Pasco Sensory Room a Comforting Resource for Students with Autism
February 20, 2018
By: Michele Miller
Source: Tampa Bay Times
LAND O’LAKES — For a kid with autism, the bus ride to school can be really tough. So can the trek down a crowded school hallway, never mind the din of the cafeteria. Even a lesson that feels too long can trigger a roadblock to learning.
For students who have trouble processing sensory information such as movement, lights, sounds, smells, textures and tastes, a sensory diet that integrates therapeutic play activities with school work can foster better concentration, engagement and self-regulation skills.
In Pasco County schools, these tools and activities often are used during scheduled occupational therapy sessions or brought into the classroom in a rolling “sensory cart” that can be stored away when not appropriate.
But for Pine View Elementary students enrolled in the social-behavioral communication program…