Safe and Sound: Soundscape research in special needs care

During the past four years we conducted research on the role of the auditory environment in special needs care. People with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities are characterized by a high degree of vulnerability and lack of autonomy, making them dependent on others for the gratification of their daily needs. Despite their limited cognitive capacities and high prevalence of visual impairments (making them depend relatively more on sounds to make sense of their surroundings), research on the role of sound for this group is limited. We constructed a theoretical framework based on soundscape and emotion research. This framework was tested with a focus group and three observational studies. For the observational studies we developed a smartphone-based in situ experience sampling method called MoSART. Furthermore, we used ambisonic techniques to study the effects of natural versus non-natural soundscapes. We demonstrated that the quality of the auditory environment is related to moods and (problem) behavior. We hypothesize that audible safety, as estimated by subconscious processes, plays an important role in the quality of auditory environments. Our main recommendation is to increase awareness throughout the entire organization on the role of sound for people with profound intellectual (and multiple) disabilities.