The perfect school computer room for kids on the spectrum

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I'm currently involved in planning a computer room at a school for kids with autism and asperger's. So, I'm thinking... the default standard for school computer rooms probably will be far to noisy and disruptive: buzzing fans, 30 kids crammed into one class all clacking away at keyboards, problems controlling the mouse for kids with dyspraxia, flickering screens, computer beeps and music... arghghghgh! Meltdown central!

So, what would be the perfect computer room for these kids? Well, utopia would probably have each kid in its own room with a quiet laptop, but I need a solution that is both autistic/high sensory friendly AND affordable/practical. That is true perfection. Especially since most of the funding would have to be raised to get this room done.

What we have for free are a lot of refurbished machines and second hand screens (the bulky CRT ones). My worry is that both of those may just be too unfriendly with regards to noise and light.

Here are my thoughts so far:
- Free OS (suggestion: Linux server with thin clients, probably Ubuntu)
- Silent keyboards (e.g. rubber ones? What is an affordable option here?)
- Fanless box (e.g. the ThinkCentre A61e from IBM, just #@&* expensive... but is great as it can be solar powered as South Africa is in the middle of a power crisis... )
- Dry acoustic (e.g. by putting lots of egg holders against the walls)
- Divisions between computers so that kids almost sit in a cubicle, without movement disturbance from other kids in the room.
- Soft lighting
- Screens with minimal flicker (e.g. the flat ones, but once again, quite an expensive option).

Please, let me know what you would wish for! Thanks.

If I had a magic wand...

Comfy mouse, all the mice the same, so there will be no favoritism for machines.

I need a clackety keyboard all by myself (It helps me know when I've pressed the keys, because I type with my eyes shut sometimes.), but in a room, I need quiet, so.. have they made laser-projected keyboards yet? Every one of the keyboards has to be identical, or else you will have an autistic kid that won't type except on his own keyboard, every time, and if he doesn't get that keyboard... you know. No favoritism. No "this is the best keyboard" and "this is the crappy keyboard of the room" situation.

Teach them dvorak, not qwerty. Just dreaming here...

I don't like it when someone is behind me, so have all the keyboards either face into the walls of the room, or into the center - none of that grid-spacing in typical classrooms. Have dividers between the stations, to help filter things, and help focus.

I like the fan. It's like white noise, so it doesn't bug me much. The sound of the computer hard-drive doing the scritching and engraving noises is the annoying part.

Egg holders? I thought this was a learning place - they have to learn how to deal with flat walls sometime, can't live in a bubble forever. Carpet on the walls instead.

For ambient lighting at home, I use Christmas lights by my computer, and other lamps on lower-wattage bulbs behind me.

Comfy chairs, on wheels, that can pivot. Cheap office chairs, I think you can get them for $5 used some places, cheaper for education if you pull strings I bet.

In a dreamworld, I would have a c ockpit of a computer seat. Super comfy chair, an armrest with a trackball, 3 connected monitors, maybe even a split keyboard under my fingers. Foot pedals, for something, not sure what. Heck, just bypass all that, give me a halo attachment (a thing that lets you move a mouse with your mind), and let me become one with the virtual.

I looked into the rubber/flexible keyboards. They are slow response to typing. Unless you are a hunt and peck typist, you will lose typed characters.

- Big windows to open in breaks. Seriously. All the computer rooms of all the school I've been to had windows that were impossible to open, too far up to open or to small to make anybody open them.

*Computer chairs have used at college were the spinny on wheel type,but they screeched with any movement,and contact with the extremely rough material on them was an instant meltdown setoff.
Although the only option am had was to go into another room with own support worker and a laptop whilst PCs were in use,am think if have not got chairs already to look at materials on them,and noises of the chairs before getting them.
The fact they can spin [and some of them rock] is great but also it makes it even harder to stay in 'reality',though this all really depends on the child ,their level of autism and sensory needs though.

