Mental Health Awareness Month: The Architecture of Dysregulation: Addressing Design Ambiguity to Improve Neuroinclusion

AIA NJ WIA FREE WEBINAR

Kick off with Mental Health Awareness Month with our Guest Speaker: Dr. Kati Peditto

The Architecture of Dysregulation: Addressing Design Ambiguity to Improve Neuroinclusion

WHEN: Friday, May 1, 2026, 12-1pm
WHERE: Zoom

SUMMARY: 
Designers of the built environment often rely on intuitive design, yet cognitive and sensory processing is not universal, and design strategies may not be intuitive to all. This session explores the intersection of cognitive accessibility and mental health, moving beyond basic compliance to understand how design choices impact human stress and agency. By analyzing the relationship between design ambiguities and cumulative stress, participants will learn to identify environmental stressors that lead to dysregulation and exclusion for neurodivergent individuals. Through real-world case studies and evidence-based strategies, attendees will discover how to design for sensory wellness, predictability, and social balance to support diverse mental health needs.

AIA Learning Objectives (1LU HSW pending)
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify how environmental design ambiguities contribute to cumulative stress and social exclusion for occupants with diverse cognitive profiles.
2. Evaluate why seemingly intuitive design features, such as navigation and social proxemics, are not universal and can unintentionally create barriers to access.
3. Discuss multi-sensory design interventions, including visual barriers and positive distractions, to help users regulate their own sensory and cognitive loads.
4. Integrateprinciples of predictability and flexibility to improve health and welfare outcomes, allowing diverse users to engage with their surroundings.

To kick off Mental Health Awareness Month we are honored to have Dr. Kati Peditto, a nationally and internationally known speaker, who is an expert on utilizing behavioral science to create environments that actually work for all kinds of minds. Kati is a professional keynote speaker specializing in topics on neurodiversity, mental health, design, research, and psychology.  With a PhD in Human Behavior and Design from Cornell University, Kati moves beyond the “awareness” phase of neurodiversity to offer rigorous, evidence-based solutions. She combines academic authority with active industry practice.

But Kati also brings something you can’t learn in a school: lived experience. As a woman with autism and ADHD, Kati knows what it feels like to navigate a world that wasn’t built for her brain. She uses that expertise to help organizations stop designing against the grain of human biology and start building for reality. Dr. Peditto’s work has been featured in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, the BBC, and Financial Review. Learn more here: About Dr. Peditto.

• This event is being offered by the American Institute of Architects Women in Architecture Committee, and will be hosted by Erin Sharp-Newton, M. Arch, Assoc. AIA (WIA Chair).
• Mental Health Awareness Month is observed with media, local events, and film screenings. It began in the United States in 1949 and was started by Mental Health America.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Kati Peditto is a design researcher and speaker specializing in neuroinclusive design. With a PhD in Human Behavior and Design from Cornell University, she translates evidence into practical strategies for designers, HR professionals, and clinicians to create spaces that support neurodivergent individuals. Drawing from her own experiences as an autistic woman with ADHD, she is widely recognized for her expertise in design for mental health and neurodivergence, including features in the BBC, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. Her work ensures that when evidence and lived experience lead together, environments fulfill their purpose: to support people in becoming more fully themselves. Her work spans education, healthcare, and justice, with a focus on dignity, access, and belonging.