DISCOVERY SCHOOL SENSORY ROOM
FOR CHILDREN 3-7 YEARS OLD
DIAGRAM:
CENTER #1: TACTILE/OLFACTORY
Center number one is a table with two chairs at which students can play with
scented, tactile doughs like playdough, floam, sand dough scented with vanilla or
lavender (for calm), or cinnamon and spice (for stimulation) depending on their
needs. This will help students with OHI who struggle with physical disabilities
involving fine motor skills. It can help students with ASD calm and help with
sensory integration issues by accustoming them to tactile feedback (le Roux, 2009). Focusing on a smell
at the same time will also aid the sensory integration process. Students with EBD can take their
frustrations out on the dough. Students with OHI, EBD, and ID can benefit from the calming effects of
aromatherapy at the same time. Students with ID or Learning Disabilities can benefit from bilateral
coordination activities done with dough like rolling snakes, making balls, and pounding with both hands
(le Roux, 2009). Students with ADHD can release pent up tension from trying to focus in the classroom.
At the same time, their focus can be stimulated with the appropriate aroma-therapy or their stress
calmed with different scents depending on their needs on any given day.
CENTER #2: VISUAL/PROPRIOCEPTION
Center number two features a sensory LED color-changing bubble wall. Students sit in bean bag chairs
under weighted blankets or
wearing weighted vests while
they watch the lights and
bubbles. Again, watching the
bubbles and lights will have a
calming, stress-reducing effect
for students with EBD and ASD.
The focus on the visual will aid
students with ASD in the
sensory integration process.
The pressure on the body created by the weighted blanket or
vest in combination with being snuggled in a bean bag will put
the body’s proprioception system to work, helping children with ADHD focus, and soothing children with
ASD while making yet another contribution to sensory integration.
CENTER #3: VISUAL/PROPRIOCEPTION
In center number three, activities focus on a different aspect of proprioception, joint
stimulation. They can jump on the trampoline and the jumpoline
(smaller children only) while watching images
projected on the wall (moving shapes and lines
OR things jumping- dolphins, orcas, monkeys,
balls, etc…). Jumping while holding on can help
students with visual impairments get exercise, since
those students, “as would be expected, have low levels of
physical activity” (Houwen, et al. as referenced in Smith, et
al., 2016, pp. 272-273). Jumping will serve as an outlet of
energy for students with ADHD, an emotional outlet for students with EBD,
improve core strength in students with Cerebral Palsy (if their case presents in a
way that allows them to jump at all—ability of students with physical disabilities
to participate in this center should be determined on a case by case basis) and improve gross motor
skills in students with developmental disorders. The joint stimulation will increase sensory integration
for children with ASD. The moods of all students should be boosted by the endorphins released by the
exercise.
The connection between the images of moving objects and personal, physical movement should make
connections in the brain, making this center beneficial for students with ID, Learning Disabilities, and
ASD. The calming effect of the projections will soothe students with EBD and ASD, and of course the
visual stimuli also contribute to sensory integration and improved sensory processing.
CENTER #4: AUDITORY/VESTIBULAR
In Center number four, students swing while listening to music or nature
sounds of their choice (rain, night noises, Classical music, New Age music).
The music may be listened to through headphones or piped through the
whole room.
Swinging is particularly helpful for children who have sensory processing or
sensory issues, namely those with ASD, ADHD, and Cerebral Palsy. For
students with Cerebral Palsy, the swing can help improve core strength (as they stabilize themselves
while sitting on the platform), as well as help them improve their balance. Swings can help students
with ADHD improve their focus by increasing blood flow to the brain. Swinging helps students with ASD
to integrate the input from all their senses into a cohesive whole. Students with any of these tend to
find the swing soothing, and this aspect of the swing may make it helpful for students with EBD and ID
as well.
The impact of music on the human mind is incredible. “Each hemisphere or the brain contains areas
that respond to music” (Sousa, 2011, p. 226). Thus, music improves connectivity between the parts of
the brain. Music “can directly influence blood pressure, pulse, and the electric activity of muscles”
(p.227). In other words, music has been scientifically proven to be soothing. It also helps “relieve stress,
diminish pain, and treat other more severe disabilities, such as mental retardation and Alzheimers (p.
