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Investigating how multisensory feedback influences emotional responses in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. 
By: Panisara Na Nakorn

Introduction

Approximately 1 in 31 children are affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social communication, behavior, and sensory processing, which can influence emotional regulation, attention, engagement, and participation in everyday activities. Existing communication assistive technologies, including Turnlea deploys multisensory feedback to increase engagement levels. Due to the differences in stimuli processing shown within neurotypical and autistic children, this review investigates how LED-based multisensory feedback, particularly colour and lighting stimuli, may influence emotional regulation and engagement in children with ASD. Multisensory systems that include auditory, visual, and interactive input have become increasingly deployed for aiding children with autism as assistive technologies for educational and therapeutic contexts. Since LED-based visual feedback is highly customisable through colour and brightness. However, there is little information about how particular lighting features impact emotional regulation in children with ASD, even though LEDs are widely used in sensory rooms, therapeutic gadgets, and interactive learning tools. The essential concept for a multisensory system is not just "more stimulation," but stimulation that can be customised, managed, and utilised to aid in regulation.

Background and Literature Review

Sensory processing in ASD

One of the main characteristics of children with ASD is sensory processing, and research suggests that more than 90% of autistic individuals experience various responses to sensory stimuli, including hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity. 

A study investigated the effects of multisensory environments on 41 autistic children aged between 4 and 12 years. It compared responses from two conditions; the Active-Change condition where children controlled sensory changes themselves, and the Passive-Change condition where sensory changes automatically every three seconds. The findings showed that giving children control significantly improved attention and reduced repetitive and sensory behaviors. These results suggest that successful sensory interventions possibly depend less on minimizing stimulation and more on allowing users to control how sensory information is presented. 

Colour, Lighting and Emotional Responses

Several studies show that colour and lighting can influence behaviour, attention, and emotional responses in autistic children. A study examining the effects of light colour on 13 autistic children aged 5–11 years compared six colours: blue, green, pink, yellow, red, and white. Behavioural responses including eye contact, task participation, and repetitive behaviours were measured for each colour. 

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The findings showed that: 

  • yellow lighting produced the highest level of playfulness at 84.6% and the highest level of eye contact at 7.7%. 

  • white lighting produced the highest rate of task refusal at 38.5%. 

  • Red and yellow lighting were associated with greater repetitive body movement

  • Red lighting was associated with higher levels of repetitive speech.

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Another study investigating the effects of lighting and colour within built environments for autistic children with 87 participants. 

  • neutral and softer colour palettes were generally perceived as calming 

  • highly saturated colours and intense lighting were associated with increased stimulation

  • excessive lighting intensity could contribute to behavioural difficulties among children who were particularly sensitive to visual stimuli

LED-Based Multisensory Systems

Currently, there are relatively few studies focused specifically on LED-based emotional regulation systems, the closest comes from multisensory room studies using colored lighting. The room included colored LED room lights, a bubble tube, fibre optics, a touch/sound/light board, and a mirror ball, where participants could choose their own colour of LED. The results found fewer repetitive motor behaviors, sensory behaviors, lower activity level, vocalizations, and better attention when children controlled the sensory changes. 

Emerging proposed technologies such as wearable colour-changing devices that communicate emotional states through visual cues, support the potential of adaptive visual feedback.

Possible Design Implications for Turnlea

Conclusion

Across all the studies shown, there is a consistent pattern in improving the outcomes of visual sensory interventions, results prove that different stimuli like light and colour does affect the feedback and emotional regulation of children with ASD. 

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From one study, yellow appeared to support more positive engagement, while white, red, and blue produced different combinations of task refusal, repetitive movement, and repetitive speech. However, the amount of evidence is still too limited to fully prove that there is a definitive brightness or colour that we can pick and choose from for the best outcomes. 

References
 

Unwin, K. L., Powell, G., & Jones, C. R. G. The use of Multi-Sensory Environments with autistic children: Exploring the effect of having control of sensory changes.

Leonardi, S., et al. The use of multisensory environments in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.

The impacts of light color on autistic children.

A case study on the effect of light and colors in the built environment on autistic children’s behavior.

Systematic Review of Group-Based Emotion Regulation Interventions for Autistic Children’s Socio-Emotional Competence.

A systematic review of emotion regulation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Developing the emotion regulation skills of autistic pupils in schools: a systematic review.

Envisioning Wearable Color-Changing Device to Facilitate Emotion Recognition and Communication in Children with ASD.

An IoT-Based Framework for Automated Assessing and Monitoring Light Sensitivities in Children with ASD.

Emotion Regulation: Concepts & Practice in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

ISDN2001/2002: Second Year Design Project

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