A Johannesburg remedial school has taken therapy to another level by installing a state-of-the-art sensory room designed for children with special needs.

The Snoezelen Room at Bellavista School is the first of its kind‚ to be installed in the country. Designed to enhance sensory stimulation‚ the room is separated into two parts‚ each with unique visual components‚ and enables the children to control the lighting.

The soothing dark UV section is designed to be a quiet room‚ with a dark colour UV carpert‚ black ceiling and walls.

The section is suitable for children with visual impairments or those with autism who have difficulties in making eye contact.

The second section is an interactive white sensory room‚ designed to create a feeling of being in a magical white wonderland with special lighting effects‚ sounds‚ movement and touch stimuli.

A sense of tranquily is created to awaken children’s senses.

The school’s occupational‚ remedial and speech therapists‚ as well as some teachers‚ were trained by Michele Shapiro of Beit Issie Shapiro in Israel ahead of the room’s installation.

Shapiro said the concept of the room was created for recreational purposes in Holland in the 70s‚ and later adapted for therapy.

“We learn through our senses‚ but some people with learning disabilities are either over stimulated‚ or under stimulated. The Snoezelen Room helps to balance this out‚” said Shapiro.

Shapiro’s research has found a 50% reduction in distress and stereotypical behaviour‚ and 75% less aggression and self-injury in the Snoezelen environment.

Five-year-old Jamie Abrahamsohn’s face lit up immediately as he walked into the Snoezelen Room for the first time yesterday.

Abrahamsohn smiled as the colours of the UV Superactive LED Bubble Wall in the dark room and those of the fibre optic cables changed at his command and touch.

“I love the changing colours; they look and feel nice. I like that I can change the colours on the bubbles because I can change it to my favourite colour – blue.”