Sensory rooms serve individuals with developmental disabilities, sensory impairments, and learning difficulties. The sensory room provides a safe environment that helps build confidence in individuals who are frequently overstimulated. In the process, they learn to engage with sensory stimuli at their own speed, and their caretaker or teacher can better understand what stimuli is soothing or overwhelming for them.

This type of resource can be used at home, in a public venue, at school, or in other events. The sensory room helps people with sensory processing disorders learn how to interact with the world around them. Professionals are increasingly finding a connection between brain activity and physical movements such as rocking, bouncing, and fidgeting--not only for individuals with impairments but for everyone.

A sensory room includes a number of stimulating tools for encouraging interaction. Popular items for sensory rooms are swings, balance tools, trampolines, crash mats, tunnels, and body socks. Rooms often include low tables with tactile media such as rice, beans, sand, water, and pasta. Vertical walls can also be used to create a climbing or drawing space with a rock wall or whiteboard.

Benefits of a Sensory Room

Sense Stimulation

Learning to engage the senses with tactile items can help individuals learn how to handle the amount of stimulation in the world. This heightens their brain and body connection. For example, a lego wall allows for fine motor skill coordination and the extra challenge of building out from the wall.

Spatial Orientation

Developing visual processing abilities alongside fine and gross motor skills helps individuals interact better in day-to-day living and tasks. Big swings, crash mats, and trampolines help people who enjoy big movements.

Emotional Connection

The safe space of a sensory room allows individuals with impairments to feel relaxed and safe, which promotes a space for happiness and emotional connection with others. With body sock options and tactile centers with beans, rice, and sand, individuals are able to relax and focus on small tasks and patterns.

Behavior Problem Solutions

Overactive and distressed individuals with impairments find sensory rooms to be absorbing and comforting, improving focus and preventing episodes of behavior issues.

Person-Focused

Sensory rooms accommodate the learning styles of individuals with impairments. Sensory rooms provide many different mechanisms and tools for learning that allow individuals to explore and improve their sensory processing over time.

Balance and Movement Improvement

Different stimuli in the sensory room provide an opportunity for individuals to work on their motor skills. This helps to improve their balance and ability to navigate the world.

Sensory rooms are a simple space created to help individuals with impairments unwind and explore all at the same time. Professionals recognize that sensory rooms are a low-risk way for individuals to discover the world in ways that make sense to them.

At StrongGo, we care about creating an accessible world for everyone. Our detectable warning tiles are one step in the right direction. Speak with an industry expert today at csd@stronggo.com to design dome tiles that fit your project.