I.T.O. (Integrating Teaching Opportunities)

The design proposal, I.T.O (Integrating Teaching Opportunities), aims to enhance the educational experience of autistic children by supporting behavioral, social, and emotional challenges within the environment. The proposal redesign the kindergarten areas at public schools in Ecuador by providing a supportive environment for teachers and students through 8 key experiences.

1. Ito says Welcome!

The first experience takes place at the pedestrian entrance and near the bus parking lot. The entrance space is designed as a transitional area where parents drop off their children, and the students wait for a few minutes until the teacher gathers them for the classroom. During this waiting period, the students have a designated space where they can socialize and engage in play activities. To assist and emotionally support the children, the character Ito, a little monkey (Ito, el monito), will be introduced as a wayfinding element.

2. Interactive Hallway

The second key experience is the Interactive Hallway. The intervention introduces a hallway where students have the option to choose between two paths. Following the first design implication, the hallways maintain the color-coded flooring to differentiate the active path from the passive path. The paths are separated by green areas, which serve to minimize noise and visual stimulation from the active path to the passive path.

3. Classroom

In the developed classroom design, careful consideration was given to the findings from observations and interviews conducted through the research methods. Attention problems, flexibility in learning methods, and behavioral issues emerged as the most recurring challenges in the classroom environment.

4. Activities Classroom

The activities classroom is designed to prioritize learning through games and foster interactions among students. The classroom incorporates both active and passive areas to accommodate individual and group activities. The active area features a sensorial wall and a ball pit.

5. Activities Patio

The activities patio is a multifunctional outdoor space designed for student play and gym class activities. It consists of three components: the active playground, the gym class open space, and the passive playground.

6. Sensorial Garden

The sensorial garden is designed to provide a safe and relieving environment for students. It consists of two sections: the garden and the pond. The garden features seating areas where students can sit alone or with friends. There is also a gardening area where students can cultivate plants.

7. Playroom

The playroom in the school library is a dedicated space for the initial education students to use once a week. It is designed with three main areas: a small library area, an active game area, and a small gym area

8. Ito says Goodbye

In the last key experience of the user journey, which takes place in the same entrance space as the initial "Welcome" experience, each student has a small magnetic board with their name. As they wait to be picked up, they can interact with the board by attaching magnetic pictures representing their favorite activities from the day. The main goal is to foster a sense of connection, understanding, and belonging to the school and friends. This stage aims to leave the students with a positive emotional link to the school and a desire to return the next day.