New Sensory Room Introduced For Pupils At Holy Family

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At the opening of the new sensory room at Holy Family NS on Tuesday were Ann Marie Allen SNA, Principal Ed O’Brien with pupils Calum O’Leary, Franek Siekaniec, Kyra Prendergast. Photo by Dermot Crean

THE ribbon was cut on the new Sensory Room at Holy Family on Tuesday which is set to be a great addition for pupils at the school.

This followed many months of hard work and preparation by all involved but most especially Ms. Anna Marie Allen, Special Needs Assistant, whose drive and enthusiasm made it all possible.

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Principal Ed O’Brien commented that the incorporation of a sensory room into the school’s timetable adds a very important dimension to the school’s provision for pupils with special needs.

“We are delighted to be  in a position to offer this service to pupils with special needs. It will be of immense benefit to them,” he stated.

Many schools are now beginning to recognize the particular sensory challenges faced by children who are on the autism spectrum or who have been diagnosed with with sensory processing disorder or sensory integration disorder.

Sensory rooms are designed to both calm and stimulate the senses in children with special needs. It will also be open to other pupils who might need time to themselves at times of stress.

Sensory rooms have three main purposes:

• to provide relaxation and enjoyment by eliminating distraction,

• to increase creative sensory input, and

• to facilitate communication and mobility for children with a wide range of disabilities.

The room is designed to remove distractions and uses special lighting, fiber optics and bubbles to stimulate different parts of the brain and help children focus. You dim the lights, bringing about darkness, and it tells the child’s nervous system that it should start to produce melatonin and this starts the calming process.

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