Expert: Trey McGowan - 3/4/2009

Question
I read your response about not finding research on flourescent lighting.  My questions is "What modifications/adaptations can be made to help a ASD child cope with this lightening in their school (especially hallways)?

Answer
Hi there, Meg!

There are a few things which can be done to help the child cope with this sort of thing. Not all of them will work for all children, and not all children will be affected by the lights to the same degree. However, here's a few suggestions to try.

For some children, the flashing, strobe-like effect is the biggest, and potentially only, problem. Colored lenses may well help a child with the flashing or flickering of the lights, helping to 'filter' it, or at least make it something a bit more comfortable to deal with. Essentially, it is like wearing sunglasses indoors (and plain ol' sunglasses may even be enough for some).

Another suggestion would be to try and keep rooms lit by natural light wherever possible, rather than having to rely on the overheads. Obviously this won't be possible for all rooms and definitely not for the hallways you mention, but large windows can go a long way toward lighting a schoolroom, for example, without having to even turn those lights on.

If the flashing of the light doesn't seem to be the only issue, it may be because the children are being affected by a buzz or hum that they can hear. If you focus hard enough, you may be able to hear the sound as well, but in your case, it is something that you can 'filter out', whereas that filtering is something that many autistic individuals cannot do. In situations like that, something to help with the buzzing noise is a big help, potentially. Try a few different things: soft background music, white noise, even earplugs (although that might make listening rather hard!). Not everything will work for every child, as I mentioned above, but experimenting a little, especially if you are working with only one or a small group, can find a workable situation.

As an example, since some people like to hear 'how it works', I am sensitive to external noises. Thus, I have a fan going 24/7 in my house, in every room that I stay in. The constant soft 'whoosh' helps to obliterate other noises (like white noise), is soothing in and of itself, and the breeze helps keep the air from feeling cloying; a plus!

If it is a normal school, and the space itself does not have any of these adjustments, one of the best things you can do is try speaking to the teachers and/or principal directly. Explain that your child needs to wear those sunglasses, or to perhaps listen to a tape of gently lapping waves while he or she works. While I can't say all schools will be understanding, as long as the special additions aren't troubling the other students (no stereo playing at full in the classroom or earphones on full blast during a lecture), they will often allow for things such as this in order to help a child.

Hopefully those fairly simple modifications will give some ideas on how to make the lights a little more autism-friendly! If you have questions, comments, feedback, or follow-ups, feel free to ask!

Trey