Sensory Spaces

🤸🏼‍♀️What is a sensory room?🤸🏼‍♀️

- 🤸🏼‍♀️A sensory room typically refers to a space— large or small — where children with sensory sensitivities can find calm and comfort or added sensory input that is directly designed to fit their sensory needs whether they seek input or avoid it

- 🤸🏼‍♀️Sensory rooms can include things from fidgets to sensory swings and everything in between— ball pits, fiber optic lights, bubble tanks etc. The items in the room can be tailored to the individual child’s needs in a home setting, in a school setting they’re typically inclusive of both sensory seeking and sensory avoidant children.

- 🤸🏼‍♀️ Sensory room is a broad term used to describe a variety of therapeutic spaces used to help children with sensory sensitivities related to sensory processing disorder & autism have an environment where they can regulate emotions in a safe space, gain independence, and facilitate meaningful interactions with peers or caregivers. 🩶 Please see our Introduction to Autism post: https://m.facebook.com/groups/403585854124106/permalink/786265939189427/?mibextid=Nif5oz

✨Sensory Profile✨

- A “sensory profile” can be completed by your child’s therapists, typically by Occupational Therapists. It's used to help them understand how your child reacts to certain sensory stimuli that occurs in everyday life.

- The sensory profile will help you gain a better understanding of the way your child reacts to the environment around them. Then, changes can be implemented to help them adapt accordingly. It also helps you to find ways to accommodate their needs in troubling environments.

- You may be familiar with terms like “sensory sensitive”, “sensory avoidance”, or “sensory seeker” and these terms refer to sensory profiling.

- While there are a few different categories, children can have a mixture of different sensory needs— for example, a child may avoid loud noises but seek out visual sensory input.

- Low threshold, Hypersensitive, avoidant, and over responsive all refer to a child who typically have a lower threshold for sensory input. They would be hypersensitive to sensory stimuli, meaning it takes less input for them to be fulfilled & may be overstimulated easily. Often times this is referred to a “small sensory cup”, which refers to not having much room for sensory input. - High threshold/low registration, under responsive, hypo sensitive, or “bystander” refer to a child that has a high threshold for sensory input because they are hypo sensitive to it & it takes more input to register in their bodies. This would be considered a “big sensory cup” because they require more input to be regulated. Too little stimulation will result in dysregulation.

- High threshold/Sensory seeker/craver will refer to children with a large sensory cup & a high threshold, but this profile’s cup has a leak. This may look like a child who is insatiable, constantly on the move trying to fill their cup, but too much input will cause dysregulation too.

- You may be able to get an idea of your child’s sensory profile on your own, but it’s always helpful to consult your child’s therapists about having an official sensory profile evaluation so that their team can incorporate their sensory needs into therapy, which may make it a more enjoyable experience.

🤸🏼‍♀️Sensory Room Benefits 🤸🏼‍♀️

🤸🏼‍♀️ Sensory Regulation

🧠 Cognitive Development

👁️ Improved Focus

🎧 Sensory Development

👯‍♀️ Socialization

✋🏼 Fine/Gross Motor Development 🛝

Enhanced Learning through Play 🪴 Provides a safe space for recovering from meltdowns 🩶

Learning through play

- Sensory rooms should be designed with both fun and learning in mind, as they should seek to engage different areas of the brain that help the child absorb & retain more information. Sensory play allows children to stimulate their senses and encourages problem solving skills.

🤸🏼‍♀️Sensory Regulation

- Sensory regulation is a fundamental part of learning for children with sensory differences and developmental disabilities. Facilitating sensory regulation allows withdrawn children to feel safe enough to learn new information and interact with their environment while ensuring that overactive children can feel calm and comfortable in their environment.

- Sensory rooms in the home should be tailored to whether the child is hyper or hypo sensitive — hypo sensitive (needing a lot of input) children benefit from stimulating activities & “busier rooms” while hypersensitive (overstimulated by input) children will benefit from a more relaxed, calming space with less stimulation.

- It is important to note that some children have both hypo and hyperactive tendencies, and they may benefit from a variety of different stimuli in their environment.

👯‍♀️ Socialization

- While sensory rooms in the home are best to be tailored to the specific child, sensory rooms in a school, daycare, or indoor gym should be tailored to fit multifaceted needs of children with sensory differences.

- Sensory rooms in a public setting are great for promoting socialization between children who otherwise may shy away from social interaction.

- Some social skills that may be built on using a sensory room can include learning cause and effect by seeing how one’s actions can impact another, sharing, and recognizing social cues.

👁️ Improved Focus

- Sensory rooms are often designed for children to focus on one task at a time, which will help hypo sensitive children with high sensory needs slow down and take in one task at a time.

- Focus is often easily achieved in sensory rooms due to the way they are constructed as they often include stations — a swing, a slide, individual sensory tables etc.

