Take a Break

Sensory rooms provide safe escape

Every so often, a child may need time to decompress and rest from sensory stimulation, also known as a sensory break. Cleveland Clinic states that “sensory play plays an important role in a child’s development from birth to early childhood.” Sensational Brain, which provides online resources and support for therapists, teachers and parents, offers guidelines for regular sensory breaks. A 10-minute sensory break is recommended every hour for kindergarten and firs grade students, every 1-1/2 hours for second- through fourth-graders, and every two hours for fifth graders and olde. One way to help provide sensory breaks is to have a designated sensory room.

According to National Autism Resources, sensory rooms “can promote self-organization, be a calming area, provide leisure, help with sensory integration or act as skill training centers. They also provide great inclusion spaces that all students can explore together.” A sensory space can be as big as a whole room or as small as a designated area within a room, just as long as it provides a safe and stress-free environment.

Creating a sensory room can be as simple or intricate as a parent or educator wishes, depending on their budget and the needs of the child. Items can highlight different senses using toys and interactive materials.

Fidget toys include the Tangle Therapy line from Tangle, which is specially designed for hand therapy to combat minor stress relief and building fine motor skills. Fidgety fingers c slow down with Boinks Fidgets, a marble encompassed by a tight tub of fabric, thus soothing anxiety and stress.

Crazy Aaron’s has a line of SCENTsory Putty. Made of non-toxic silicone, the moldable putty comes in a variety of scents, from Scoopberry (strawberry and vanilla) and Super Chill (sweet menthol) to Gumballer (bubble gum) and Gingersnapper (gingerbread).

Along with the five traditional sense of taste, touch, sound, sight and smell, sensory rooms incorporate vestibular (balance) and proprioceptive (orientation of the body in a space) senses. Several companies, including Primary Concepts, offer sensory discs covered or filled wit different materials that kids can observe and feel.

Possible furniture and décor include balancing furniture and weighted blankets. Brands such as Bouncyband and Kore Design provide balance discs, balance balls and sensory cushions for kids to sit on. Bouncyband also manufactures a Sensory Dark Den, providing a safe, secluded space within a classroom or home.

Training staff to manage a sensory room is essential to its success. According to National Autism Resources, personnel should be trained how to use the room and the equipment inside. “One of the most common mistakes is to go into a sensory room and turn on every piece of equipment,” it says on its website. “This can be very over stimulating for some. If used incorrectly, students can exhibit self-injurious or aggressive behavior. Remember the equipment is only as good as the person using it.”

Individuals who may benefit fro using sensory rooms are autistic students, those with vision or language difficulties learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, have experienced trauma and any student who needs a safe, quiet room to calm themselves. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in 44 children have been identified with autism spectru disorder as of 2018. The CDC also found in a study from 2009-2017 that one in six children ages 3-17 were diagnosed with a developmental disability – including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivit