Current Status:  

As the end of the year begins to wrap up, we are eager to begin constructing our sensory spaces for our students use. Here is a “before” image of the 2 spaces: 

Action Room - “before”:

The location for the Action Room is in the current space known as the Bend’s Den. There are several appealing aspects of this room that will be beneficial and can be carried over to the Action Room. We are planning on keeping the projector and smart board. In the process of ordering items, we are feeling a little bit overwhelmed with the amount of space that we have and how to best utilize each part of the room so that it flows well for the students. We want to be very intentional in both spaces of how we lay out our materials. We looked at what is already in the rooms and how we could use them in our space. We are thinking about a space to keep our cleaning supplies and things that we have not thought about before starting to set up these areas. We visited another clinical setting that had a similar sensory room. They recommended an area to keep cleaning supplies ready for each day. Our main topic of discussion today was how to get baseline data before the end of this school year from our teachers and students about their knowledge of the sensory room, its purpose, and how to integrate it into instruction.   

Snoezelen/Calming Room “before”: 

Data Collection Ideas: 

The team is discussing methods of collecting data. We are brainstorming collecting end of the year student and teacher awareness data. This baseline data will help us gear our professional development for teachers and target areas for monitoring use of the room with various grade-levels.  

Next Steps:  

The team is looking to meet this summer to research methods to train staff about use of the sensory rooms and integration of teaching methods within the room.  

 Professional Development ideas for staff:  

-present research on sensory integration 

-provide sample lessons and ideas for staff 

-model appropriate lessons with materials in the classroom.  

-discuss data-recording sheets for monitoring room/supply usage