The Sensory Room – In-depth
Our practitioners regularly use the Sensory Room with our clients to further enhance the 'attachment' or the relationship between parents and children, improving communication, regulating reactions to emotions and strengthening connection within families.
Our Sensory Room features include an egg chair, coloured lighting, a bubble tube with remote for changing colours, weighted objects, body sox and stepping stones, among other things that can be explored by parents/caregivers and children together.
How can a Sensory Room benefit families?
All people first learn about the world and their relationships through their senses. Playing and interacting with people and their environment stimulates the senses and creates engagement with others. People receive information from the environment through the senses and process it through the brain which then allows the body to respond.
Those who have been in very stressful situations, or have had experiences of childhood trauma, may have emotional and body effects, some of which may be related to sensory needs. For example, some children experiencing childhood neglect may have missed out on sufficient touch, which effects their attachment style and could result in touch sensitivity.
Additionally, parents and children who have experienced family violence may have heightened stress levels or hypervigilance as their nervous system is in overdrive in an attempt to be alert to danger and create safety. This can affect how their body and brain may take in sensory information, process and modulate sensory information and affect their ability to regulate emotions and to carry out coordinated movements.
In both these examples, the relationship between parent and child can be strengthened by understanding that we each have our own unique sensory preferences, and we can build sensory connections with a view to calming, grounding and relaxing together and experiencing playful times and enjoyable moments.
Kids First's Sensory Room
Prior to using sensory methods I had never seen this young person smile or laugh. He lacked hope and often spoke of feeling he couldn’t be helped,
yet he began to respond to the Sensory room, particularly the egg chair, and used that to swivel back or forth to indicate his feelings...
Kids First Clinical Practitioner
Interested?
For more information about the Sensory Room, please fill in the below form and one of lovely Intake and Engagement team members will be in touch with you shortly. Alternatively if you would like to speak to someone on the phone please call (03) 9450 0900.
Please note: This program is available in VIC ONLY. If you are located outside of VIC, please enquire with your state-based service provider. Thank you.