The Choice Channel

“Easter Seals today breaks ground on a unique $28 million school for autistic children. The building itself will be therapeutic, designed to offset autistic students’ hypersensitivity to sights and sounds: The windows will be high off the floor. When students look out, they’ll see trees and clouds, rather than street scenes that can be distracting. Building materials will dampen classroom noise, especially low-frequency rumbles that in some autistic students can drown out conversations. ‘The room is calming,’ said Tim Muri, president of Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago. The indirect lighting will cut down on glare that can be especially harsh to autistic students. And there won’t be any buzzing from fluorescent lights.” (10/3o/06)