Feature Article February 26, 2004
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Snoezelen room will benefits students throughout the northern Limestone board
NAEC to get unique educational tool
Thanks to the efforts of staff volunteers, with financial help from the Ronald McDonald Foundation and fundraising by the Parent Council, North Addington Education Centre (NAEC) is set to become the second school in the Limestone School Board to outfit a multi-sensory Snoezelen room. Students with a variety of disabilities, including autism, developmental delays and attention-deficit disorder will benefit from the many elements that make up a Snoezelen room.
The word Snoezelen is comprised of the Dutch words for to sniff and to doze, and is based on a concept developed in Europe. At NAEC, the Snoezelen room will be a 22 by 16 room that will be outfitted with a hanging leaf chair, special mats, a device that produces touch sensitive fibre optic strands, a light bubble machine, and other equipment. All of the equipment is designed to be easily manipulated by anyone, making no demands on the participant. They are designed to allow participants to experience self control, autonomous discovery and exploration-achievements that overcome inhibitions, enhance self esteem and reduce tension according to the documentation provided by Flaghouse Canada, the company that produces Snoezelen materials in Canada.
Three students from NAEC were brought to Prince Charles School in Napanee once a month to use the Snoezelen room there, and Cindy Matson, who was working with a student who has multiple physical and intellectual delays, noticed a tremendous effect in her students ability to relax, and ultimately, to learn. She approached other members of staff and put together an application to the Ronald McDonald Foundation for a grant. The school received $25,000 and the Parent Council is now spearheading a drive to raise the other $11,000 that is necessary for purchasing the equipment and having the room outfitted. Matson, who is now working for the Early Years Centre in Kaladar, is hoping to be able to book time in the room for pre-school children once it is set up.
The room will be servicing students from Sharbot Lake High School and its feeder schools, as well as NAEC and Denbigh PS students. Chad Taylor, the student support teacher at NAEC, says information was gathered from all the schools that will use the room about the kinds of exceptionalities their students are dealing with, in order to custom design the room for the particular needs of this region.
Cindy Matson says Snoezelen rooms have the ability to calm children who are hyper-active, and stimulate children that are otherwise unresponsive.
The room can handle up to three children and two support staff at a time. Participants move through the apparatus at their own pace, and staff are trained to enhance the educational experience without pushing the participants in any direction.
There has been much research into the effects of Snoezelen rooms on diverse populations, from the very young to the very old, since it was developed some 20 years ago. Snoezelen rooms are common in seniors homes, where they are beneficial for those suffering from dementia or depression, but as a condition of the Ronald McDonald Foundation funding, the NAEC room will only be used for children under 21 years old.
The room which will be outfitted is having some necessary electrical work done on it this week, and the order will go into Flaghouse Canada by the end of the week. It is expected the Snoezelen room will be open for use by late March or early April.
Fundraising for the remaining $11,000 is being spearheaded by Wendy Thompson of the NAEC Parent Council, and as of early this week about half of the money has already been raised through service clubs, parent councils and others. A major fundrasing event, a silent auction, is slated for April 3 at the Flinton Recreational Centre. Already a wide variety of items have been donated, from cement work to a leaf blower, but the council is still looking for more. Those interested in donating items should call NAEC at 336-8991 or Wendy Thompson at the Interior Zone at 336-0012. Cash donations are more than welcome as well.
