SENSORY HAUS
Research
This page is dedicated to our research prior to our ethical approval for Sensory Haus. From Sensory Room to Room Design, this is page all about providing grounds for our project.
Sensory Rooms
Efficacy of Sensory Rooms was researched.
Persona Resarch
Persona Profile and User Journey was created for two types of IADT student as apart of this research.
Room Design
Research papers, videos and other sensory rooms influenced our room design.
References
All information is either directly referenced by text or by link.
Annotated Bibliographies
Below will be some annotated bibliographies one from each team member to help showcase the researched benefits of sensory rooms.
RQ: “Does the use of sensory room activities increase readiness for participation in school environments among k-12 students with sensory processing disorders?”
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The author was concerned with a lack of research regarding the effect of sensory room interventions on student’s school readiness, as this may be a problem for teachers and occupational therapists implementing sensory interventions unsupported by research.
A “concurrent nested mixed methods design” was applied. The study took place during a 6–12-week period and utilized a data collection sheet to collect information during the interventions. Adult employees working with the students were also asked to complete an online survey.
Students were found to be 56% more engaged post sensory room activities. Participation also increased when the post sensory room classroom activity was active vs stationary.
These results imply that for 56% of these students, the sensory room intervention helped them be more engaged and focused during their class. For schoolteachers and occupational therapists working with students who have sensory processing disorders, this data supports not only the effectiveness of this sensory room but the importance of having one for people with processing needs.
Program Evaluation of the Impact of Sensory Room Activities on Student Readiness in Muskegon County
Evaluation of the use of a sensory room on an adolescent inpatient unit and its impact on restraint and seclusion prevention
The authors conducted a study to evaluate the use of a sensory room on an adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit and its impact on restraints/seclusion (R/S) use, staff–patient relationships, and patients’ aggressive behaviors. The research was conducted on a 20-bed inpatient adolescent unit housed within a psychiatric hospital, the unit served youth aged 12–17 years with acute and chronic emotional and behavioral disorders.
They aimed to reduce adolescent R/S use on the unit, improve unit safety, improve patient–staff relationships, and provide a sensory room intervention that was safe and effective. To gauge the impact of the sensory room, participants were asked to complete a sensory room session form at the beginning and end of the session. The form contained a 0–10 rating scale modeled from the Subjective Units of Distress Scale and with a visual depiction adapted from the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVCIPM, 2016; Wolpe, 1969).
Participants were also able to leave open ended comments relating to the effectiveness of the session.
They compared the results from 6 months presensory room to 6 months postsensory room initiation from which they recorded a 26.5% reduction in incidents of restraint and a 32.8% reduction in incidents of seclusion. Overall incidents of patient aggression saw a frequency reduction of 16.4%.
Their findings also suggested that spending just 20 minutes in the sensory room significantly reduced feelings of distress in patients. However, they found that the sensory room use seemed to have little to no impact on improving patient-staff relationships. They noted that it could not be fully determined how the sensory room affected R/S prevention as the experiment was conducted in the context of other efforts to provide trauma-informed care along with other initiatives to reduce R/S.
An Exploration of the Use of a Sensory Room in a Forensic Mental Health Setting: Staff and Patient Perspectives
The authors conducted a study investigating the impact of the use of a sensory room in a forensic mental health setting. They noted that there is limited research into the effectiveness of sensory rooms in mental health settings, and that there are no studies into the use, or impact, of sensory rooms in a forensic mental health setting, therefore they aimed to investigate the use of a sensory room in a forensic hospital from both perspectives of staff and patients. They acquired information from staff and patients about sensory room preferences prior to the experiment. The age of participants ranged from 18-60 years of age and the common diagnoses of those recruited included schizophrenia, depression, personality disorders, bipolar disorder, other psychotic disorders and more.
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Included in their sensory room was various calming projector images which patients could choose from, the room contained a surround sound audio system, seating options of a couch or beanbags, and sensory items in a locked cupboard such as soft toys, scented moisturizers, weighted items and aromatherapy oils. Participants voluntarily completed a sensory evaluation form before and after spending time in the sensory room, this form recorded which items they used and in addition recorded their stress levels before and after sensory room use.
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Their interpretation of the results of their study suggests a significant decrease in stress which they attributed to sensory room use. Their findings suggested that beanbags, weighted items and LED lighting were the most frequently used items in their sensory room. An important point they made was that according to their results the sensory room was less effective in reducing stress when there was more than one patient in the room.
Distraction, distress and diversity: Exploring the impact of sensory processing differences on learning and school life for pupils with autism spectrum disorders
(Jones et al., 2020)
This study gathered information from teachers and parents of children with Autisim Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The aim of the study was to explore how parents and teachers of children with ASD believed that their child was interacting with a school environment and how that is effecting their learning.
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They gathered information from 57 parents and 70 teachers of children with ASD through an online questionnaire that focused on the children's sensory experience in school and how that effected their learning.
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The results found that sensory experiences in schools were overall negative. This impacted their learning by causing distraction, anxiety and limited participation. However, 5 teachers reported that their children's sensory needs were met, which resulted in the child engaging in classroom activities. Their sensory needs were met by using weighted blankets for example.
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This study shows us that sensory needs are very important in learning and therefore should be catered to in a learning environment, which is another reason why the college would benefit from a permanent sensory room.
Persona Profiles
Two Persona's were created. One neurotypical and one neurodiverse. Though we eventually decided to not survey neurodivergent students directly, we had created these profiles early on.
Neurotypical Persona
Neurodiverse Persona
Neurotypical Persona
User Journey
We tried to make Samuel's journey from stage one to four as realistic as possible.
As you can see he is just feeling generally stressed and needs to find a place he can self-regulate in peace. We gave no specific reason for him feeling this way as often times this can just happen.
Our aim for our space is to demonstrate how a sensory space could provide Samuel with the tools to facilitate a sense of calm with tools to assist in self-regulation.
Room Design
Feel like skipping a section or two? Check out the room design page by clicking the button below:
Our room was influenced by research papers but also the many videos of sensory rooms implemented already in schools that have proven be effective.
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Below are some videos that influences our design, along with our Miro board holding additional links and books that were consulted for Sensory Haus.
Additional Resources
Below will be some additional resources that helped to provide additional information and support the previously mentioned research. We also provided our miro board so you can check out the info we compiled together.
As I Am – Autism and Higher Education
As I Am – What Is In a Relaxation Room
This article explains the overall benefits of having a quiet space. It also stresses the importance of lighting, movement and pressure in quiet spaces. It provides additional detail about the appropriate lighting and provides suggestions on what to include to help meet the movement and pressure requirements.