The Value of Sensory Rooms

Working with impoverished communities on Koh Dach, Inclusive Cambodia has seen first-hand the lack of available health care services for disabled children. Without access to appropriate and affordable education, healthcare, employment, rehabilitation and disability services, coupled with increased costs of living and the caregiver burden, families with disabled members are incredibly vulnerable to poverty. Furthermore, disabled people face discrimination and social stigma that isolates them from their community and family, leaving them to grow up outside of their communities and families in institutions. Without an education or the opportunity to build their capacity, disabled children are very unlikely to gain employment and become integrated into the community.

Our Community Daycare and Rehabilitation Centre, the first of its kind on Koh Dach, has been utilised to directly combat this problem, dedicated to the goal of providing education and rehabilitation to children who cannot attend mainstream schooling due to the profound nature of their disability. The creation of a sensory room within that space would be transformative, allowing children to receive care in a low-stress, fun, and safe environment that is tailored to each of their needs.

What is a sensory room?

A sensory room is a dedicated space that is designed to help an individual with sensory issues learn to regulate their emotions and reactions to certain stimuli. Children with neuro-divergences can struggle with certain sensory stimuli and may be unable to regulate their processing of sensory experiences. Thus, they can over or under react to sensory stimuli. Our organization works with children with a variety of neuro-divergences and mobility difficulties, ranging from autism to cerebral palsy, and each experiences sensory stimuli in different ways. Sensory rooms allow children to relax and face a variety of stimuli in a way that will help them overcome their sensitivity to it and develop coping mechanisms when confronted with sensory experiences in their everyday lives. Designing a sensory room that is playful and fun for a child is important, as it will keep them engaged and excited to interact with the room while simultaneously receiving tailored therapy.

A multisensory room offers their users a totally immersive experience through the activation of the different elements, such as: lighting, music, objects, images, textures, sounds, vibration, etc., specially created and set for reaching specific therapeutic purposes. An example of the elements that can be found in a multisensory room could be the bubble tube, the optic fibre, the ball pit or ball pool, swings, projections, vibro-acoustic seats, among many other elements.

The Benefits of a Sensory Room

For many children with disabilities, normal everyday experiences can be quite overwhelming, and they may be unable to regulate their reactions to sensory stimuli. The creation of a space with personalized sensory input that is tailored to each child’s needs can help them grow and adapt to their environment. Sensory rooms have a wide range of benefits, such as calming effects and emotional regulation, stimulation, socialisation, improved focus, motor skills development, and cognitive and sensory development.

Emotional Regulation

10-year-old Kim is nonverbal and struggles with finding interest in toys and other objects around him. He also struggles with stimming and will often grab hair or clothes. For children who can get overwhelmed or agitated easily, a sensory room can be a place where they can be alone and take charge of their emotions. Sensory rooms can help build emotional connections with themselves and with others, as well as help build frustration tolerance skills. It can be a space where children learn what they like and don’t like and can learn to manage what they don’t like in a healthy way. Sensory items can have soothing effects that can calm them when confronted with a distressing sensory experience, as well as help them get used to the experience.

Stimulation

Stimulation is a major feature of sensory rooms and can be helpful for children with a wide variety of sensory issues. For example, 9-year-old Dina has cerebral palsy, and lacks the mobility to play and walk. For Dina, sensory integration can have a huge impact on her mental health and well-being, as exposing her to lights, colours, and textures (such as sensory scarves, sensory bottles, or textured cloths) can help her get the stimulation she craves and help her become more reactive to visual cues. For children who experience sensory overload, this can also be a place where sensory inputs are managed, as children can be exposed and adapt to new uncomfortable, unfamiliar, or difficult sensations.

Socialisation 

Sensory rooms can also provide children with the opportunity to interact with others in a safe and stress-free space. Socialising and becoming more aware of how their bodies move and can affect others around them, as well as learning how to communicate more effectively, are skills that many of the children in our organisation would benefit from. Nivath for example, is 4 years old, and spent the beginning of his time with us trying to stand as far away from others as possible. He found it difficult to make eye contact and didn’t want to play with others. Although he is already improving, a sensory room would be a perfect opportunity for him to practice his socialisation skills and learn to cope with others.

Improved Focus

Ka is 8 years old and has general developmental delay. She is a very curious girl and loves to play and interact with others. However, she struggles with focusing on one task, and is very easily distracted. A sensory room would help increase her awareness of her surroundings and help her build coping mechanisms for real-life situations where concentration is required.

Motor Skills Development

Many of the children in our organisation struggle with both fine and gross motor skills. This can take the form of struggling with motor planning, finger grasp, balance, and spatial orientation. 3-year-old Ching cannot yet walk, and is dystonic, making it difficult for her to sit, stand, or crawl. Sensory objects such as a wobble cushion would be incredibly beneficial to her, as she could practice working on her balance while sitting and playing with toys. Promoting motor skill development through equipment that involves bouncing, jumping, or core stabilising is beneficial for a wide variety of disabilities.

Cognitive and Sensory Development

Cheat, a curious and enthusiastic 12-year old boy, has cognitive delay that makes certain tasks difficult for him. A sensory room can help him explore his senses, learn more about cause and effect, practice problem solving, and help him process and cope with experiences that may be difficult for him. Sensory toys are meant not only to be fun but to also help with cognitive and sensory development, so that children can learn while playing.

Far Reaching Effects

Providing children and their families with access to appropriate healthcare opportunities would have a significant impact on the well-being of the entire community, as full-time carers would be given the opportunity to boost family income and have rest time. Creating a sensory room would help build the capacity and societal participation of disabled children in their communities, as they have previously been neglected and excluded from social participation.

Creating a rehabilitative and uplifting space to the most vulnerable in Cambodian society is an important goal that is central to the ethos of our organisation. Sensory rooms can serve as an example of community-led, sustainable change in impoverished areas of Cambodia, and can stimulate the expansion of similar projects throughout the community.