A Sensory Room...
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By the term "sensory room", we are talking about a specific room, with specific sensory equipment and activities, to benefit specific sensory processing difficulties.
The room must be tailored to one's specific sensory needs just the same as, for example, you purchase a mattress and/or pillow. Some people will prefer a firm mattress and firm pillow, some prefer a soft mattress and soft pillow, and some prefer a combination, soft mattress with a hard pillow or vice versa.
Although a sensory room will be tailored to address an individual's unique needs, (and ideally would be set up with input from a knowledgeable professional such as an occupational therapist) there is also certain equipment which can have therapeutic sensory system effects on most anyone.
The reason for this is because it will become therapeutic depending on how, when, and why the equipment or activities are used. The professional guidance needs to come in regards to how, when, and why... it can then benefit anyone on opposite ends of the sensory processing continuum.
This article will tell you about equipment and activities that can be used for both hypo- and hyper- sensitivity, as well as specific suggestions for one end of the spectrum or the other.
(Yes, I admit, this is tricky... often children don't neatly fall on one end or another, but fluctuate back and forth. Exactly! This is precisely the reason an OT can help you set up a room specific to you or your child's needs.)
Remember, the point of a sensory room is to calm or stimulate an individual through each of the senses. Also keep in mind, when we are talking about sensory processing, we like to refer to the 7 or 8 senses instead of the usual 5, so be sure to include them all in your sensory room!
Click Here For Everything You Need To Build Your Own SPD Room
Sheffield Children's Hospital Ryegate Sensory Room
Vestibular Input
I will start with one of the most common items you should include in a sensory room... a swing that moves in one plane
Unfortunately, these are expensive. The cost is much more "justifiable" and achievable in a clinic or rehab facility. If you can afford one, fantastic! It will be money well spent. It would definitely be the ONE piece of equipment you would want.
If you are setting up a sensory room in your own home,
and are looking for a cheaper alternative, hammocks,
hammock chairs
Other vestibular activities include regular
swings,
slides,
balance boards and
discs, tubes to roll in,
rocking
horses or
bouncing
horses, and/or
zip lines.
Click Here For Some Great Vestibular Input Solutions
Visual Input And Lighting
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Additional visual accommodations and equipment can
include:
play tents/huts, lava lamps, bubble
columns
Click Here For More Visual Input and Lighting Solutions
Smell (Olfactory)
As discussed in my aromatherapy machines article, aromatherapy is quite beneficial to children with sensory processing disorders. For this reason, you will want to include some variety of particular aromas which can be used via different mediums in your sensory room.
The various "mediums" can include scented oils,
scented candles
Remember, the particular scents you use will vary with
the effects you are trying to achieve. For example, great calming
scents include (among many others!); vanilla, lavender, peppermint, or
jasmine. Stimulating scents include (among others); cinnamon, strong sweet
or sour smells, floral scents, or spices.
Click here for some great aromatherapy products
Taste (Oral / Oral-Motor)
Supervised licking, sucking, tasting, or chewing a variety of foods, liquids, gum, or candy is a great activity to include in your sensory room.
For hyposensitive individuals include sweet, salty, spicy, and/or sour flavors. For hypersensitive individuals, just one new taste or texture at a time!
Meet them at their level! Do not force them to eat anything they are extremely anxious about. If you must, due to extreme sensitivities, give them many opportunities to explore the food through their other senses - i.e., sight, smell, feel etc. - before introducing it orally.
Also beneficial to both hyper- and hypo- sensitive
individuals are oral massagers; to be used prior to eating and/or
trying new foods and textures. Use the oral massagers to stimulate mouth,
cheeks, tongue, palate, and lips to decrease hypersensitivities or
increase input they are craving.
Click here for a variety of oral motor products
Oral Sensitivities - A great resource for the signs of oral sensitivities - hypersensitive or hyposensitive - as it relates to Sensory Processing Disorders, as well as great treatment ideas!
Oral Defensiveness - Want to know how to help your child with oral defensiveness tolerate dentist visits better? Then you don't want to miss these specific techniques!
Proprioception
Sensory rooms beg for good proprioceptive input! Click here for an in depth understanding of proprioception) Anything which will allow the individual to be "squished" or "hugged" will give the deep pressure input their bodies crave.
You can use
therapy balls
You will also want your sensory room to provide
opportunities for activities which give muscles and joints significant use
and pressure. Some great ideas are:
scooter boards
Click here for some great proprioceptive activities and games
Click here for deep pressure input products (i.e., bean bag chairs)
Heavy Work Activities - an extensive list of heavy work activities and proprioceptive input (gross motor, fine motor, oral motor, etc.) which are useful in calming unfocused, overaroused children.
Tactile / Touch / Feel
Tactile experiences will be the easiest to supply in your sensory room, after all, everything has it's own texture and feel. However, popular tactile input activities will include: playdoh, funny foam, "gak", "glop" (see playdoh recipes) , zyrofoam, textured balls, tactile walls, boards and books, and/or textured puzzles, sensory brushing with surgical brush (using Wilbarger brushing protocol), coloring over textured materials, fingerpaints (regular, or using pudding and/or Kool Aid mix, etc.), koosh balls, using various materials (i.e., satin, carpet swatches, silk, lambswool, washcloths, cotton balls, etc.), and don't forget massagers and vibrating kids toys.
Click here for tactile toys and products
Auditory
Lastly, we must not forget the soothing sounds! They come in all types
of mediums; sound pillows, sound eye masks, CD's, tapes, nature sound
machines, white noise machines, indoor wind chimes, etc. Nature sounds,
white noise, classical music, or new age music are the most popular
choices for calming, organizing input.
Click here for auditory input products and ideas
Also, know that new sensory experiences are encouraged and necessary to test out
and provide for your child. You truly may not know how a particular
sensory experience will effect your child until you try it.
The bottom line is this... a sensory room based around an individual's
sensory needs can be one of the most valuable therapeutic tools possible.
General Suggestions
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Be sure to include as many sensory experiences and "stations" as possible.
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Work on 1-2 senses at a time; for example, soothing music while feeling different textures, or deep pressure input while using light/visual therapy and stimuli.
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Use the room as "therapy", i.e. 5-7 days a week, 1-2 times per day, depending on the individual's needs.
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Encourage all senses to be explored and used.
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Pay attention to your child's reaction to various stimuli. Give him more of what he is seeking, the best input to calm or stimulate.
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DO NOT force anything.
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Be creative in activities and ways in which the sensory stimuli is introduced.
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Watch for signs of over stimulation/over arousal/extreme fears.
And, above all... have fun! This should be a pleasurable, calming,
organizing, exploratory experience!
I have tried to find the least expensive products for you, but know that
if you CAN afford it, there are companies that have very specific
equipment, individuals who will design and set up a room for you, and some
incredible products! If cost is not an issue, this will be best.
However, if cost IS an issue, building a sensory room is still extremely
feasible, even within a budget, by using some creativity.
This is why I have provided resources for you within this site, as well as
on my partner store site for you (see link below) to use for a fraction of
the cost of your typical sensory integration catalog equipment!
Couldn't we all use our own sensory room?
Click Here For MORE Sensory Equipment And Ideas For Your Sensory Room
Click Here For More Sensory Integration Products!
Do you have your own sensory room at home? Tell us about it! How did you set it up... what kind of products did you use etc. Share it the readers of Sensory-Processing-Disorder.com
What Other Visitors Have Said
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Sensory Room Consultant
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Hi-- I am looking for an SPD OT, and an SPD OT who can help us design a sensory room. We are in the Westchester area of NY.
Thank you in advance for ...
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