Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Anne E. Beamish / The purpose of this research was to develop a mobile sensory garden to help children with Sensory Integration Disorders. Sensory Integration (SI) is how an individual processes sensory information. Issues with sensory integration can lead to behavioral disorders, which can cause difficulties with social-emotional skills, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, play skills, and self-help skills. The goal of the project was to develop a mobile sensory garden to help alleviate or reduce the negative aspects of Sensory Integration Disorders. The research involved qualitative research, projective design, and evaluative research on a mobile sensory cart that was used in an elementary school in Topeka, Kansas. Methods included: interviews, design/build, and observation. The current sensory room was inventoried in Williams Science & Fine Arts Elementary Magnet School in Topeka, Kansas, and the children who used were observed. The faculty at the school, including the principal, teachers whose students use the current sensory room, counselors, and other support faculty, were interviewed. Once the observations were analyzed, a mobile sensory garden cart was designed and built. The new cart was brought to the elementary school and placed in the sensory room. A second phase of observation assessed how the children interacted with the new mobile sensory garden cart. During the second phase of observation the children showed intense interest in the mobile sensory garden cart. Some of this can be attributed to it being a new item in the sensory room. Some of the most popular items included the zen garden, wood slices on the wooden dowel, and the plants. In the second week children transitioned to using both the sensory garden cart and the original items in the sensory room. When an item on the sensory garden cart best suited their needs, that item was chosen and when their needs were best suited by other items in the room then that item was chosen. Overall the mobile sensory garden cart was beneficial to the school and the children. It can be easily replicated and modified to fit the individual needs of the children and school.

One of every 166 children born today could be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (CDC 2006). Growing bodies of evidence show sensory integration issues may be at the root of many of the symptoms children with ASD exhibit. Sensory integration is defined as the ability to feel, understand, and organize sensory information from the body and environment. The issues surrounding sensory integration are reflected in both hypersensitive and hyposensitive reactions by children with ASD to the vestibular, proprioception, visual, audio, tactile, and olfactory senses.The goal of this paper is to address the sensory integration issues of children with ASD by creating a sensory garden which would allow them to focus on therapeutic and diagnostic interventions. By using the principles and elements of design, guidelines for this garden focused on producing calming effects for hyper reactive children with ASD and stimulating effects for hypo reactions.

O trabalho avaliou a percepção tátil de espécies vegetais por uma parcela da população de deficientes visuais em diferentes graus de intensidade, de ambos os sexos e com idades variando entre treze e setenta e sete anos, residentes em Piracicaba (SP), classificando-as de acordo com a maior ou a menor preferência, por meio de análises sensoriais afetivas. As plantas foram escolhidas entre aquelas utilizadas na composição de parques e jardins, instalados nas condições ambientais da região de Piracicaba (SP). No processo de seleção das plantas, considerou-se, também, a escolha daquelas que possibilitassem maior segurança física e psicológica aos deficientes visuais, além da sua disponibilidade no mercado. Foram selecionados, para os testes, indivíduos vegetais adultos, organizados em grupos distintos, de acordo com seu porte, sua estrutura e suas funções específicas na composição paisagística: treze espécies arbóreas; cinco palmeiras; dois tipos de bambus; dezenove arbustos, 34 espécies herbáceas e quatro tipos de gramas, totalizando 77 diferentes plantas. As espécies arbóreas foram avaliadas pelas características do tronco: a circunferência à altura do peito (CAP) e a textura da casca; as arbustivas, segundo o porte da planta, o tipo, a textura e o tamanho das folhas; as herbáceas e as gramíneas, segundo o tipo, a textura e o tamanho das folhas. A partir dos testes realizados, concluiu-se que com relação aos provadores, não houve diferença significativa entre os fatores sexo, idade, grau e tempo da deficiência, no que se refere às preferências sobre as espécies vegetais, dentro de cada categoria. Em relação às espécies arbóreas, constatou-se que, aos menores valores de CAP e à textura mais fina da casca, foram associados os maiores escores médios, refletindo a preferência dos provadores por indivíduos com menores diâmetros e por espécies com texturas macias, lisas e muito lisas. Os resultados sugeriram que a característica textura da casca foi mais importante, do ponto de vista afetivo, que a circunferência do caule à altura do peito. No que se refere aos arbustos testados, verificou-se que o porte foi pouco importante e que a textura e o tamanho das folhas foram os fatores preponderantes na discriminação das espécies, com ampla vantagem para as texturas macias. Os testes com as herbáceas e as gramíneas para relvados também evidenciaram que as características mais importantes, do ponto de vista afetivo, foram a textura e o tamanho das folhas. As herbáceas contempladas com flores ou inflorescências receberam escores médios maiores, exceção feita ao antúrio e à estrelícia, provavelmente, por apresentarem folhas médias e grandes, respectivamente, ou pelas características específicas de suas flores. / The tactile perception of plant species by part of the visual impaired population at different intensity degrees of both genders, and ages ranging 13 to 77 years, residents of Piracicaba (SP) were evaluated, assorted according to higher or lower preference through affective sensorial analysis. The plants were collected from parks and gardens set up under the environmental conditions of the region of Piracicaba (SP). While selecting the plants, the choice of those plants likely to provide more physical and psychological safety to the visual impaired and market availability was also taken into account. Adult individuals were selected for the tests, organized into distinct groups according to size, structure and specific function in the landscape composition: thirteen arboreal species; five palm trees; two types of bamboo; nineteen shrubs; thirty four herbaceous species and four types of grass, in a total of seventy seven different plants. The arboreal species were evaluated according to the trunk characteristics: circumference at breast height (CBH) and bark texture; shrubby plants according to plant size, type, texture and leaf size; herbaceous plants and grasses according to type, texture and leaf size. Regarding the testers, the results showed that no significant difference occurred among gender, age, deficiency degree and time as to the preference for plant species within each category. As to the arboreal species, one verified that lower CBH values and thinner bark texture were associated to the mean scores, thus reflecting the preference of testers for lesser diameters and soft, smooth and very smooth texture species. The results suggested that the bark texture feature was more important, from the affective viewpoint, than the stem circumference at breast height. Regarding the tested shrubs, one verified that the size was not significant and that both leaf texture and size were preponderant in discriminating the species, with soft textures being much more preferred. Tests with herbaceous plants and grasses for grassland also pointed that the more important characteristics, from the affective viewpoint, were leaf texture and size. Blooming herbaceous plants were given higher mean scores, except for the Anthurium and Strelitzia, probably because of their medium and large size leaves, respectively, or due to specific flower features.

