A sensory room, often called a sensory space or multi-sensory room, is a specially designed therapeutic space with tools to help regulate sensory input.
Creating one in a home environment can offer many benefits, especially for individuals with sensory processing disorders, autism, ADHD, anxiety, or other special needs. However, putting a sensory room or space together from scratch can be cumbersome without help from an expert who can help you pick and choose the perfect sensory options within your budget and needs.
Below, we’ll explore the details behind a home sensory room, the key reasons to consider setting one up, and how Stacy’s Sensory Solutions can help you make your living or working space a sensory haven.
What is a Sensory Room?
Although every home should be pleasing to the senses, the truth is that most environments are far from pleasant to those living with sensory sensitivities. Many homeowners and organizations like foster care have implemented sensory rooms or spaces as calming centers designed to control and regulate sensory stimuli.
These rooms cater to a sensory diet with various equipment and tools that provide different soothing sensory experiences through sight, sound, touch, smell, and movement.
Common elements in a designed sensory space include weighted blankets, fiber optic lamps, fidget toys, textured objects, tactile walls, white noise machines, rocking chairs, crash pads, and more!
The goal of designing a personal sensory space is to tailor it to specific individual needs and control the sensory input the target audience receives. This allows for self-regulating and providing physical, mental, and emotional benefits.
Sensory Rooms Provide a Calming Retreat
A major benefit of a home sensory room is providing a dedicated calming space for sensory regulation and relaxation. The controlled sensory environment helps induce a regulated state for both the mind and body. This makes it effective for relaxation, lowering stress, and managing anxiety or overwhelming sensations.
Having access to a quiet retreat space, personalized with an individual’s preferred sensory tools, colors, music, and objects, makes the sensory room an optimal environment to retreat to when feeling overwhelmed. It also gives them an important sense of ownership and control over their surroundings, which is something we believe everyone deserves.
Lauren Veatch, Family and Community Services Manager for Resource Center described her success in our sensory room creative services.
“We have absolutely loved our Sensory Space that Stacy and her team helped set up for us. The youth in our space are able to choose different sensory items that make them feel safer and more comfortable in our space. We also worked with Stacy to help make a room space for youth to have a quiet area to go and calm down or get away from things that could be triggering. We always recommend Stacy’s Sensory Solutions to everyone who walks into our space as the go-to spot for sensory items and custom items to make folks feel as safe and comfortable as possible.”
Encourages Sensory Stimulating Activities
A home sensory room allows engaging in stimulating movement and sensory activities, which provide organizing sensory input to the brain and body. Common equipment like trampolines, textured objects, balance boards, or swings encourages beneficial vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile input.
Facilitates Therapy and Learning
Customized sensory spaces offer an ideal setup for focused sensory therapy, learning activities, or one-on-one caregiver interactions. This is why Stacy’s Sensory Solutions team specializes in helping libraries and schools create sensory zones for students and guests.
Removing distractions makes it easier for occupational therapists and educators to engage individuals in beneficial therapeutic exercises and build cognitive, social, or behavioral skills.
School sensory rooms are often used for individual or small group instruction and learning games to build academic and developmental skills in a calming space.
The same concept can be applied at home by using the sensory room for focused skill-building.
Promotes Self-Expression & Creativity
Sensory rooms allow individuals to engage in sensory experiences as creative outlets for self-expression. Tools like musical equipment, tactile art projects, light displays, and audiovisual technologies can help people of all ages express thoughts and emotions.
Sand and water tables, kinetic sand, and other tactile materials allow engaging in sensory play to reduce stress. For artistic children, the sensory space provides an opportunity to incorporate sensory materials into creative projects and hobbies in a constructive, focused manner.
Angela Wilson, a representative from Weatherford Elementary School, described the success their Zen Zone has given their students when they need a place to express themselves.
“Our Zen Zone has been such an asset to our campus. It’s a calming area our students can utilize when they feel those BIG emotions,” Wilson said.
“It’s filled with sensory tools the kids can choose from to help regulate their feelings. We offer a variety of tools that range from touch, smell, and sound. Our students enjoy the peace and tranquility the Zen Zone offers.”
How Does Stacy’s Sensory Solutions Help Customize Space to Specific Needs?
Every person may respond to sensory input differently, so creating an environment with their ideal tools and stimuli is beneficial.
At Stacy’s Sensory Solutions, we offer custom room designs. We currently offer both local and out-of-area sensory room and space design.
We make getting started easy and simplify finding the tools and products you need for your sensory diet. After reaching out to us, our founder, Stacy, goes on-site to view the actual room for our local clients. If the client is out of the area, they can send a video of the space along with details about their sensory needs.
From there, Stacy will give a free 15-minute consultation where she begins making the best suggestions possible.
While there is a fee for further consultation beyond the first 15 minutes, clients can rest assured the money paid all goes back into the product purchased for the sensory station.
Our goal is to help you think about different ways to cover all of the sensory input a child or adult needs. We fulfill the needs of your sensory diet with tools that meet all seven areas of sensory input.
We work hand-in-hand with families, schools, libraries, and community organizations to help guide people on what they need in the short and long term. Our goal is to help you avoid financial pitfalls and only purchase necessary and durable products for a well-designed sensory room.
Create Your Sensory Haven Today, With Stacy’s Sensory Solutions
Whether you want to start with creating a small sensory box or are ready to dedicate an entire room to becoming a sensory-pleasing environment, Stacy’s Sensory Solution is here to help.
We believe working with the right sensory tools, and products can help create a well-designed sensory space that offers the benefits that come with emotional, mental, and physical comfort.
Trust us to help you enable self-regulation, encourage therapeutic sensory input, and supply creative outlets with quality products in a focused environment.
Schedule your free consultation today!
