The Influence of Sensory Gardens on the Behaviour of Children with Special Educational Needs

This study explores the use of sensory gardens by observing the zones and how they are utilised, by children with special educational needs. Methods applied were interviews, observation and behaviour mapping, which was used in conjunction with affordance theory. Affordance were categorised by landscape furniture, soft and hard landscape in relation to three categories of activities: Sensory stimulation, physical and social skills. The findings discovered continuous pathways that link the sensory garden to the site context, with easy access to the features, have the highest number of users. Another finding found that users spent a longer time in zones where sensory, rather than aesthetic value, were emphasised.