227)”. The impact of music for students with ID and Alzheimers is that it aids with memory by acting as a
trigger and by connecting the hemispheres of the brain. Thus ID students will gain more than just the
calming/stress-relieving effects of the music, which are the major benefit for students with EBD and
ASD. In addition to helping them calm, classical music in particular might help ADHD students focus.
CENTER #5: VESTIBULAR/TACTILE
Center five is filled with various balance activities— a row of faux stepping stones,
a large exercise ball, balance boards of different difficulty
levels, and a balance beam. This center works on improving
balance. “Findings suggest that healthy vestibular function is
important in meeting the demands of schoolwork and other
life tasks and that it is vital to assess
vestibular functions in children because
of the incidence of problems in this sensory system among
children who are struggling in various aspects of childhood
occupations” (Ayres, 2005). This connection indicates that
improving vestibular function through balance practice will
be helpful to students with ID and Learning Disabilities. The cross-body
connections involved should help students with ADHD, as will the physical exertion. The physical
exertion will help students with EBD by venting frustration through physical exertion and the release
of endorphins. Students with ASD will benefit from the nerve messages to their joints. As in
Center #3, students with physical disabilities may benefit from this center as it works on core
strength, but their ability to attempt this should be determined on a case by case basis.
The two walls bordering the center are tactile. Students may balance near the wall and touch
the various panels as they go along. This tactile experience will again improve sensory
integration, particularly as the student’s nerves and brains process the change of textures
beneath their fingertips. The addition of this component will make using hands to balance
seem like less of a failure to students with EBD or students with Cerebral Palsy or OHI that
might make balance activities particularly difficult.
CENTER #6: ORAL MOTOR/GUSTATORY or VESTIBULAR or PROPRIOCEPTION or
TACTILE or VISUAL
In center six students will blow bubbles. The beauty of this center is its versatility and ability to
meet the needs of so many students. Depending on their needs, they can do this with flavored
bubbles (Candylicious, Bubblelick, Lick-a-Bubble) for a gustatory experience, blow bubbles while
sitting on a balance ball for a vestibular experience, run, jump, and pop the
bubbles for proprioception and gross motor skills, sit in a massage chair
while blowing for a whole-body tactile experience, or try to track the
bubbles visually as they blow out the window for a visual experience. The
oral motor skill movements make this center helpful for students with
speech disorders. Students with mild visual impairments can benefit from
tracking the bubbles with their eyes. Students with ASD could benefit from
many of the options, though I would recommend the gustatory, tactile, or
visual versions since the lack of structure involved in chasing bubbles would likely be disturbing
to them. Students with ADHD would benefit from the vestibular, proprioception, tactile, or
visual combinations. The first two would help them channel their physical energy productively,
the last two help them focus. Students with physical disabilities or OHI could benefit from all
options. Popping bubbles could be adapted to use only hand movements if
necessary. Students with EBD could be soothed, entertained/cheered up, or
release anger by running around, as the situation merited. By offering a
gustatory option, this center would also add the last sense for a complete
sensory integration experience for students with ASD.
Here are some video links that highlight the many advantages of bubbles:
Bubbles in Vision Therapy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu90pjIbvqY
Pediatric Speech Therapy Using Bubbles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUPyU53n700&t=123s
https://journalofmissh.com/2
017/09/11/bubbles-ofmindfulness-%E0%A5%90/
SOURCES
Grabherr, Luzia & Macauda, Gianluca & Lenggenhager, Bigna. (2015). The Moving History of
Vestibular Stimulation as a Therapeutic Intervention. Multisensory research.
10.1163/22134808-00002495.
Kiley, Christie. 2012. 11 Benefits of Playing with Bubbles. Mama OT. Retrieved from
http://mamaot.com/11-benefits-of-playing-with-bubbles/
Le Roux, Tracey. 2009. Fun Playdough Activities. OT Mom Learning Activities. Retrieved from
https://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/playdough-activities.html
A Sensory Room. Retrieved March 31, 2018 from https://www.sensory-processingdisorder.com/sensory-room.html
Smith, et al. 2016. Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings. Boston, MA:
Pearson.
Sousa, David. 2011. How the Brain Learns. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.