This image is a picture of one of our actual learning spaces. It doesn't necessarily look like much. Stepping back to the me of a year ago, it certainly doesn't make me think that this was designed specifically neurodivergent kids. There was so much I didn't understand then.
As one of the founders, I had a little experience with neurodiversity except as it applied to my own kids. I knew that wool was not something they would wear willingly. I knew that they showed a strong preference for quieter spaces. I knew that there was no one thing that worked for all of them when learning. So when trying to wrap my brain around where to go, I didn't have a whole lot to work with; I started by defining what neurodiversity was going to mean for Kalexedy.
neurodiversity - a difference in how a person exists and learns that is outside the average. The further from average, the greater the differences.
This actually gave me a fuzzy starting point because now I could understand that "average" is difficult to define and depending on the perspective there are a million things that fit outside of average. Thankfully Google. From a learning perspective, I searched for all the possible ways neurodiversity was addressed in schools and speciality/therapy centers. But I am neither a designer nor a teacher, so still completely unqualified to be responsible for designing the learning space. The only thing I had going for me was the sense to find people that were way more qualified than I was.
Lots of people told me the space was fine as it was. It was "neutral". When I first toured the space, I rejected it precisely because it felt like I could be at my own job when I walked in and that is not where I send my kids to learn. My real estate agent persisted and the building owners, manager, and other occupants have been amazing. So while we started "neutral", we didn't stay there.
I went to the kids. I went to all the kids I could find to ask about what they loved and what drove them nuts. I went to their parents and asked the same. I took the little nuggets I had managed to find when Googling and started to pull everything together. From that came a few very easy to understand and implement ideas:
Minimize visual noise - while we want our space to be fun and welcoming, it needs to not contribute to distraction, stress, or anxiety. There needs to be only as much variation when looking around as necessary.
Color matters - everyone perceives color slightly differently, but some difference are particularly pronounced in a negative way for some people. Color needs to contribute to bringing a sense of fun and welcoming, but not add visual noise or inadvertently push negative emotions.
Desks aren't necessary - If your body is not comfortable it can be just as distracting as a bug flying nearby. Desks require kids conform to working in one position in generally close proximity. Our furniture needs to invite everyone to find their own best position and allow the flexibility to make adjustments as needed.
Gotta have the "feels" - maybe I consulted with a particular group of sensory aware "experts", but I heard over and over again about everything needing to feel good. So we embraced smooth, soft, and textured.
"Ears are next to Brains" - one of the "experts" gave me this little nugget when explaining tone of their online programs had a buzzer that burned their brain every time they heard it. 😣 Message received. We needed to consider ambient and normal activity sounds.
Beyond what I have called out in these two photos, there are easily a hundred other call outs that could be made. The restrooms have paper towels instead of air dryers, there are wiggle chairs, and we have allocated more than 100 sqft of overall space per child when determining our capacity.
When you visit you should be able to see these themes play out again and again. But watch your kids. Ask your kids. The best part has been seeing the kids react just how we wanted them to. They are relaxed, happy, calm, and ready to learn.
And if you want to see where some of the research came from, take a look at a few of the pages that were really helpful:
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