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Goal

The goal for the Sensory Room is to provide a calm and relaxing environment to facilitate a more functional arousal state which allows students to be more available to learn and engage in their educational setting. Allowing students the time to improve the overall regulation their brain and body needs will lead to them successfully increasing attention and participation to engage in educational materials, resulting in the ability to effectively perform and access curriculum standards. This will be very impactful as this grant will affect multiple school campuses; Southside Elementary, Emma Love Hardee Elementary, and Callahan Elementary, with a template from an already successful Safari Sensory Room at Hilliard Elementary campus and touch greater than 150 students overall.  

 

Category

SHARK Other -  

 

What will be done with my students

The Sensory Room will be a fun engaging room with a specific purpose to improve access to the educational setting and materials. If a student is demonstrating sensory dysregulation, the student can take a break from the classroom/environment on campus and visit the sensory room. The room that will be utilized as the sensory room is a designated space on each campus (room/portable), near ESE classrooms. It is also available to all general education students with a need. While the student is in the sensory room, they will be provided time to get the sensory input they are seeking and/or needing to improve overall regulation of the brain and body which ultimately allows the brain and body to be available for academic tasks and demands. Timers and visuals will be present in the sensory room to alert the student when the break is over, building independence, and teaching the student to effectively use tools to assist them with self regulation.  

 

Benefits to my students

Students in the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program in Nassau County are EXCEPTIONAL students. Each student is unique in the way they learn within the classroom. Many of the students in ESE have sensory-seeking behaviors which can impede their ability to access the educational materials. They may seek vestibular input (such as swinging, rocking, climbing, jumping) or proprioceptive input (such as heavy work, bumping into things, crashing, or sitting closely or in tight spaces). They may require visual stimulation which can be accessed through light tubes, twinkle lights, and/or light boards. When a student is seeking a certain input, but is unable to obtain it, the student may become dysregulated which prevents the brain from accessing educational materials. Behaviors often observed when a student is dysregulated include fast/hard movements, loud voice, unable to follow directions, impulsivity, inability to sit still, falling and/or bumping into others and objects, and limited attention. These behaviors can significantly impact the student's ability to learn within the classroom. The Sensory Room will provide many opportunities to get sensory input (including but not limited to vestibular and proprioceptive) as well as being a calming space, in order for the student to become regulated, ultimately allowing them to access their educational materials. Once a student is regulated, they will likely increase their participation in the classroom with improved eye contact, ability to follow directions, improved posture, more focus and attention, better emotional regulation, improved body awareness, and better fine motor skills. All of these skills will directly affect their ability to engage in standards for their grade level.  

 

Budget Narrative

To complete the Sensory Room, approximately $9,994.18 will be needed to obtain sensory supplies and tools for all three locations, in addition to adding some things to Hilliard Elementary campus. Once the grant is funded, the timeline to create the room would be approximately 1 month to create the space into a sensory room, and longer if needed to involve maintenance to make any modifications to the space for equipment. The calming sensory peapod, squeeze machine, crash pad, weighted lap pads, weighted vest, weighted balls, and therapy peanut ball will be needed for the students who seek proprioceptive (heavy) input. Alternative seating options such as rocking chair, bouncy band feet, and sit & twist active seat cushion will be needed for the students who seek vestibular input. The bubble fish lava lamp, fiber optic tower, rope lighting, ocean wave projector, sensory tent, and noise cancelling headphones are needed to help facilitate a calming/relaxing environment for the students who may display over-stimulated behaviors. The tactile sensory bins (rice, water beads, and kinetic sand with animals), and vibration bug is needed for the students who seek tactile input. The therapy mat are needed to position under equipment in order to facilitate a safe environment. Lastly, the different themes for each school campus will help bring the room to life.  

 

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