🧠 Cognitive Development

- While the goal of a sensory room is not to require a child’s brain, they are designed to help aid in cognitive development in children who struggle to make connections. The environment in a sensory room is designed for optimal cognitive function.

- Sensory rooms will help soothe senses and reduce anxiety in situations that would typically result in a meltdown- for instance sharing a toy may be extremely difficult, but a sensory room is designed to give the child time & space to explore their emotions and process the experience they’re having.

✋🏼 Gross/Fine Motor Development

- A sensory room is a great way to encourage development in many areas, and motor skills are an area with heavy focus in a sensory room.

- Sensory bins and stations allow the child to have access to fine motor activities that will be engaging and fun, while the larger equipment like slides, climbers and swings encourage gross motor development. 🪴Provides a safe place for recovering from meltdowns

- Much like the benefits of sensory regulation, sensory rooms can provide a safe space for children with sensory differences to get their frustration out with calming activities.

- Sensory rooms can also provide comfort after a meltdown as the child recovers from the overwhelming emotions a meltdown can bring on.

- Sensory rooms typically offer low lighting & calming corners used to allow a child to work through meltdowns in a safe environment where they feel supported. 🩶

🤸🏼‍♀️Ways to cut costs in a sensory room

- Often times we think of a sensory room as a large space with many different sensory stimuli present, but most often these spaces are in a school, therapy center, or public indoor playground with a lot of space. In your own home, you can cut costs by focusing on your child’s individual needs.

- If you have a hypo sensitive child you may want to focus on things that will give them a lot of feedback, like a swing or crash pad. If you have a hypersensitive child who avoids stimulation you may want to focus on more of the soothing items such as bubble lamps.

- Speaking of bubble lamps, a great way to cut costs is opting for a smaller version of a larger component— most advertised bubble lamps are large costly ones that attach to a wall, but you can also find smaller more affordable desktop bubble lamps. This option won’t work for every component but it can be something to take into consideration.

- Another great way to cut costs is to go for second hand options. You can use the internet to search for sellers, go to a local second hand retailer, or use fb marketplace. This option will be trial and error, but it is definitely worth looking into if you’re looking for cost effective alternatives to create a sensory space.

🤸🏼‍♀️Space Saving Sensory Ideas

If you don’t have the space to dedicate an entire room to sensory needs, you can find many alternative options that will still allow your little one to have sensory tools at their disposal. - SENSORY WALL: dedicate a wall in the house to sensory needs, you can grab a bookshelf and fill it with sensory tools or find sensory items to hang on a wall. There are different textured items, fidgets, sensory bins, chew sticks, etc that will all benefit sensory differences while saving space within the home.

- SENSORY BINS: this option is great if you have some extra storage space, and it can also be a cost cutting option because many sensory bins can be made with dollar store items. Pinterest and google have a ton of sensory bin ideas, and Amazon has a ton of premade bins with lids. This option allows you to take out the bins when needed, but store them out of sight if space is limited.

- SENSORY CORNER: maybe you don’t have an entire room, but you do have a spot in the home where you can dedicate a bit of space, a sensory corner is a great way to allow your child a safe space to have their sensory needs met without utilizing an entire room. You can use a small tent, bean bag chair, crash pad, table, etc to fill a corner with sensory friendly activities.

- SENSORY TABLES: I’m sure we’ve all seen the ikea tables with two bins that can be covered or exposed, this is a great option to save space & rotate through homemade sensory bin ideas.

- SENSORY SWINGS: Sensory swings are a wonderful way to allow your child a regulation tool while also saving space. There are doorway options as well as ceiling options, and most come with removable hooks to hang the swing so you can store it away when it’s not in use or switch between different swings.

🤸🏼‍♀️The seven sensory systems to consider when designing a sensory room:

- 👁️ Visual: When thinking about visual stimulation in terms of sensory differences, there are some things to consider because some children will enjoy exciting bright lights while others will require minimal lighting. Keeping lighting low & wall colors on the darker side will allow for a calming space where you can add sensory lights that will contrast nicely with a dimly lit space. Sensory light projectors, LED strip lights, color changing bulbs, or bubble tanks are great options to look into when taking the visual system into account.

