This is an interview with the mother of Jarno. Since he is only 7 years old and isn't aware of his illness, it was better to speak with his mom.
Basic questions
What are
the names and the ages of the family members?
Tim, 38 years
Dagmar, 39 years
Jarno, 7 years
Which
family member has autism?
Jarno
What
kind of autism does he/she have? (Asperger's
syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder, autistic disorder etc.)
PDD-NOS, diagnosed at age 2,5
Is
he/she aware of his/hers neurological disease?
Not really
What
kind of school does he/she goes to?
Special education (SBO Het Tangram, Purmerend)
Does
he/she play sports or any other hobbies?
No sports, huge fan of Lego and iPad (games and videos)
Is
he/she at himself or does he/she like to play or work with others?
Both. It depends on the situation and state of mind
Questions about the house
Main question: How
can we as architects make it easier to live as someone with a neurological
disorder?
Every person with autism has his/her own issues. Talk tot
them. There is no general rule to make life easier.
What is his/her favourite colour?
No specific favourite, it
changes over time.
What kind of materials will be best for the house? (No
busy prints on the wall or crazy tiles for example)
Our living room has one wall
with a busy print, a not very organized bookshelf and 3 tables with lego. This
doesn’t seem to make any difference in comparison to a clean and organized room. In his bedroom we tried to apply light
colors and soft materials. And we try to keep it as neat as possible. This is
the place where he has to rest (prefent overstimulation)
Can the furniture be possible to move or is it better to
have it at one place all the time?
In my opinion it is better to
keep furniture in the same place. As minor changes in the surrounding as
possible. Every change can be disturbing without proper preparation.
What kind of surrounding is best? (city, nature etc.)
It depends on the person
Any other tips?
See answer of the main
question.