*Lighting and visual overload.
Don't use those ones with silver shiny backing on them,these can be another 'out of reality' set off-and as little visual distraction in the room as possible is great for lessening overload,the colours in the room is important to.

*Flooring.
Make sure all the children can cope with the feel of it,it can easily be felt through shoes,am find it impossible to walk on some carpets with shoes on as they're instant overloaders/MD setoffs.
With smooth flooring like lino or wooden flooring,make sure it isn't easily screeched,like when people drag their shoe on the floor.

*Tables and computer desks.
The feel of these are definitely important as they differ a lot,the feeling of a ultra smooth desk can trigger MDs,as could an old
rough desk with lots of marks made into it,but it is depending on the child and what they are like.

*Door.
If it's one that closes itself,make sure the metal thing that shuts it isn't screwed tight, so it slams fast,get some sticky pads [don't know what they're called,but they're thin and long,and are stuck on the door door frame to lessen the noise a little].

*Plug sockets and those long ones that give extra plug sockets [have a lot of them but don't know what they are called].
If possible,keep plug sockets and those other ones as away from any children as possible as the noise out of them might cause any of the children problems or at the least distract.

*Computers.
Not so close so there is no accidental contact with others [light or quick touching can be a major MD setoff].
And computers can be sound proofed on the inside,not sure on the material though.



Noelle,
the problem with carpet on walls [especially if it's at touching or brushing past reach] is it could easily set off a child who has sensory difficulties with it.

With regards to chairs: what about a sitting ball? Like these:

I can't speak for all aspies, but I don't think CRTs would be a problem, provided you can get the refresh rate to 85hz. Just looking at a 60hz CRT monitor for a few seconds is agony to me, because the flicker causes sensory overload, but 85hz is managable, 75hz for short periods.

Get newer Small 13" size CRTs that were made between 1998- Now. The smaller, newer CRTs are the most comfortable especially if you get one made by HP, Lenovo, Compaq, or Gateway.[Now you can get these monitors for free.]

Also run Used Systems that are Pentium 4`s that take DDR Ram or later model PIII`s that are around 1Ghz.[You can get some of the machines for around $75 in some cases.]

Buy New Mouses and Keyboards instead of using donated stuff. [If you do get laser mouses more sturdy keyboards by IBM.] and Most computers at my school that the students use are the mouses with the ball and they get torn up easily.

Also just get Office chairs used. They will be cheaper.

IBM stuff is very reliable. You'll have to go used, but that may be your best bet. If you've got a Goodwill computer center in your area, look for their sales. Snag all the IBMs/IBM components you can.

I'd get an HP LaserJet if you were going to have a printer.

I don't recommend using Linux. It would be too radical of a change for most people and many AS don't like change. Buy yourself a few licenses for Windows--they will be worth it (and you're already going to save money on your stuff by going used).

I don't recommend swivel chairs. The ones we have at work cause me a lot of pain. Get something with a flat seat instead.

I think Cubicles would be very nice, and pretty affordable. Everyone can be in their own little world, and they block out noise pretty well too.

If I was planning it, here's how I would do it -
Furniture and lighting
American Seating, Steelcase or KI height-adjustable tables
Herman Miller Aeron or American Seating Cue chairs
Warm, 6500K florescent lighting
Computers:
Apple MacBooks running Leopard and VMWare fusion with Windows XP Pro or Lenovo ThinkPad T61/Dell Latitude D630s with XP Pro -or-
Dell OptiPlex 740 series with XP Pro and 17" Dell UltraSharp or LG Flatron widescreen LCDs, Logitech wireless keyboards and laser mice
HP Color LaserJet 4700n

Well May i suggest don`t get any computer that takes Rambus Based Memory. Thats why you either go for a P4 w/ DDR Memory.[Try to upgarde to anywhere between 512MB -4GB with the price of memory being it is now.]If you can`t get a computer that takes DDR Memory for a affordable price just get a computer that is between 700Mhz-1.4Ghz and is a PIII or Athlon because they take SDRam and that is overall more reliable that having P4 CPUs running off Rambus Memory.

