An increasing number of schools are implementing sensory rooms into their strategic plans, or repurposing existing rooms into dedicated calming rooms.

“Calming sensory rooms are increasingly becoming popular, particularly due to their universality – they are a truly inclusive and accessible activity that doesn’t require any intellectual or cognitive expectations in order to use the room,” said Dr Bliss Cavanagh of Creative Sensory Spaces.

Described as a “room to reset”, purpose built sensory rooms are designed to be a unique space with an other-worldly, almost magical feel.

“The room is dark, but features illuminated sensory elements, soft, tactile fabrics, gentle music, floral aromas, bean bag chairs and weighted blankets,” explains Dr Cavanagh.

Put simply, sensory rooms are purpose-designed spaces that stimulate and engage the senses to provide therapeutic benefits. There are two main types: interactive sensory rooms and calming sensory rooms.

Interactive sensory rooms are designed to improve social, developmental and cognitive skills, while calming sensory rooms are designed to provide relaxation and emotional regulatory benefits, helping those within to feel soothed by just the right amount of sensory input.

Creative Sensory Spaces specialise in the latter. The rooms with a dark room, fitted out with illuminated visual sensory features that hold focus and attention, gentle music to engage the auditory sense, soft and tactile seating that comforts your nervous system, floral aromas and weighted blankets.

“All of which work harmoniously together to create an immersive multisensory experience that allows you to disconnect from the outside stressors and reset.”

“Supported by clinical studies, their use has extended to helping people with neurodiversity, mental health conditions, dementia, trauma, chronic pain and more recently for the general population as a mode of self-care.”

Dr Cavanagh said schools could benefit from providing a sensory room for their students, which would be particularly advantages for those battling performance anxiety, social anxiety or school refusal, find it difficult to regulate their emotions or behaviour, have autism, ADHD or anxiety, or feel overwhelmed by bereavement, parental separation or trauma.

“Each child’s reason for using the sensory room may differ based on their individual sensory and emotional needs – but they experience the same benefits, including reduced anxiety, a greater sense of calm, improved behaviour, better equipped to learn, development of self-soothing routines and enhanced overall wellbeing,” explains Dr Cavanagh.

“Children who could really benefit but do not have access to these types of rooms may have trouble learning to regulate their emotions, experience prolonged escalation of heightened emotional states, take longer to calm down, experience meltdowns, and demonstrate more challenging and disruptive behaviours that can cause problems within the classroom environment, affecting social interactions and learning.”

“The evidence is there. Sensory rooms are an excellent resource for schools, particularly as they encourage self-care with ease.

“It promotes mental health and well-being in a highly positive way as something that should be nourished, cared for and prioritised; creating a new generation of healthy minds and bodies.”