Space: the final frontier and, for people with autism, the thing we need most when the weight of the world feels like a million-billion galaxies (or, you know, a pandemic causes a global lockdown and takes away the certainty we thrive on).
In the past, an autism sensory room has always been the go-to recommendation to provide this. However, crafting the perfect safe space can prove problematic, when all the autism sensory room ideas you have, are grounded by the resources you don’t.
Nevertheless, your voyage into autism sensory rooms doesn’t have to end here as, within this post, you will learn how to bring your sensory room ideas to life, regardless of space in your home or budget available, as well as all the additional know-how you need to turn your sensory relief green and start an indoor or outdoor sensory garden.
[To skip to the tips on creating the ultimate sensory room click here. Or, to get right to the sensory garden discussion, click here]
What Is a Sensory Room?
We’ve all had those moments when we put our heads down to concentrate, try to gauge our thoughts and then suddenly *CRUNCH!* you realize you’re sitting next to the world’s noisiest eater. In any other circumstance, you turn the other cheek, but something about that exact sound makes it impossible to ignore, as you grind your teeth, clench your fists and wish you could be anywhere else.
For autistic people, this feeling of being attacked by our senses is more common than you might think, as difficulties in sensory processing and interoception make regulating stimuli much more overwhelming (and in some cases harmful for long-term sufferers).
Subsequently, this can make experiences which impact on our senses i.e. bright lights or loud music feel incredibly distressing and, like spending a moment with the previously mentioned chew-nado, we need a break.
A location specifically designed to either distract the senses with stronger stimuli or downright block it out (aka a sensory room) have long been the doctor’s orders here – a prescription first provided in the mid 70s, when the rooms were known as ‘Snoezelens’ (a title comprised of the Danish words ‘snuffelen’ which means to sniff and ‘doezelen’ which means to doze – no these won’t be on a quiz, I just thought it was cute to mention).
Additionally, sensory processing rooms aren’t just for autism sensory therapy as, in the 50 years of their existence, they have come to be used as support tools for people with a range of different conditions including:
- Down’s syndrome
- Dementia*
- Alzheimer’s*
As such, there are clearly a lot more perks to these stimuli safety nets than first meets the eye – many of which also benefit those on the spectrum who don’t have sensory processing disorders.
[*Lacks substantial evidence]
What Are the Benefits of a Sensory Room for Those Without a Sensory Disorder?
Despite their name, sensory rooms aren’t always for sensory purposes (and, some of the time, they aren’t even rooms – I know, when will the lies end?). Instead, due to their decluttered designs and non-intrusive aura, most sensory rooms will take on various roles in destressing their users, as well as cooling aggression and all-around relaxing those who enter.
Furthermore, sensory rooms have a history of being used as development tools, examples of which include reports of autists who, after claiming a zone as their own, have displayed signs of increased independence, as we build our confidence in an area fit for our needs.
Nevertheless, while this can allow sensory rooms to be seen as somewhat of a home occupation therapy kit, I would strongly deter people from viewing them as solely an opportunity to teach (lest you turn something which should be fun into something tedious).
Of course, sensory rooms don’t have to be an isolated environment either. So, if do want to use the location to build social skills, then you are more than welcome, just remember to create a space big enough for two.
Additionally, building a large sensory room makes it the ideal location for sharing information such as an upcoming trips or delivering social stories.
But, now that you know a little about the wonders of these sensory sanctuaries let’s look at how to build one.
How to Bring Your Autism Sensory Room Ideas to Life
With so many clear benefits to building a sensory room, you might have convinced yourself that building a base is going to be a tricky task – after all, nothing worth having comes easy. However while, yes, creating the ultimate sensory room isn’t the simplest job, this doesn’t mean it has to be complicated either – so long as you keep these things in mind for the construction.
1. Fit for purpose.
Sensory rooms come in all shapes and sizes to match the need of the varying spectrum-dweller they will be assigned to. So, before you begin laying down the foundations for your sensory fort, first consider why you’re setting it up.
In addition to those which were previously mentioned, some purposes of a sensory room that you might want to consider include making it a place for:
- Fun
- Relaxation
- Privacy
- Socialising
- Developing abilities such as motor skills (through the use of tangle toys and such)
2. Sensory room basic design.
Does the sensory room need a door for privacy? Will it be strong enough to survive a meltdown? Is electricity needed and how can you make sure that you won’t walk in and see our skeleton flashing like a looney tune who’s just been hit by thunder? Once you have decided on what the purpose of the sensory room is, there are still lots of things left to consider. However, regardless of which direction you set your sails, make sure that every journey starts with a plan.
As any autistic person will tell you, plans are the best and, when it comes to something where every detail counts (right down to which non-obtrusive colour you use), everything should, and needs, to be considered.
What’s more, a sensory room plan can be an ideal way to introduce an autistic person to their second home as, despite good intentions, springing the finished product on any autist will most likely result in anxiety and the harbouring of bad feelings towards the final build.
3. Location, Location, Location.
They say that location is the most important thing to consider when setting up camp but, when it comes to creating a sensory room this isn’t quite the case. Sure, you want to pick a position which won’t be disturbed (as it can be hugely detrimental to tamper with a sensory room once it has been set up) but, other than that a sensory room can be anywhere, including:
- A disused wardrobe
- a blanket over a table
- a pillow fort
- an indoor tent
- a bedroom
- an attic
- a purpose-built extension
Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean you should just go plopping your foundations anywhere, as there is still the small matter of what senses will be impacted on in the sensory room. As such, consider how the time of day/year will impact the volume of smells, sights and sounds in the area and also take a moment to ponder whether these will impact the overall safety of the room for the person it is built for.
