Lincoln Sensory Rooms Are Allies for WELLNESS

A safe place to practice and learn emotional regulation.

Pause and reflect to grow. That is something the sensory rooms at Lincoln offer. The Support Services Department created safe spaces in elementary, middle, and high school to fulfill learners' needs in their developmental stages. What started as a need, detected by the learning center teachers back in 2019, became a long-desired project held back by the pandemic. It took research, consultants, and a lot of planning, but now our sensory rooms are a reality.  

These spaces were designed purposefully to offer opportunities for fine and gross motor skill development, sensory integration learning, executive functioning, self-regulation skills, and strategies. In addition, a sensory path was created in elementary school for students who needed an alternative sensory support.

What is sensory integration, and why is it important? 

Sensory integration is a term that has been used to describe processes in the brain that allow us to take information we receive from our 5 senses, organize it, and respond appropriately (American Academy of Pediatrics 2012). For example, students on the autism spectrum may face challenges with hypersensitivity to stimuli (sound, light, textures, taste) or hyposensitivity (stimuli that could usually affect others may not affect them, e.g, feeling cold in winter). Children may seek sensory input or have an adverse reaction to stimuli, which can be seen in challenges with gross and fine motor coordination, or dysregulation, which is where sensory integration support becomes essential in improving the quality of life.

What does a sensory room do? 

We built a tailor-made space where a maximum of two learners can go at a time, under the supervision of an educator, to reflect, decompress, calm down, recharge for 15 minutes, and then re-enter smoothly to their classrooms to focus on learning. This is a way for students to self-advocate for their needs as they build their self-awareness. 

Why do children need sensory rooms?

Although we always aim for a bright and vibrant environment, sometimes schools can get overwhelming during recess, transitions, or lunch. A sensory room is a solution for such overload. It’s a place designed for emotional regulation and sensory processing needs.

So if someone is having a difficult day, our sensory rooms become an ally for the well-being of our learners. It’s an opportunity to teach them how to deal with emotional regulation and develop a variety of skills and strategies.

Students who have executive functioning needs (ADHD) also benefit by gaining skills of impulse control, spatial awareness, motor control, coordination, and planning. In some cases, excess energy can be channeled through ways that are fun and rewarding for students. Students with Dysgraphia benefit from fine motor skill development through handwriting and posture control activities, making handwriting an engaging way to develop this life skill. 

What should be in a sensory room?

At Lincoln, we designed our sensory rooms to give support. With that aim, there are many purposes for these safe zones. As needs change with age, our sensory rooms are different to accommodate each section’s needs. For example, the middle school sensory room is a comfortable place with various types of seating, such as tunnels, wiggle seats, bean bags, larger comfy chairs, swings, and visual regulations, like light boxes, cascading LED lights, and lava lamps. There are also surfaces to fidget on, like weight blankets or shoulder wraps, to provide pressure. The sound bar in middle school is a popular item among our learners. With it, they can choose the calming music they prefer. 

The elementary sensory room has a focus on motor skill development, with flying bridges, mats, stretchy hammocks, sensory swings, balance boards and balance beams, foam boards, harnesses, an obstacle pass, a rock climbing wall, and all the gear necessary. In High School, the sensory room is designed as a dual-purpose space. It functions primarily as a self-regulation sanctuary for any student needing a quiet area to decompress, equipped with calming elements like lava lamps, bean bags, soft chairs, and cushions. Additionally, the room is fully utilized for specialized individual and small-group sensory integration and handwriting support. Therapeutic equipment includes balance beams, foam boards, and removable aerial equipment such as stretchy hammocks and swings.

How do you make a good sensory room?

Besides the items included and the presence of educators, to secure the safety of our learners, there is something more to achieving a good sensory room: the partnership with families. Our team of counselors organizes regular Parent Coffee meetings to talk about parenting and how to support learners as they grow. In the following videos, the elementary and middle school counselors share their work with families.