(GRADUATE SCHOOL PROJECT)

Challenge: To develop a piece of playground equipment specifically for children on the autism spectrum

The Gong Tower is a raised playground structure that is intended primarily for children on the autism spectrum and utilizes a large gong as the center piece.  The children can interact with the gong however they like whether it be by touching, striking, or simply looking at it.  When struck the gong produces a deep resonating sound which will in turn vibrate the structure.  The gong can also be accessed from the ground for those children incapable of going to the top of the tower.  This is a highly durable design solution that utilizes simple technology to optimize a sensory enhanced experience.

This was a group project that I was the manager of.

Research Methods:

Observation:

We began the research process by traveling to a local pediatric rehabilitation facility to understand the environment and observe the current design solutions which have been developed to help the children with various levels of autism function.

Met with Researcher:

During our research process we met with a family and human development researcher who helped us understand both what autism is and the types of play that children engage in.  With this researcher we reviewed a playground at the ASU Child Development Lab to understand the types of play that are engaged in each with each structure/toy on that particular playground.

Literature Review:

We searched for  literature such as articles and books that helped us understand the playground environment better and how it applies to play.

Results:

What we concluded is that our design solution should work with the social aspects of play by encouraging interaction among the children even if the interaction is merely proximal.  The design had to be sensory enhanced meaning that I should appeal  to many senses including touch, sight, and sound.  We also wanted a design that was fresh, technically innovative, and has not been done before.  Lastly, the design had to be safe for the children who will use it, keeping in mind recommend technical guidelines and safety features.