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Post by sarahlouise on Feb 15, 2011 20:12:11 GMT
hi guys,
im a design student in final year at university, this is my first post so kinda new at this?
is there anybody who has any thoughts/opinions/ideas on designing an innovative space regarding children with adhd, some people say that children with add/adhd have a creative side and i would like to design a space to help bring this out, a space to address and monitor the problems without it looking like another clinic or hospital? a space of respite/ relaxation?
does any parents/teachers have any ideas on what kind of environments work well? if they were to bring their child to a space offering alternative therapy etc what would they like to see there?
i.e dimmer lights, textures, personal space, private space,
my email address is Wright-SL1@email.ulster.ac.uk
thanks
sarah
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2011 20:49:56 GMT
Hi Sarah Your average ADHDer needs stimulation - the worst thing for us is to be bored in a room...things might start breaking. I'm not sure about dimmer lights - but dancing lights Bling, extravagant gestures, a picture window onto a squirrels nest (squirrel!) are all like cat-nip to our understimulated minds. Go mad with everything - anything to keep the hand occupied or the mind intrigued. We really like something we can fondle (madam!).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2011 21:16:30 GMT
hey planetdave,
do u think there are links between ahdh and creativity?
were do you draw the line for people who suffer from hyperactivity? on fear off sending the whole place mad?
my initial ideas form around a simple 4 storey building within belfast city centre, possibly a reception area meet and great, cafe lounge, working predominately with young kids, teenagers, but its not set in stone yet.
then kinda 3 floors of sensory rooms, nutritionist ( as i hear what u eat predominately affect ur mood, mind etc)
though as far as creativity goes maybe a library reading area, personal reading/ writing area, communal area for conversing in others work etc??
then a fllor maybe for muscle stimulation, brain exercises, more physical working??
any thoughts??
sarah
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2011 22:01:20 GMT
ADHD can be very creative - essentially it allows raw thoughts through that get filtered out by a 'standard' brain. Unfortunately raw thoughts can be destructive too (think 'curly haired kid' in 'Outnumbered').
Hyperactives.....if they're out of control you'll only get them back if they have something to focus their hyperactivity on. If you've got a building full of ADHDers it's unlikely to be quiet - those with autistic comorbidities may find it overwhelming so sound deadening and doors that don't slam (or squeak) would be good, as would a minimum of sound reflective hard surfaces.
We tend to be quite sensitive so protecting us from each other is good whilst allowing those who need to be 'expressive' some space.
So...abuse proof, stimulating with things to handle, a bag full of squirrels....stuff like that.
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Post by sherry on Feb 15, 2011 22:01:45 GMT
Oooooh fibre optic lights, love em, could stare for hours.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2011 22:04:43 GMT
A building full of those would do just fine
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Post by sherry on Feb 15, 2011 22:07:00 GMT
spray paint and white walls would be kool too!!
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Post by ChaosLily on Feb 15, 2011 22:20:54 GMT
Get loads of recycled bits (card, plastic, ribbons, fabric, anything...local manufacturers are sometimes good for supplying their remnants), add glue, glitter, paint, scissors and sellotape and away you go. Be sure to provide a separate area for the parents to go play in too, they may take over if they've ADHD too!
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Post by kakema on Feb 15, 2011 22:24:28 GMT
When my daughter was little, the nursery she went to had a sensory room - she loved it. Glitter ball, those light cables that you can pick up and twist, tunnels, music, ball pool (there's a reason you find those in every kids' play area), textures textures textures...
She's certainly creative, but won't stick at anything for long (except a book or a computer game) - so she'll dress up, want to paint, cut things up (including her hair), sing all the time while she's doing any of it, jump on a trampoline, then slump in front of the telly...all in quick succession. HUGE amounts of mess. Climbing walls. Anything a bit reckless without, obviously, being dangerous (she loves those padded scaffolding kids' gyms, flooms too).
