New sensation: NEDSRA creates room to help children with sensory needs

Whether it's banging on a drum or engaging in a quiet, peaceful activity that's needed, the Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association now has a Sensory Station to help children with disabilities explore their senses.

NEDSRA Recreational Coordinator Colleen Cline was inspired to create the room after learning about the positive effects such facilities have on people with disabilities, especially those with autism. Working with an $8,000 budget, she developed the Sensory Station using an underused art supply space at the organization's center in Addison.

The roughly 2,500-square-foot room is filled with ropes, elastic bands, a tactile board, texture tables and a variety of furniture and substances that children ages 1 to 18 are invited to experience.

In addition to its many tactile experiences, the Sensory Station also includes colored lights, a dimmer switch to change the mood of the room, and mirrors.

Cline said the room was designed to adapt to a child's needs.

"Typically autism is a sensory-processing disorder," she said. "Depending where on the spectrum a person falls, they might need more sensory stimulation or less."

Some children want to sit in a chair and play with a sensory ball, and some want to bang on an instrument and be loud, Cline said.

The room is available for use between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and families are invited to sign their children up for staff-supervised half-hour time slots in the space.

Among the towns served by NEDSRA are Lombard and Villa Park.

Costs range from $25 for five visits to $50 for 12 visits. Cline said parents also can sign up for Sensory Sensations, a Wednesday evening program designed for the new space.

Hoffman Estates resident Nabila Kane already has purchased five sessions for her 13-year-old daughter, Aleeza.

Though the Sensory Station was designed with individuals on the autism spectrum in mind, Kane said her daughter, who has cerebral palsy, also has benefited from the room.

"I'm glad I went because I realized that even though Aleeza is high functioning and doesn't need the same type of care other kids do, she still has issues with balance and coordination," Kane said.

NEDSRA staff helped create a customized plan for Aleeza, using the room to improve her strength, motor skills and hand-eye coordination, Kane said.

While she initially felt a little too old for the Sensory Station, Aleeza recently went by herself and had a lot of fun, Kane said.

The room offers a unique experience for a variety of ages and disabilities, and so far, it has been very well received, Cline said.

"You can kind of see [the children] just go in and relax," she said. "They know they can pick what they want to do, play with what they want to play with. When they are in the room, they love it."

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Learn more

For information about the Sensory Station or the Sensory Sensations program, visit NEDSRA's website at nedsra.org.