Students to benefit from sensory room

By CATHERINE DONNELLY
Special to the NEWS

The San Benito Consolidated Independent School District (SBCISD) hosted a ribbon cutting for a long-awaited sensory room for special education students on Thursday, April 12, at La Paloma Elementary School.

According to district administrators, La Paloma was the third school in the district to receive a sensory room, following Ed Downs Fine Arts Academy and Dr. Garza STEAM Academy.

Several years ago, the Special Education Department noticed a rise in students diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum within the district, according to Dr. Lucas Gomez, Principal of La Paloma Elementary. The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity of the condition. Each child with autism is likely to have a unique pattern of behavior and level of severity — from low functioning to high functioning, according to the Mayo Clinic.

This was the impetus to find meaningful ways for students to minimize sensory input if they are at a point of being overloaded. Special Education staff realized that it would be beneficial to look into developing a soothing place at each campus for students called a sensory room.

Sensory rooms offer a safe and controlled environment for students with sensory processing difficulties to regulate their sensory input, aiding them to focus and to begin calming themselves, which leads them to optimizing their individual capabilities for learning and becoming more self-directed, according to Dr. Gomez.

The rooms promote the inclusivity of special needs students by providing a resource for them to fully participate in school activities. Addressing students’ unique sensory challenges can improve academic performance and overall well-being, according to experts.

SBCISD Occupational Therapist Bettina Cisneros led the design, staff training and implementation of these special rooms. Going into the project, she conducted extensive research, gathering insights from districts that already had them to help plan her approach.

“Months of collaboration with principals, teachers and maintenance staff ensured the rooms were well tailored to the students’ needs,” said Dr. Gomez.

Cisneros credits the support of Special Education Director Larissa Rivas-Leal, Maintenance Painting Supervisor (Mr.) Leslie James, and the entire special services staff for bringing these specially designed rooms to fruition for the students.

It was important to have training sessions for teachers and staff to ensure that everyone understood how to foster proper utilization of the rooms. Positive behavioral changes have been observed since the introduction of sensory rooms, which is a testament to their effectiveness.

Children with Autism often experience sensory processing difficulties which involves an attempt to accurately interpret sensory input from the environment. It’s how the brain receives, organizes, and responds to sensory input that leads us to behave in a meaningful and consistent manner, according to Dr. Gomez.

Sensitivity to noise, lights, crowds, or touch can cause confusion and fear in children with sensory processing disorders. This overload may lead to reactions that are often mistaken for behavioral issues by onlookers, and even by parents or school staff.

“The entire staff at La Paloma Elementary is excited to better reach special needs students through the functional activities present in this thoughtfully designed room,” said Dr. Gomez. “It was especially meaningful to have our ribbon cutting during World Autism Month.”

The 17th annual World Autism Awareness Day fell on April 2 and is internationally recognized to raise awareness about autism, according to autismspeaks.org. Autism Speaks aims to foster worldwide support by celebrating April as World Autism Month and focusing on the sharing of stories and increasing understanding and acceptance of individuals with autism.

According to autismsociety.org, autism rights groups advocate using the term “Autism Acceptance Day,” to promote overcoming anti-autism prejudice rather than simply increasing awareness of the condition.
Texas has resources for children in Special Education, as well as their parents and teachers. SPEDTex has them listed on its website www.spedtex.org. Another resource to explore is the Texas Education Agency at tea.texas.gov, where an account can be created to search for focus groups. Local resources and training can then be accessed. Early interventions can help children embrace their best and most productive future, experts say.