................................................................................................. 39 Kitchen ....................................................................................................... 39 Bathroom ................................................................................................... 40 Interior Design Feature ..................................................................................... 40 Colors and lighting ..................................................................................... 40 Acoustics.................................................................................................... 41 Furniture layout .......................................................................................... 42 Snoezelen Equipment ...................................................................................... 42 Programs at the COVE center .......................................................................... 44 Research Participants ............................................................................................. 45 5 Instruments ............................................................................................................. 46 Architectural documentation ............................................................................. 46 Clients Profiles ................................................................................................. 46 Behavioral Observation .................................................................................... 46 Interviews ......................................................................................................... 47 Data Collection ................................................................................................. 48 Delimitations of the Study ....................................................................................... 50 4 FINDINGS ............................................................................................................... 62 Characteristics of Participants ................................................................................ 62 Autistic Client’s Characteristics ........................................................................ 62 Staff Members’ Characteristics ......................................................................... 63 Addressing the Research Questions ...................................................................... 64 Research Question #1: How does the Interior Environment in General Support or Not Support the Autistic Clients’ Behaviors and Activities at the COVE Center? .............................................................................................. 64 Primary Spaces: Main hall, Computer room, and Quiet room .......................... 65 Secondary Spaces: Entrance, Staff Office, Kitchen, and Bathroom ................. 68 Entrance..................................................................................................... 68 Staff office .................................................................................................. 68 Kitchen ....................................................................................................... 68 Bathroom ................................................................................................... 68 The COVE center in general ...................................................................... 69 Research Question #2: How Have the Intentionally Designed Interiors Features Influenced Autistic Clients’ Behaviors and Activities? .................... 69 Research Question #3: How Have the Snoezelen Equipment Integrated into the COVE Center Influenced Autistic Clients (Visual, Auditory, Tactile) ........ 72 Research Question #4: How Built Environment Impact Clients with Different Types of Sensory Profiles (Hyper vs. Hypo-sensitive) .................................. 74 Research Question #5: What Are the Environmental Needs and Preferences for Staff Members to Perform Their Jobs in Relation to Assisting Their Clients at the COVE Center? ................................................ 75 Summary ................................................................................................................ 77 5 DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................... 87 Research Question #1: How Does the Interior Environment Support or Not Support the Autistic Clients’ Behaviors and Activities at the COVE Center? ....... 87 Main Hall .......................................................................................................... 87 Quiet Room ...................................................................................................... 90 Computer Room ............................................................................................... 91 Research Question #2: How Have the Intentionally Designed Interiors Features Influenced Autistic Clients’ Behaviors and Activities? .......................................... 92 Interior Color and lightings ................................................................................ 92 Flooring ............................................................................................................ 94 Acoustics .......................................................................................................... 95 6 Furniture ........................................................................................................... 96 Research Question #3: How Have the Snoezelen Equipment Integrated into the COVE Center Influenced Autistic Clients (Visual, Tactile, Auditory) .................... 96 Research Question #4: How Built Environment Impact Clients with Different Types of Sensory Profiles (Hyper and Hyposensitive) ........................................
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