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 the affordance theory. Affordance was categorised by landscape furniture, soft and hard landscape in relation to three categories of activities: Sensory stimulation, physical and social skills. The findings had discovered continuous pathways that link the sensory garden to the site context, had easy access to the features, and had the highest number of user. This study also found that users spent a longer time in zones where sensory, rather than aesthetic value, was emphasised.