If your child is suffering from a sensory processing disorder, you will find yourself facing many challenges that most parents don’t have to worry about. Typical family settings fail to accommodate children with special needs.
The good news is that sensory gyms are fun and safe areas that can assist in your child’s sensory development which leads to an improvement in your child’s sensory integration.
Here are the top three benefits that a sensory gym contributes to your child’s development:
- Amplifying Therapy
Sensory gyms were not created to be the ultimate management to treat children with special needs. It should be considered a useful tool for therapists that can be integrated with traditional therapies such as behavioral therapy and medications.
By introducing your child to a sensory gym, they learn valuable skills such as independence, and the ability to feel at ease in social settings, as well as increase their tolerance to new and unfamiliar stimuli.
The role of a therapist in a sensory gym setting is to guide children with special needs in performing activities that involve brightly-colored pillows, swings, balls, bubble fans, and tunnels, all of which cultivate appropriate responses to external stimuli. Over time, the reactions to these stimuli become more natural for children with sensory processing disorder. With a strategic therapy in place, children with special needs are able to participate in regular activities, whether in school and other social settings.
With the guided play on a sensory gym that meets their needs, children with sensory processing disorder can refine their motor skills, increase body awareness, the concept of cause-and-effect, and social skills.
One study reveals that a sensory gym helps promote independence, enhance their communication skills, reinforce self-care habits, and extend their attention span.
2. Promotes holistic development
A sensory gym offers a host of opportunities for children with special needs to improve their physical, cognitive, and social skills in non-threatening ways. When children are allowed to explore the sensory gym on their own and supply them with structured activities that will help them self-regulate before formal activities begin. In this case, sensory gyms have calming effects and stress relief benefits to children. Some sensory gyms are outfitted with dim lights and even aromatherapy scents to reduce stress and anxiety issues.
3. Creates a fun and wonderful environment
Sensory gyms facilitate developmental improvements because they are simply fun places where children can be themselves. Kids will act like kids, whether they have sensory processing disorder or otherwise. They have an unending desire to explore, play, and have lots of fun. Sensory gyms are developed for children with special needs in mind. It is a place where they can play freely without having to deal with stress.
They can utilize tools and equipment that help regulate themselves without risks, foster calm and relaxation resulting in a nourishing and fun learning experience.
Truly, a sensory gym is a valuable tool that have significant benefits to children and parents, too. It is therefore a good investment to sign up for classes that integrate a sensory gym as part of effective learning and therapy.