Occupational Therapy in the Snoezelen® Room: Teachers’ and Therapists’ Knowledge and Perceptions

Abstract

Introduction: The Snoezelen® room, which is a multisensory environment, is often used in conjunction with sensory integrative techniques. Many children who experience learning difficulties also have difficulty with sensory integration. Therefore, it can be deduced that the Snoezelen® room may be of great support in the treatment of sensory integration difficulties within occupational therapy sessions. Research has documented positive outcomes of children’s performance in the multisensory environment. However, little research has suggested the notion of skills being carried over from the multisensory environment into the classroom or home environments. Aim: The aim of this research was to investigate teachers’ and therapists’ knowledge and perception of the changes in children’s performance following occupational therapy in the Snoezelen® room. Method: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. It was completed in two specialised school environments, whereby a purposive sampling was used to select teachers and therapists who have worked with children who receive occupational therapy intervention in the Snoezelen® room. Once ethical clearance was received, data were collected using a survey created for the purpose of this research study. Results: Teachers and therapists with diverse professional experience had good prior knowledge that aligns with the principles and recommendations commonly found in MSE research. Strong positive and significant correlations were found between the total impact of the Snoezelen® room and the level of arousal of the children, as well as their behaviour and their scholastic performance. Participants ranked the biggest change following occupational therapy in the Snoezelen® room as improvement in a child’s level of arousal, which appeared to be ‘just right’ for hours upon returning to the classroom. Conclusion: It is beneficial for schools to have a Snoezelen® room. Sensory input did cause change in a child’s level of arousal, which is then transferred to an external environment such as the classroom. Most teachers and therapists perceive that the Snoezelen® room positively changed behaviour and scholastic performance, through improving level of arousal. Thus, the acquisition of self-regulation skills lays the foundation for positive classroom behaviour and academic performance.