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The SNOEZELEN® multisensory room
What is SNOEZELEN?
The SNOEZELEN environment is safe and
non-threatening. Children and adults with disabilities or
other limiting conditions enjoy gentle stimulation of the
primary senses. There is no need for intellectual reasoning.
Participants experience self-control, autonomous
discovery, and exploration-achievements that overcome
inhibitions, enhance self-esteem, and reduce tension. Free from
the expectations of others and away from the pressures of
directed care, they recuperate and relax. Research has shown that multisensory
environments offer a wealth of benefits, often affording the
participant and caregiver an opportunity to improve
communications, enhance their understanding of each other,
and build trust in their relationship. SNOEZELEN is a wonderful
experience to enjoy and share-a place that replenishes the
spirit.
SNOEZELEN and Children with Special Needs
Throughout the world, more work has been
done - and more good achieved - with special needs children
than in anyother area of SNOEZELEN practice. The body
of experiential evidence of the benefits of SNOEZELEN for
this client group is enormous and continues to grow. In educational settings, SNOEZELEN rooms are
being used as "neutral territory", where relationships can
be established away from the stress of the classroom. At
Addlington School in Reading, England, teaching staff find
their sensory rooman "invaluable resource…useful or a wide
range of ages and abilities and a varied curriculum". A 1994
German study concluded, "SNOEZELEN causes an increase in
motivation to succeed and an improvement in concentration
and coordination."
SNOEZELEN and Developmental Disability
Multisensory stimulation has been one of the
most common and successful approaches to learning disability
for sometime, especially since it was established
that sensory work has an impact in the educational, as well
as, the therapeutic arena. SNOEZELEN is the logical development
of well-documented work carried out over many years, taking
advantage of new technologies not previously
available. There is a growing recognition of the need
of clients with learning disabilities for leisure. The
benefits of the nondirective undemanding SNOEZELEN approach are now both
widely accepted and borne out by research. SNOEZELEN is
being used in practice as a means of nonverbal
communication - as a setting for relaxation and self-healing
- and to provide stimulation for those who would otherwise be
almost impossible to reach.
SNOEZELEN and Mental Health
The relaxed, calming atmosphere or SNOEZELEN
provides an ideal situation for the development of
therapeutic relationships. As they experience the deep
relaxation of SNOEZELEN, people suffering from tension,
depression, or anxiety can open up to discuss feelings.
This effect occurs while in the SNOEZELEN environment, but
also continues for the rest of the day.
For more information on
SNOEZELEN
download the pdf here.
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