Resources

Sensory rooms provide stimulation and relaxation

by Erin Bock, Donor Relations Coordinator

Imagine these three scenarios: you climb into bed with the warm fluffiness of a down comforter around you; or you settle into a comfy chair where you listen to the crackling of a fire in a fireplace nearby; or you smell the baking of brownies in an oven.

What happens when you hear, smell, or feel these things? Often your mind clears, your muscles relax, and your anxieties melt away.

In contrast to that, however, many people that Mosaic supports can sometimes experience extreme discomfort from sights, sounds, aromas or touch that may be considered pleasant to most people. A scent or sound will be offensive when a person has a sensory processing disorder because his or her body handles this stimulation in a different manner. These disorders can lead to maladaptive behaviors and limit a person's independence, preventing that person from gaining positive skills needed to reach their full potential.

Several Mosaic locations are using innovative "sensory rooms" to treat sensory processing disorders. The regular use of a sensory room can help people learn to process incoming stimuli and to relax from stimuli-rich environments like the work place or the classroom. Sensory rooms use lighting effects, bubble lamps, spotlights, mats, pillows, beanbags, smells from fans and oils, and sounds of music or nature in a controlled environment where the various stimuli can be manipulated and intensified. The results can be dramatic.

Take Tom, for instance. Each day, Tom works at his job folding and stuffing bulletins for local churches in Denison, Iowa. Sometimes his work environment can turn overwhelming with the activities taking place at the workshop. After spending a few moments in a sensory room, where Tom is soothed by the rocking motion of the swing and the murmur of quiet music, he feels refreshed and is able to return to his job.

Elaine is another success story. When there are too many people around her talking and making noise, Elaine gets overwhelmed and begins to hurt herself. Through use of the
sensory room at the day services in Grand Junction, Col., Elaine has stopped hurting herself. She is calmed by the comforting lighting and the soothing sounds of the waterfall in
the room and asks to be let into the sensory room before her surroundings become too overpowering.

Often the value of a sensory room may not be as dramatic as it is for Tom or Elaine, but it is still effective for someone's comfort. Elizabeth is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair. She is positioned next to a light that switches on and off and changes brightness. The special education teacher who works with Elizabeth at Mosaic at Bethphage Village in Axtell, Neb., immediately notices a change.

"I can tell in Elizabeth's eyes … they brighten up each time she spends time in the sensory room," says Kathy Maxon.