Meeting needs. . .

Students come to school with a variety of academic, social, and emotional needs. Some of our students have mental health impairments or disabilities that impede their learning and the learning of their classmates. We recognized that we needed something different that would help these students refocus and self-regulate in a safe, fun environment while connecting with an adult. When we researched sensory rooms, we knew that implementing one in our building would be an effective tool to help students who needed a different approach.

Seeing Results. . .

We recently conducted a survey, asking faculty and staff for their opinions regarding student outcomes since implementation of the sensory room. We had 43 respondents.

• 30% of the respondents have received training to guide students in the sensory room

• 79% of the respondents work directly with students who experience the sensory room regularly

• Of these responses, 36 have a favorable opinion (rated 3 or better on a 5 point scale) of the sensory room. 

• 40% of the respondents have seen noticeable improvements in student’s social behaviors and 46% have noticed improvements in attention and focus in class. 24% have observed improvements in academic performance.

• The responses that were less favorable rated a 1 or 2 on their opinion of the sensory room overall, had two common factors: The staff members had not received training and no noticeable improvements had been noticed by the staff member for the students they work with who go to the sensory room.

Teacher Testimonials . . .

"STUDENT has had a positive experience going to the sensory room. He goes there every morning for about 30 minutes and when he returns he usually sits right down and begins to work. He is constantly moving in my room and the sensory room helps him to be able to relieve some of his energy. He has another break in the afternoon at 12:30 and again, when he returns he is ready to get back to work. I really think that it is benefiting him in so many ways! It has also encouraged me as a teacher to have more sensory objects in my room for my students to use. My students have exercise balls, wiggle seats, and bouncy bands to use while they are sitting at their seats. Also, I brought in a mermaid pillow to help STUDENT calm down when he is in need of a break in my room."

"One of my students, who attends sensory room, comes back focused because he is able to release his frustrations of the morning and move around without getting in trouble. It has been a huge blessing for him because he used to constantly be out of his seat roaming around because he was frustrated and didn’t want to keep working. He no longer gets in trouble for that, because he knows he has a break coming during the day, and knows when he is allowed to move around to relieve that frustration."

"The sensory room has been extremely beneficial for STUDENT. When he began he was nervous about walking with his walker because he didn’t know where his body was in space. He would only interact with various textures for a maximum of 58 seconds. Our first few trips he had to hold on to someone to bounce on the ball, was scared of the trampoline and crash pad and wanted nothing to do with texture. (Took 2 adults to get him from station to station) Now, he can sit with minimal support on the ball and bounce himself, small bounces, independently. He independently sits on the trampoline and crash pad. He even felt the carpet around the crash pad before he relaxed! He now tolerates various textures and held onto nylon scarves for a little over 5 minutes. He even walks, with support, to each station (only 1 adult needed now)!"