- 👄 Taste: In terms of taste we’re mostly going to look at our sensory bins and sensory tables, including safe to eat items can make it a safe space for a child with developmental differences to navigate without fear of consuming something they shouldn’t while keeping it a fun exciting space for sensory seekers who are looking for oral stimulation. You might also consider different chewies under this category; if you’re unfamiliar with chewies they are they are typically shaped for a full fist grasp and made up sturdy BPA free material to allow children with Pica or oral fixation the opportunity to get input in a safe way. The Z Vybe oral motor tool is also a great option in this category for the same reasons. ‼️‼️(If you are unfamiliar with Pica, it is a medical condition where somebody has the compulsion to mouth or eat non food items, and it’s typically diagnosed when a person is observed to swallow non food items such as wood, cat litter, paper, sand, dry wall, etc. If you are concerned about whether your child is exhibiting signs of Pica please consult their doctor)‼️‼️

- 👂🏼Auditory: Sensory rooms are often soundproof, though this can be costly to do to an in home sensory space, so considering where you’re putting the space will be important here. It should be a secluded space that can serve as a calming space for your child in times of need. You may also consider bubble tanks, water play, sound machines, or acoustic panels to help you achieve a quiet, calming area. Some great products to consider here would be the hatch sound machine, noise canceling headphones, a light projector with Bluetooth capabilities, Google Home, or Alexa.

- ✋🏼 Tactile: Incorporating touch is probably the easiest thing to include in a sensory room because it can range from finding different textured fabrics at your local craft store to attach to the wall to filling sensory bins and everything in between. Ball pits, textured floor mats, yoga balls, wiggle seats, weighted stuffed animals, fidgets, peanut ball, body socks and more would all be able to fall into this category and you’ll be able to find most of these things at reasonable prices.

- 👃🏻 Smell: Smell is often something that’s forgotten about in sensory areas, but there are scents like chamomile or lavender with calming properties and scents such as peppermint that are thought to have stimulating properties. Knowing your child’s specific sensory needs will help in finding the perfect scent for your space! ‼️‼️Important reminder that some aromatherapy products can be harmful to household plants. You should always do your research or consult your vet before bringing in a product that could potentially be harmful to your animals‼️‼️

- 🤸🏼‍♀️ Vestibular (movement): Vestibular input refers to the body’s relation to the position of the head in relation to gravity. Its receptors are located in the inner ear. The vestibular system is functionally linked to the visual & auditory (sight & sound) systems & can also provide the brain with information about where the body is in space or how fast/slow it is moving. If your child likes to be upside down, spinning, etc, they may be considered a “sensory seeker” where they require a lot of vestibular input. If your child has poor balance or gets dizzy easily, they may be considered “avoidant” where they don’t require much input. You may also find your child to be a mix of both. All of this information is important to consider when constructing a sensory room. Sensory seekers may enjoy sensory swings, slides, trampolines, etc, whereas avoidant kiddos may not require these types of input. You may find that a kiddo with mixed needs may benefit from a trampoline but not a swing.

- 💃🏼 Proprioception (body position): Proprioception relates to motor planning, body awareness, and gross motor skills, and it’s receptors are located in all of the body’s muscles, joints, and tendons. You may have heard the term “heavy work” in relation to proprioception because it can be calming / regulatory for the nervous system. Proprioception sensitivity is usually linked to both vestibular and tactile input, so considering your child’s needs in those areas will help when taking this system into consideration for a sensory room. Whether your child is under or over responsive to the proprioception system, they could benefit from a climber or heavy work activities in their sensory room. 🪴

Sensory Rooms and Meltdowns🪴

- Depending on your child’s sensory meltdowns, adding stimuli or pulling them away from stimuli may be needed to aide in avoiding and/or recovering from a meltdown.

- A sensory room can provide your child with the opportunity for redirection during a meltdown, or it can be a safe space to recover for them in a quiet area.

- Sensory feedback, such as soothing music, headphones, deep pressure, etc, can side in a child’s ability to recover from a meltdown while allowing them to feel comforted and safe.

- Adding some kind of sensory space to your home (whether an entire room or a corner) when you have a child with sensory differences will provide both you and your child with tools to navigate meltdowns a little easier.

📝Sensory Items📝

- Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of items that prove to be very helpful to children with sensory differences. Please remember that finding the right tools for your child specifically may be trial and error. Not every item will be beneficial for every child.

- Crash pad, sensory tent, bubble lamp, z vybe, chewies (chewlery), sound machine, mini trampoline, slide, sit n spin, bubble machine, wobble seat, weight blankets, weighted vests, weighted stuffed animals, noise canceling headphones, lava lamps, led strip lights, textured floor mats, obstacle course, foam couches (the nugget), yoga ball, peanut ball, spinners, visual timers, climber, ball pit, body sock, balance board, squigz, monkey noodles, textured balls, stress balls, dimpls, pop it’s, bean bag chair, compression sheets, pop tubes, sensory bins, magnetic blocks, busy board, sensory bottles, sensory slug, textured fabric wall, textured puzzle, marble race, balance stones, teeter popper, sensory swing, inflatable sensory pod, play dough, kinetic sand, scoop rocking chair, sensory lights, liquid floor tiles, textured discs, octagon tap lights, activity cube, pogo jumper, ring stackers, fine motor sorting toys, puzzles, weighted lap pads, balance logs, tunnels, rain stick rattles, sand timers, bubble timers, vibrating pillows, monkey spike roller, spinning stacker, therapressure brush, kick bands