Also get either IBM, Lenovo, or If your going for something older like a late model PIII get a Dell Optiplex.

May i also suggest don`t get anything with the name Celeron on it, Celerons are junk and are probaly computers that only have 2 Memory Slots.I would rather have a 1Ghz PIII w/ 1.5Gb memory [512Mb Module X 3 Memory Modules] than a 2.4Ghz P4 w/ 256MB Memory.

Go For Windows XP Pro for your Operating System. Linux is not a very common OS and not a lot of people outside of the Geek Realm know about it. XP you can also tweak by using some VBScripts and Turning off any GUI effects other than the Luma Buttons and XP Start Memu. Most people won`t know the difference and the computer will run faster.

About the Hard Drive Screeching. Get newer Hard Drives above 120GB or if you have to use older ones such as 20GB Drives put 2 in the computer. Set 1 of the drives as a Master and install XP Pro on the slave. Then Set you Virtual Memory to 2.5GB Times your memory as min
and 3 times for Maximum and set the Master Drive for virtual memory. Since nothing but the paging files and no other OS stuff will be on the master drive it will boot FAST!! !! Also never use Quantum, Maxtor, Or Seagate Drives. Use Western Digital Hard Drives because they are the most solidly built, will last the longest and have high cache speeds.[Low Cache and Cache Speeds are the reason hard drives screech along with low memory and too many startup items.]

Also use Rubber Tables due to the fact that they look nice and are the most durable and cheapest. Also get the tables that are low to the ground. That is very comfortable for most students. Also just get nice, comfortable office chairs.

If you do get used equipment wash it off with some dissinfectants and make it look brand new again. A lot of aspies don`t like dirty computer for black marks all over the cpu and monitor, Filthy CRT Monitors.[It can make new monitors look old.] Also Buy the Nice, Fluffy Headphones with very long cords and a rack glued to the monitor so students can wrap up and placed the headphones on when they are done.[ Most Aspies like having everything neat.]

Use Mozilla Firebird for thier Email Client, KMeleon for Web Browsing and Openoffice for Projects. Most Aspies would probaly like OpenOffice due to the low glitch ratio and ease of use compared to MS Office. [You can also do a lot more.]The School District i work at in Hernando County, Florida might even switch to OO next year due to the fact that were are running off of MS Office `03 and MS is cutting support for that and begging us to upgrade to that piece of s#& Office `07.

If you're using CRTs, bump up the screen refresh rate up as high as it goes, ideally above 100 Hz. That will render the screen flicker imperceptible.

Another thought: if you can get the money to, consider retrofitting the computers with water cooling. It's extremely quiet- loud fans are replaced by a quiet water pump.

Lighting-wise, use warm 2700-3000K fluorescents.

(Contrary to what the above poster (I forget their name) said, lower numbers indicate warmer (i.e., yellower/redder) color; tungsten incandescents are between 2700 K and 3000 K in color temperature.)

Also, make sure that instead of magnetic ballasts for the lamps, which make the lamps flicker at the mains frequency (60 Hz in North America and 50 Hz most everywhere else), use electronic ballasts. They don't buzz and bump the flicker frequency of the fluorescent lamps way up into the kilohertz, or even megahertz, making the flicker all but imperceptible.

Actually for this project Linux is up to the task. Ubuntu especially the education version of it is a thin client server model (clients don't need hard drives and everything runs off a central comp). Plus the company behind it provides support. ubuntu.com is the place to visit for this.

Yes, with regards to Ubuntu (or one of its close associates e.g. Skubuntu) and having a central server with thin clients pretty much has been decided. The teachers all have Vista computers in their classrooms (puke) and most of the kids will get exposure to Windows at home too, so it will just have to be one of those things where they will have to get used to two environments. Which is a good training exercise in itself. Being versatile in both environments provides for huge employment opportunities.