Multisensory Stimulation Rooms (MSSR) facilitate the development of cognitive, sensory, and social abilities for individuals with autism, brain injury, developmental delay, sensory processing disorders, and many others. These rooms are designed to stimulate the five senses through the use of various stimuli targeting sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
The tools present in these rooms may promote and foster the following:
- Alertness
- Cognitive development
- Self- regulation
- Environmental exploration
- Creativity
- Sensory stimulation
- Language development
- Social interactions
- Physical and mental relaxation
- and many others!
Here are some suggestions on how to create a Multisensory Stimulation Room at home!
Step 1: Space
Think about a space in your home that you could adapt into a MSSR. It does not need to be very big!
It can be a closet or a camping tent inside a room.
Step 2: Objects
Identify an object that you can use to target every sense. Here are some ideas.
- For hearing: a musical toy, instrument, or device that plays music.
- For smell: aroma diffusers.
- For touch: objects with different textures, sand, clay, shaving cream
- For sight: a night light, toys that light up, lights of various colors
- For taste: foods that are sour, sweet, bitter, as long as it is safe for your child.
You can block natural light and use Christmas lights to decorate the space.
Step 3: Activities
For this step, think about what the child will use in the space.
Each individual is unique and his or her MSSR should be too!
Observe which are you child’s favorite activities in CRIT’s MSSR during therapy and ask your therapist for ideas and suggested activities.
Leave a comment on Facebook and let us know, do you have your MSSR at home?