Florence County School District Three officially opened its new sensory-motor room for special needs students Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Lake City Early Childhood Center.
The sensory- motor room’s aim is to offer students’ with disabilities increased opportunities to enjoy and control a variety of sensory experiences, according to Cheryl Hubbard- George, FCSD3 director of the Office of Exceptional Children.
The goal of FCSD3’s Office of Exceptional children and the implementation of the sensory-motor room located at Lake City Early Childhood Center is to use sensory-motor strategies to help all students to change their alert levels to optimal promoting student engagement and academic achievement.
A sensory room is an umbrella term used to describe a specifically designed space used to promote self-organization and positive change. Some children are almost always in a high alert level while others stay in a low alert level. Some children have difficulty with self-regulation and are unable to attain, maintain and change their alert levels appropriately for a task or situation. Therefore, they have trouble functioning optimally.
When a student is not in optimal learning state it can look like impulsiveness, fidgeting, low frustration, poor task initiation or persistence, incomplete work, distractibility, falling asleep or looking drowsy in the classroom.
Using sensory-motor activities can help students to get, and stay, in an optimal alert state for learning, playing and socializing throughout the day.
Equipment in the room include peanut balls for bouncing, resistance tunnel, stepping stones, gel floor tiles, a barrel roll, jumping boards, gym and crash mats, calming flexible lights, a Thomas the Tank Engine tent, sensory bins and other equipment.
Each of the special education classes uses the sensory room for 30 minutes a day. This is preferably scheduled daily at the same time, so that it is a predictable routine for the students. The morning is the ideal time. Then academic work can be scheduled directly afterward when the children are back in their classrooms in optimal alert levels. Specialists can also schedule time for 30 minutes to one hour per week when the room is not in use by a class.
