Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 3, 2018

By Andrea Nagel Often children with autism, Asperger’s syndrome or developmental delays become easily overstimulated in normal day-to-day living. Sensations like hearing, touch or visual distractions may cause these children to feel uncomfortable or act out in situations that require more focus. To help these children learn to cope with stimulating environments, Kootenai Health Rehabilitation Services is opening a special room designed to help these children calm their senses and develop the skills necessary to cope with distractions. “For most of us, the ability to process touch, movement, sight, sound, smell and taste comes as second nature and without conscious effort—but 1 in 20 people experience inefficiency in this processing,” said Sue Donaghue, director of Rehabilitation Services at Kootenai Health. “This inefficiency then creates problems with learning, developing motor skills and managing behavior. Sensory integration therapy helps children who may be overstimulated or not stimulated enough by their environments.” Soothing sensations The Sensory Integration Room was funded by a generous donation from Alliance Data to the Kootenai Health Foundation. The room has several features controlled through a single computer. The colored lights, sounds and imagery can all be altered to fit each child’s needs. Over 80 system presets pull calming imagery and sounds from nature and change the lighting to match. “I really view this as a quieting room to help calm the nervous system and get kids in the right mindset to perform the tasks we need them to do,” said Barbara Wellman, pediatric occupational therapist. “Many kids we work with have a different interpretation of the sights, sounds and other sensations in the world around us. When they become overwhelmed, they may have a hard time controlling their emotions or actions. This is a good way to bring them back down to a place where they can manage their behavior in a positive way.” Interactive fun Kootenai’s outpatient therapy team averages 956 pediatric visits per month. It is estimated that 75 percent of these patients could benefit from having the sensory integration room available for therapy. “In addition to being a calming environment, it’s also a fun and intriguing room full of different textures and eye-catching features,” said Kimberlee Wassink, a speech therapist and supervisor of Kootenai Health Rehabilitation Services. “We can use these features as tools and motivators for all disciplines. It will serve a lot of purposes.” The room features colorful bubble towers, fiber-optic lighting, a large projector screen, a wall-mounted tactile panel and child-friendly seating. “The sensory room provides so many new options for ways to interact with our patients,” Kimberlee said. “We are all excited to introduce it to our patients to see how it helps us reach milestones in their care and helps them perform better in their daily lives.” Calming the Senses Kootenai Health Rehabilitation Services’ new sensory integration room helps pediatric patients Expert help Kootenai Health Rehabilitation Services treats both pediatric and adult patients, providing physical, occupational and speech therapies. To learn more, visit KH.org/rehab or call (208) 625-5311 . KH . ORG 5