Today, the snoezelen room at Central Special School is only four white walls with a bare white floor.
But after a planned $14,000 renovation that will occur during the next three years, the multisensory stimulation room will be transformed into a captivating haven for the school?s autistic students.
A snoezelen room is a specially designed facility ? originated in the Netherlands 30 years ago ? that uses lights, aromatherapy, music and tactile sensations to soothe students.
“It?s an environment that would probably be calming for just about anybody. For a person with autism, it can also help them focus,” said Jennifer Repella, director of information for the Autism Society of America. Autism is a disability that hinders the development of social and communication skills.
“It allows teachers to connect with a child and engage them in learning,” Repella said.
One machine has been ordered for the room that behaves and looks like a large lava lamp. The Interactive Bubble Tube will stimulate students by letting them press buttons that speed up or slow down a flow of bubbles and transform their hue between red, green and orange.
“Before, we had a couple hundred dollars of equipment all patched together,” said Ken Williams, adaptive resource teacher for the Anne Arundel County school system. “We designed the new room with a true understanding of how it should work as a whole.”
All of the money for the renovation was raised by parents of students at Central Special School, Williams said.
“We have tremendous support from parents. A lot of the parents are almost like family,” Williams said.
Improvements like those at Central Special, a school for special education students aged 3 to 21, are becoming more crucial, as the county deals with an abundance of autistic students.
There are about 571 students with autism in Anne Arundel County Public Schools, school system spokesman Bob Mosier said.