4. Appearances aren’t everything.
When I was younger I had a sensory den in a garden shed (which was covered in spiders) one in the boot of my dad’s beat-up Nissan Primera (which was covered in spiders) and finally the entire front room of the house – which although inconvenienced the rest of my family, you really can’t hold it against me when the alternative included making many 8 legged friends.
Over time this taught me that a sensory room really can take on any aesthetic, so long as it gets the job done. So, when looking for autism sensory room ideas, don’t get bogged down by the many glamorous Hugh-Hefner-Esque designs you will find on sites like Pinterest.
Of course, looking around for inspiration is never a bad thing, but remember not to get lost in trying to duplicate what you see online. Instead, focus on elements you can adapt from others, into your own project – all the while remembering that what might work well for one autist might not work quite as well for others.
5. Never stop looking to improve.
If you find that, after you have completed the sensory room, your loved one has become a bit of a Goldilocks (finding too much or too little of some aspect of a setting), then don’t immediately consider knocking down the whole project and starting again. Instead, try to understand what the exact problem might be and from there see how it can be improved i.e.
Sight: If the room is too bright, consider installing a light dimmer or a sunblind to block out windows when necessary or, if the autistic person is unhappy in the construct, maybe consider if there is something outside which could be causing the discomfort.
Sound: If things are too loud consider setting up some background music to play over the top, like the Spotify piano rain mixes (which I personally love) or, why not purchase more cushions to pad walls and create makeshift soundproofing?
Smells: If a strong smell is causing disruption, candles are often the first choice for resolving this. However, open flames near a lot of makeshift D.I.Y. has a habit of ending in disaster. So, try introducing strong-smelling oils to run on the autists arm’s or under their nose as this can promote positive tactile feelings and is less likely to end in a 999 call.
Furthermore, most autistic people take a long time to adjust to a new thing and, seeing a new structure appear before our eyes, can be quite alarming at first. Therefore, if an autists is ignoring a sensory processing room in the initial stages of introduction, don’t be disheartened and instead potentially create a social story to warm us up to the idea or give the autistic person time to adjust.
Bonus: Additional Items.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it when businesses make items specifically for autistic people but, in recent years, certain product peddlers have found that by whacking a ‘for autism’ label at the end of their gizmos, they can hyke up the prices and take advantage of our wanting community.
For many, this not only leaves a sour taste but it can also make the prospect of a perfect sensory room seems like a luxury for the rich. Yet, if you search for similar items without any mention of autism or sensory in their titles, you will quickly find that many of these trinkets are quite affordable for example:
- Disco balls
- Lava lamps
- Tangle toys
- Beanbag chair
- Fidget spinners
- Ball pits
- Bubble machines
- Weighted blankets
- Pin art need toy
- Chewable jewellery
What to Consider When Creating a Sensory Garden
Autistic people are often seen as textbook introverts despite the fact that many of us unabashedly love the outdoors (I mean, just look at Chris Packham, Alan Gardener and Dara McAnulty). As such, sensory gardens have become big business for our community in recent years – which is something to celebrate considering how, in certain areas, sensory gardens can be seen as sensory rooms 2.0.
Like sensory rooms, sensory gardens are all about creating environments in which a person can better regulate their senses through isolated interactions, only instead of gadgets and enclosed spaces, it’s garden life and the great outdoors – an additional wrinkle which brings with it opportunities to develop creativity, improve time management and catch a sweet tan on a sunny day.
Although sensory gardening doesn’t differ much from regular gardening (meaning that it can be done at an allotment, in a greenhouse or indoors with plant pots), it does differentiate itself in that, before considering what the garden will grow into, it’s important to think about how it will shape the autist i.e.
- Is this a task to build confidence (then don’t use too demanding plants)
- Is this something to help with cooperation (will you need help with it yourself)
- Will the garden be somewhere we can go to relax (so we might need somewhere to sit)
- Do you want to hone a particular sense (in which case consider what senses the garden should provoke)
While no one is going to accuse me of having a green thumb any time soon, I wanted to finish by including a few recommendations I have found to get those in the green spirit going. Of course, this lack of plant knowledge does mean I am incapable of saying how things will truly turn out. However, with my knowledge of the spectrum, what I can confirm is that the grass will always be greener for a sensory gardener on the spectrum.
A list of recommended plants for sensory gardens (with labels for those which can be grown indoors, those which can be grown outdoors and those which can be grown indoors and outdoors) include:
Brightly Coloured Flowers:
- Sunflowers (outdoors
- Poinsettia (houseplant)
- Peace Lilly (houseplant)
- Dahlias
- Marigold
Strong Smelling Plants:
- Lavender (houseplant)
- Jasmine
- Chocolate Cosmos
- Mint/Spearmint (houseplant)
- Peony
Edible Plants:
- Pumpkin
- Chamomile
- Runner beans
- Chives (houseplant)
- Tomatoes (houseplant)
- Basil (houseplant)
Carry on the Conversation
Have you got any hints on how to create the ultimate sensory room/ garden? Let me know in the comments below. And, if you would like to help Autistic & Unapologetic grow, then why not share this post on Facebook or Twitter? It’s a great way to get these posts seen by those who might need them but might, otherwise, miss them.
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next week for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
