Sensory Rooms: Using sensory rooms to help children with special needs (Part 1 of 2)

Credit:  David Gwynn on stock.chng

What are sensory rooms?

Sensory rooms are propping up in all kinds of places. These rooms are designed to "both calm and stimulate the senses" in children with special needs. Occupational Therapist, Carol Cantu says that sensory rooms have three main purposes: "to provide relaxation and enjoyment by eliminating distraction, to increase creative sensory input and to facilitate communication and mobility for children with a wide range of disabilities."  

The idea of using multi-sensory rooms to help people with disabilities started in the late 1970s. At that time, two Dutch scientists set up a sensory tent for children with intellectual disabilities. Using the sensory tents was beneficial and a formalized therapy called SNOEZELEN® developed. "SNOEZELEN® has grown into a worldwide movement in over 30 countries with thousands of installations,” according to its website.

Places using sensory rooms

Sensory Room by TFH

Many people have heard about schools setting up sensory rooms where children with special needs, including autism or sensory processing disorder, can take a break. Now, sensory rooms are being set up for therapy, at camps and even at the dentist's office.

An elementary school in Vancouver, Washington runs a sensory camp for children with autism and other disorders. The camp includes a "low stim" room where campers can take a break and calm down. Parents' fundraising efforts allowed the camp to stay open.  

A physical therapist in Massachusetts uses a multi-sensory room for therapy.  The room is designed to remove distractions and uses "special lighting, fiber optics and bubbles to stimulate different parts of the brain" and help children focus.

Effectiveness of sensory rooms

Credit:  Jeff Kubina on Flickr

Medical research on the effectiveness of sensory rooms on children with special needs appears limited to small-scale trials. These trials however, found sensory rooms beneficial for children with autism. Additionally, sensory therapy is generally accepted as beneficial for children with sensory issues.  See Autism: Home Sensory Exercises Improve Autism Symptoms for information on a study done at Temple University.

Researchers in California are investigating the benefits of SNOEZELEN®. SNOEZELEN® incorporates "soft lighting, gentle music, enticing smells, cosy fabrics and visual displays such as moving pictures on the ceiling and transparent tubes filled with bubbles that children can touch," according to JewishJournal.com.  Researchers are examining whether this multisensory therapy can make visits to the dentist easier for children with autism.  Researchers hope that favourable results will lead to the adoption of this practice by other dentists.

If you think your child would benefit from a multi-sensory room at home, I will be giving you tips on setting up your own sensory room in an upcoming post.  Use the buttons on the left to subscribe to this blog and receive upcoming posts automatically.

©Mary M Conneely T/A Advocacy in Action