Organize Your Home to Support Neurodivergent Needs
In the constant pursuit to help improve people’s lives by designing beautiful and organized homes; it’s become clear how impactful intentional organizing can be for parents of Autistic children, ADHD adults and other neurodivergent individuals. I believe everyone can benefit from a space that’s designed well but it’s been especially fulfilling being able to support those who’s experience in life can be impacted immediately by implementing systems customized to them.
Early on as an organizer I was lucky to have the opportunity to work with a family with an autistic son. As a parent, I recognized the love they had for both their children but blown away with the level of unconditional support they showed their son who did have unique challenges. I’m grateful to have learned from this family (now dear friends) and being able to work with them for several years. Since then, I’ve been motivated to learn how to better understand and support those with neurodivergent needs. And their families!
In this pursuit to learn more, I reached out to Julie Russell, Executive Director at the Brooklyn Autism Center school. Julie has worked at this impressive school for 11 years and overseas everything from staff, protocols, policies, safety, students and facilities. And was also a clinical director before taking on this role.
I was honored to receive such generosity, when she accepted my request to talk and really took the time to educate me. She initially affirmed a lot of my ideas and tactics we’ve used when approaching our designs, but was so patient to answer questions and provide so many other considerations that the Brooklyn Autism Center implements with their students.
She provided so much more than I can include here that I’m currently working on a full Guide to Organizing for Neurodivergent Needs. With this guide, my hope is to empower families to support children, adults to support themselves and their partners at home.
“…the organization for Autistic individuals can be incredibly important in lowering anxiety levels, increasing independence and promoting language.” - Julie Russell
I’m going to do my best to give a brief highlight of some of the most important considerations below but hope you’ll reach out should you want to discuss more or learn how we can help design your home.
Decrease Visual Clutter:
- I encourage cutting down on visual clutter wherever possible. This “visual decluttering” helps create a comfortable, relaxed environment in the classroom and at home. Limiting multiple visual inputs can have major effects on focus and behavior immediately. One way to do this is using matching neutral baskets/ bins with clear uniform labels to contain items. *sometimes using clear bins and being able to see all the contents can create distractions or anxiety. Remember to use bins that are easy to open as fine motor skills can be a challenge for some individuals on the spectrum.
Eliminate Distracting Sounds and Textures:
- When thinking about our surroundings at home we want to consider colors, sounds and texture – Being aware that individuals on the spectrum can experience things very differently, decreasing potential overwhelming sensory inputs can be beneficial at home.
- Sounds - While most people may not hear the hum of a refrigerator or the rattle of an air conditioner, these noises can feel overwhelming to someone who’s sensitive to sounds. – Make sure you try reduce these noises as much as possible.
- Textures – Many neurodivergent individuals are especially sensitive when it comes to touch, feel and textures of clothing, rugs and other surfaces. It’s important to be aware of how certain things make one feel. For instance, some with like the feel of a fuzzy rug while others may prefer a smooth hard wood floor. It’s important to understand and adjust accordingly to again reduce the sensitivity and increase comfort wherever possible.
Create Physical Paths to Success:
“When a room’s layout is functionally predictable, individuals with autism can better focus on emotional and behavioral regulation.”
- While we all strive to create daily habits that help us live a happy, healthy and productive life, these habits can be more difficult for those with neurodivergent needs. In my conversation with Julie, she talked a lot about how we can support habits that promote independence and how creating “physical paths to success” can be extremely helpful. This could look like a physical path to get ready in the morning with the steps clearly labeled and in order. Think about drawers being organized in a way that you actually get dressed. Example: Top drawer = Step One; underwear and pants. Second drawer = Step Two; shirt and sweatshirt. Bottom drawer = Last Step; socks and accessories. – Move to the bathroom where each step of the routine is organized and labeled in order in a designated cabinet or potentially a physical chart with pictures to follow.
- Another way to create physical paths is to designate specific areas to specific tasks or activities. One tactic we’ve used, is organizing all In-Home Therapy materials together in a mindful way that can be easily used in the space we’ve defined for that therapy. This helps manage expectations and signal that it’s time to focus on that therapy. Even in small apartments with limited space we can implement this by having a small rug that we roll out on the floor that’s used as our “therapy rug”.
- And to increase motivation for therapies at home – Julie suggests potentially having different bins of materials for different days, for example MWF and TT bin – she explained that this can keep kids interested and motivated without getting bored.
Be Sensitive to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Tendencies:
- I learned that it’s not uncommon for OCD tendencies to contribute to challenges felt around everyday activities and behaviors. Depending on the these tendencies, we can find different ways to accommodate them. *We will get into this more in the guide we’re putting together but please don’t hesitate to reach out to discuss more.
Safety:
- Safety is always our top priority and so it’s important to think of any dangers based on the individual. The most obvious concerns are making sure anything that could be dangerous if ingested, or anything physically harmful if touched like knives in the kitchen, are kept out of reach or potentially locked up if necessary.
- We need to ask, if there are concerns around hot or dangerous surfaces, i.e. the stove or toasters. And making sure that we have the appropriate locks on the doors to the outside, or bodies of water.
I want to thank Julie Russell, Executive Director at Brooklyn Autism Center for sharing her knowledge and experience in the pursuit of spreading awareness and clear desire to have a real impact on this community.
I’ve witnessed the intense love that drives parents, partners, siblings, teachers and therapist to support their loved ones. To live a safe and happy life we strive to reduce the challenges wherever possible. Everyone’s home should support their lifestyle and needs and with mindful changes we can design homes that support everyone in the family.
If you don’t know where to get started, I encourage you to reach out and we can discuss some things you can do on your own or how you can work with our team to help with a design.