O trabalho avaliou a percepção tátil de espécies vegetais por uma parcela da população de deficientes visuais em diferentes graus de intensidade, de ambos os sexos e com idades variando entre treze e setenta e sete anos, residentes em Piracicaba (SP), classificando-as de acordo com a maior ou a menor preferência, por meio de análises sensoriais afetivas. As plantas foram escolhidas entre aquelas utilizadas na composição de parques e jardins, instalados nas condições ambientais da região de Piracicaba (SP). No processo de seleção das plantas, considerou-se, também, a escolha daquelas que possibilitassem maior segurança física e psicológica aos deficientes visuais, além da sua disponibilidade no mercado. Foram selecionados, para os testes, indivíduos vegetais adultos, organizados em grupos distintos, de acordo com seu porte, sua estrutura e suas funções específicas na composição paisagística: treze espécies arbóreas; cinco palmeiras; dois tipos de bambus; dezenove arbustos, 34 espécies herbáceas e quatro tipos de gramas, totalizando 77 diferentes plantas. As espécies arbóreas foram avaliadas pelas características do tronco: a circunferência à altura do peito (CAP) e a textura da casca; as arbustivas, segundo o porte da planta, o tipo, a textura e o tamanho das folhas; as herbáceas e as gramíneas, segundo o tipo, a textura e o tamanho das folhas. A partir dos testes realizados, concluiu-se que com relação aos provadores, não houve diferença significativa entre os fatores sexo, idade, grau e tempo da deficiência, no que se refere às preferências sobre as espécies vegetais, dentro de cada categoria. Em relação às espécies arbóreas, constatou-se que, aos menores valores de CAP e à textura mais fina da casca, foram associados os maiores escores médios, refletindo a preferência dos provadores por indivíduos com menores diâmetros e por espécies com texturas macias, lisas e muito lisas. Os resultados sugeriram que a característica textura da casca foi mais importante, do ponto de vista afetivo, que a circunferência do caule à altura do peito. No que se refere aos arbustos testados, verificou-se que o porte foi pouco importante e que a textura e o tamanho das folhas foram os fatores preponderantes na discriminação das espécies, com ampla vantagem para as texturas macias. Os testes com as herbáceas e as gramíneas para relvados também evidenciaram que as características mais importantes, do ponto de vista afetivo, foram a textura e o tamanho das folhas. As herbáceas contempladas com flores ou inflorescências receberam escores médios maiores, exceção feita ao antúrio e à estrelícia, provavelmente, por apresentarem folhas médias e grandes, respectivamente, ou pelas características específicas de suas flores. / The tactile perception of plant species by part of the visual impaired population at different intensity degrees of both genders, and ages ranging 13 to 77 years, residents of Piracicaba (SP) were evaluated, assorted according to higher or lower preference through affective sensorial analysis. The plants were collected from parks and gardens set up under the environmental conditions of the region of Piracicaba (SP). While selecting the plants, the choice of those plants likely to provide more physical and psychological safety to the visual impaired and market availability was also taken into account. Adult individuals were selected for the tests, organized into distinct groups according to size, structure and specific function in the landscape composition: thirteen arboreal species; five palm trees; two types of bamboo; nineteen shrubs; thirty four herbaceous species and four types of grass, in a total of seventy seven different plants. The arboreal species were evaluated according to the trunk characteristics: circumference at breast height (CBH) and bark texture; shrubby plants according to plant size, type, texture and leaf size; herbaceous plants and grasses according to type, texture and leaf size. Regarding the testers, the results showed that no significant difference occurred among gender, age, deficiency degree and time as to the preference for plant species within each category. As to the arboreal species, one verified that lower CBH values and thinner bark texture were associated to the mean scores, thus reflecting the preference of testers for lesser diameters and soft, smooth and very smooth texture species. The results suggested that the bark texture feature was more important, from the affective viewpoint, than the stem circumference at breast height. Regarding the tested shrubs, one verified that the size was not significant and that both leaf texture and size were preponderant in discriminating the species, with soft textures being much more preferred. Tests with herbaceous plants and grasses for grassland also pointed that the more important characteristics, from the affective viewpoint, were leaf texture and size. Blooming herbaceous plants were given higher mean scores, except for the Anthurium and Strelitzia, probably because of their medium and large size leaves, respectively, or due to specific flower features.