Playground Provides Learning, Safety for Kids with Autism

2024-01-18 14:17:00来源：网络

Playground Provides Learning, Safety for Kids with Autism

游乐场为自闭症儿童提供学习和安全保障

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　　By Dan Novak

　　16 January 2024

　　At first look, the playground at the Children's Guild-Transformation Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, looks like any other. It has swings, slides, and places for children to climb and crawl.

　　But the playground is not just a place for fun. It is also a place where students can learn, grow and gain independence. Everything — from the kind of surface it sits on, to the color of its sitting areas, to the placement of the surrounding fence — is specifically designed for kids with autism.

　　Mark Rapaport is the managing director of autism services at the Transformation Academy. He told VOA Learning English the school accepts students aged 5 to 21 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are lower-functioning.

　　"None of our kids will ever drive," Rapaport said. "None of our kids will ever live fully independently ... None of our kids graduate high school."

　　Rapaport said the goal of Transformation Academy is to make the students as independent as possible in an effort to help them prepare for adult life. The school aims to provide help with developing communication and social skills, as well as practical abilities like cleaning or cooking.

　　"And learning through play is a big deal," Rapaport said. "The classroom is great. But it's [things like play] that's at the heart of the mission, which is building independence and getting them to be able to go into the adult world."

　　The playground, designed by Maryland company Sparks@Play, using structures manufactured by Landscape Structures, Inc., took months to develop, said Dan Hack. He works for Sparks@Play and helped lead the playground's design. Hack said he and others spent weeks getting to know the students and understanding their needs before any building was started. The design process involved physical therapists, occupational therapists, and other specialists. The $500,000 project was funded with support from the state of Maryland and the nonprofit Orokawa Foundation.

　　Parts of the playground that seem small are very important for children with autism and other disabilities. The surrounding fence extends into a wooded area to make it seem more open. And the ground under the play areas is made of soft, but solid materials to support students using wheelchairs or crutches.

　　Instead of just one slide, there are two sitting side-by-side. That way, parents or teachers with older, larger students can go down the slide together with the kids. A spinning structure called the We-Go-Round has a place for kids with wheelchairs so they can also have fun.

　　The playground's designers say a number of sensory elements are also included to help the students. Children with autism often have Sensory Processing Disorder, which makes them very sensitive to certain sounds or textures.

　　The benches on the outside of the playground look simple from far away, but are "one of our most inclusive sensory" elements, Hack said. They have many different colors that bring about feelings of calm and curiosity. They are also made with smooth material that can be felt and moved. The academy's Rapaport said if a child starts to feel uneasy, they can sit down and feel the bench, which can help them relax.

　　There are also musical bells and large xylophones that produce calming sounds. An enclosed structure provides a place of peace and quiet if a student needs a break from play.

　　One of the most important designs, says Rapaport, is a tower that can spray water on multiple children. This can be an important way for older children with autism to get over their fears of water, which for them can be overstimulating.

　　"Imagine you have a child that won't take a shower," Rapaport said. "Now we can have kids go outside and they're standing under a sprayer and they're loving it. Why? Because they're watching other kids do it."

　　Like the shower, much of the equipment is designed to persuade students to interact with each other, even though they might usually like playing alone. A swing set is designed to permit two kids to swing at the same time, for example.

　　Celia Galion's daughter Deborah is a 14-year-old who attends Transformation Academy. Deborah has a condition called tuberous sclerosis, which causes seizures, and which brought on her autism at a young age.

　　"Deborah is a very sweet child," Galion said. "She likes playing. She loves hugs. She's very affectionate and she likes to be loud. And so being outside is great."

　　Galion said it has been four or five years since she has taken her daughter to a playground. She had resisted taking Deborah because other kids could be mean and she felt like many playgrounds were not safe.

　　But Galion said the new playground at Transformation Academy permits "children to feel like they have a little bit of freedom." They can play "without having to necessarily have somebody standing right over them to make sure that they're safe...it's really, really great for them."

　　Rapaport said the school plans to open up the playground for everyone in the autism community, even if they do not attend Transformation Academy.

　　Sparks@Play's Hack said he thinks the playground can help autistic children of all ages develop their independence as they move into adulthood.

　　"Being able to learn how to collaborate and work with other people and use your imagination and try things that you wouldn't have tried otherwise ... shapes you into a much more confident and well-abled adult," Hack said.

　　I'm Dan Novak.

