Create a multi-sensory environment that reduces anxiety and helps with self-regulation when overstimulated.
It is important to understand that the processing of sensory information differs amongst all individuals. This is especially true for children with exceptionalities. Imagine noticing all of the things going on around you at the same time: how your clothes feel against your body, the way the lights are hitting your eyes, all of the conversations happening in your vicinity, the smell of lunches, how your snack tastes and feels as it swooshes inside of your mouth. It can get pretty distracting.
Now, imagine that on top of this, you’re having to pay attention to your teacher while also completing a task. This can become frustrating, especially if your student is nonverbal. With no way to communicate or appropriately filter out what sensory information is not needed in this exact moment, focusing on one task becomes near impossible. It causes an overload of stimulation, which can lead to anxiety, stress, frustration, etc. Emotions which often reveal themselves as unwelcome behaviours.
It causes an overload of stimulation, which can lead to anxiety, stress, frustration, etc.
Instead of trying to correct such behaviours with punishments, we can help our students by reducing some of the unnecessary sensory “noise”. By creating a multi-sensory space or room, we’re allowing our students to self-regulate by choosing which sensations they would like to, or need to, experience right now.
These spaces are often filled with a variety of items that cover all five of our senses and include categories such as visual, auditory, tactile and soft play, proprioceptive, and vestibular. Having a wide range of stimulating and calming items helps cover the needs of multiple individuals. It also helps one student manage multiple stimulation needs in a day.
By creating a multi-sensory space or room, we’re allowing our students to self-regulate by choosing which sensations they would like to, or need to, experience right now.
By entering the multi-sensory room, your student is given the opportunity to focus on one – or many – items with their own personalized sensory input. Spending unprompted child-directed time in a sensory room allows your student to reach a calm state. Once your student has reset and reached a sense of calmness, they will be more able to focus and absorb lessons within the classroom.
For help picking items for your multi-sensory room, click here.
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