OAKLAND, Neb. (AP) - Students at Oakland-Craig Public School with sensory impairments and other disabilities have been using the school’s new sensory room to relax.
Students on the Autism spectrum, as well as students with attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, have had access to the room for the past month.
The room is designed to give students who have difficulty performing in traditional education environments a sensory break in order to help them tune out sensory distractions while focusing in the classroom, the Fremont Tribune (https://bit.ly/2ngxSM2 ) reported.
“Our end goal is that they won’t need this room anymore and they can go and be in a classroom, and be independent and have those coping mechanisms in their own tool box that they can use to be successful,” Occupational therapist Ashley Johnson said.
The room includes different equipment tailored to different sensory systems, including a swing, trampoline, deep pressure squeezer and weighted blankets.
Johnson currently works with around 15 students in the room. Principal Jess Bland said Jonson observes and then talks to a student’s teacher, and then they develop a plan.
“We don’t want to try and meet sensory needs that they don’t need, we don’t want to overstimulate them or anything like that,” Bland said, noting the students may come in for only a couple of minutes when needed.
Bland said she’s already seeing a positive impact.
“We have definitely seen improved behaviors, again it has been a short amount of time, but we’ve seen improvements for sure,” she said.
The sensory equipment cost a total of $6,700. Oakland-Craig Public Schools paid $1,200 toward the project’s completion, and a Friends of Oakland Foundation grant paid for the rest.
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Information from: Fremont Tribune, https://www.fremontneb.com
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