　　Dan Novak wrote this story for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：Dan Novak

　　2024年1月16日

　　乍一看，马里兰州巴尔的摩市的儿童公会-转化学院的游乐场看起来和其他游乐场没什么两样。它有秋千、滑梯，还有供孩子们攀爬和爬行的地方。

　　但是，这个游乐场不仅仅是一个娱乐的地方。它也是一个让学生们可以学习、成长和获得独立性的地方。从它所在的表面类型，到座位区的颜色，再到周围围栏的布置，都是专门为自闭症儿童设计的。

　　Mark Rapaport是转化学院自闭症服务的管理总监。他告诉VOA学习英语，学校接受5到21岁的自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）并且功能较低的学生。

　　"我们的孩子们都不会开车，"Rapaport说。"我们的孩子们都无法完全独立生活……我们的孩子们都无法完成高中学业。"

　　Rapaport说，转化学院的目标是让学生们尽可能地独立，以帮助他们为成年生活做准备。学校旨在帮助他们发展沟通和社交技能，以及清洁或烹饪等实用技能。

　　"并且，通过游戏学习是一件大事，"Rapaport说。"课堂是很好的。但是，这就是使命的核心，即建立独立性并使他们能够进入成年世界。"

　　这个游乐场由马里兰州的Sparks@Play公司设计，使用由Landscape Structures, Inc.制造的结构，Dan Hack说，开发这个游乐场花了几个月的时间。他在Sparks@Play工作，并帮助领导了游乐场的设计。Hack说，在开始任何建设之前，他和其他人花了几周的时间去了解学生并理解他们的需求。设计过程涉及到物理治疗师、职业治疗师和其他专家。这个50万美元的项目得到了马里兰州和非营利组织Orokawa Foundation的支持。

　　对于自闭症和其他残疾儿童来说，游乐场的一些看似微小的部分非常重要。周围的围栏延伸到一个树木繁茂的区域，使其看起来更开阔。游乐区的地面由柔软但坚固的材料制成，以支持使用轮椅或拐杖的学生。

　　滑梯不只有一个，而是两个并排坐着。这样，父母或老师可以和年纪较大、体型较大的学生一起滑下滑梯。一个名为We-Go-Round的旋转结构设有轮椅孩子的位置，这样他们也可以玩得开心。

　　游乐场的设计师说，还包括了许多感官元素来帮助学生。自闭症儿童通常有感觉处理障碍，这使他们对某些声音或质地非常敏感。

　　游乐场外面的长凳从远处看起来很简单，但Hack说，它们是"我们最包容的感官"元素之一。它们有许多不同的颜色，能引发平静和好奇的感觉。它们也是用光滑的材料制成的，可以被触摸和移动。学院的Rapaport说，如果一个孩子开始感到不安，他们可以坐下来感觉长凳，这可以帮助他们放松。

　　还有音乐铃和大型木琴，可以发出平静的声音。一个封闭的结构提供了一个安静的地方，如果学生需要从游戏中休息一下。

　　Rapaport说，最重要的设计之一是一个可以向多个孩子喷水的塔。这对于自闭症的大孩子来说，可能是克服他们对水的恐惧的重要方式，因为对他们来说，水可能会过度刺激。

　　"想象一下，你有一个不愿意洗澡的孩子，"Rapaport说。"现在我们可以让孩子们出去，在喷水器下站着，他们非常喜欢。为什么？因为他们看到其他孩子在做这个。"

　　像淋浴一样，大部分设备都是设计来说服学生们互相交流，即使他们通常喜欢独自玩耍。例如，一个秋千设备设计成可以让两个孩子同时荡秋千。

　　Celia Galion的女儿Deborah是一名14岁的转化学院学生。Deborah患有一种叫做结节性硬化症的病症，这会引发癫痫发作，并在她年幼时引发了自闭症。

　　"Deborah是一个非常甜美的孩子，"Galion说。"她喜欢玩耍。她喜欢拥抱。她非常亲热，喜欢大声说话。所以，待在户外是很好的。"

　　Galion表示，她已经四五年没有带女儿去游乐场了。她一直不愿带Deborah去，因为其他孩子可能会刻薄，而且她觉得许多游乐场并不安全。

　　但是Galion说，转化学院的新游乐场让“孩子们感觉像是有了一点自由”。他们可以“不必一直有人站在他们身边确保他们的安全就可以玩耍……这对他们来说真的非常好。”