Enriched environment
Ensuring the physical environment contains a wide variety of freely available, highly preferred activities and items.
An enriched environment means the room is full of good things to do. Instead of a sterile classroom where every fun item is locked in a cupboard, you ensure there are puzzles, books, sensory toys, and activities freely accessible at all times.
You use this strategy when learners engage in challenging behaviour simply because they are bored and want something - anything - to interact with. When the environment is impoverished, the value of any specific tangible item skyrockets, making learners more likely to fight over it or act out to get it. When the room is rich with options, the desperation to access a single specific item often decreases.
Practitioners often make the mistake of confusing a messy room with an enriched room. An enriched environment must be organised and the items must actually be preferred by the specific learners in the room. Dumping a box of broken toys on the floor does not enrich the environment. Another common error is failing to rotate the available items, leading to habituation and boredom.
Implementation
- Assess the preferences of the learners sharing the environment.
- Provide a variety of preferred items and activities that do not require adult assistance to use.
- Organise the items so they are easily accessible and visually appealing.
- Regularly observe which items are used and which are ignored.
- Rotate the available items frequently to maintain interest and novelty.
Common Mistakes
- Providing items that require constant adult supervision or assistance.
- Failing to rotate items, leading to boredom.
- Assuming a cluttered, messy room is an 'enriched' room.