You need to keep an eye on them, because they're creative in all sorts of unpredictable ways. They don't really need much in the way of sophisticated gear. Give her a box and it's a castle - but give her a rope and she'll string herself up on it as soon as climb or swing on it. Caught her setting off matches the other day. She has an ADHD friend, and they're a complete bag of monkeys in a confined space like the back of a car. Tends to be quite a volatile thing, too - they fall out and make friends again all the time.
Quite entertaining, though, if you don't take your decor too seriously. She's 10 now, and I thought had grown out of cave painting on my walls....until I spotted her latest creation this weekend.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2011 22:46:03 GMT
something like a Snoezelen would be good for chilled stimulation. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snoezelenand those padded indoor playground things are great. Oh and squirrels
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Post by ChaosLily on Feb 15, 2011 22:57:13 GMT
Quite entertaining, though, if you don't take your decor too seriously. She's 10 now, and I thought had grown out of cave painting on my walls....until I spotted her latest creation this weekend. I once painted a section of wall with blackboard paint and gave my daughter chalk to help with this one!! I remember peeling back wallpaper so I could draw on the wall underneath as a kid too!
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Post by mizmog on Feb 15, 2011 23:02:40 GMT
give 'em a stage, make up, out fits to dress up in, swords to fight with.. and watch them go!!! their all little or big show off's if they think its their stage....
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2011 11:31:13 GMT
hey,
these are all great ideas
is there anything that urselves or the kids have said they feel when they are brought to a doctor for assessment or how their adhd makes them feel?
although this space will have a 'fun aspect' to it i also wanted to create a 'safe haven' and space that was all theirs. were parents could come and get info and help, a place away from clinics and 'sick people'
anything come to mind that irritates them, calms them, distracts them when having 'the talk' with them?
does anyone know if teenagers react differently, or are all teenagers just un-difinable (i sure was!!)
i think my research basically relys on first hand experience.
thanks!!!! xx
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Post by seahorse on Feb 17, 2011 18:44:55 GMT
I have co-existing physical problems that mean I have little energy and lots of pain, so exercising to release excess energy isn't always an option. So what I would like would be a chillout room. It would be windowless, and soundproof, it would have a huuuuuuuge beanbag on the floor to squish into, soothing light patterns projected onto the ceiling and gentle music playing in the background. The light and music would be just enough to quiet my racing brain and let me meditate for a while... The room could be used alone, or if needed, for example to calm a child or teen, an assistant could take them through a guided meditation.
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Post by ChaosLily on Feb 17, 2011 23:29:56 GMT
I have co-existing physical problems that mean I have little energy and lots of pain, so exercising to release excess energy isn't always an option. So what I would like would be a chillout room. It would be windowless, and soundproof, it would have a huuuuuuuge beanbag on the floor to squish into, soothing light patterns projected onto the ceiling and gentle music playing in the background. The light and music would be just enough to quiet my racing brain and let me meditate for a while... The room could be used alone, or if needed, for example to calm a child or teen, an assistant could take them through a guided meditation. Just shows that there are marked differences in us after all - this sounds like hell to me!!
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Post by seahorse on Feb 17, 2011 23:41:16 GMT
Ok, so what would your room be like?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2011 0:18:01 GMT
this is sooo useful with my research, as we are constantly taught the one size doesnt fit all. and its sooo true, what works for one person could be hell for another
chaoslily - if you had to design your own adult 'space' say while ur child is on another floor with other children getting her 'personal time' what would it be like?
maybe its not a case of trying to fix the problems, but to offer the option of an 'escape' and 'retreat' to just for maybe one hour three times a week to re-focus? would this help?
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Post by seahorse on Feb 19, 2011 15:36:42 GMT
maybe its not a case of trying to fix the problems, but to offer the option of an 'escape' and 'retreat' to just for maybe one hour three times a week to re-focus? would this help? Exactly - that is the idea behind my room, that for half an hour, an hour I shut out the rest of the world and distract my brain from its constant whirling with some soothing music and light effects. Sure, everything's still there when I walk back out of the room, but that "time out" will have refreshed my ability to cope with it all...
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Post by mavster on Feb 19, 2011 16:29:49 GMT
Fill a kids adhd with computers and consoles , theraputic lights and soft furnishings
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