School sensory spaces are for everyone

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When I was principal, my assistant principal and I took over an unused classroom and built a sensory space in it. We created places where students could move around and quiet areas where they could relax. Students could visit the sensory space whenever they felt like they needed to “wake up” or otherwise regulate themselves.

One of my students had a strong need to move, and recess wasn’t enough. His restlessness was worse when he was nervous and had a lot of anxiety about reading. Sometimes he would ask his teacher, “Do you mind if I go read in the movement space?” In the sensory space, he would prop his book up on the handlebars of a stationary bike and my assistant principal Nichole Schlagel or I would meet him there so he could read to us while he pedaled.

By the end of the year, his reading improved and his confidence grew to the point where he decided to stay and read with his classmates. He was very excited to show his teacher what he could do. His disciplinary worries also decreased, because he was learning to regulate his emotions and stand up for himself instead of acting out.

“Sensory spaces have complemented our ability to meet the unique needs of all students,” said Schlagel, now principal. “They provide the opportunity for students to learn to manage what they are feeling and needing at any given moment. Students can begin to recognize their needs and, over time, do not need to rely on the sensory items or spaces that have been made available to them. Our students become more confident and develop a deeper sense of self-resilience.”

Success stories like our student reading on the stationary bike, as well as schools’ renewed focus on social-emotional learning in recent years, have led many educators to see the value in providing sensory spaces. However, creating them in practice can seem like a daunting prospect for many. To help you get started, here’s some background on how sensory spaces help all students (and teachers), as well as some best practices for planning and creating your own sensory space.

How Sensory Spaces Benefit All Students

In the past, sensory spaces were primarily used in hospitals, psychiatric centers, or therapeutic settings, but in recent years I have seen them more frequently in educational settings. In schools, these spaces have primarily been seen as tools for neurodiverse students, because they can directly support them in the challenges they face at school. A student with sensory processing issues, for example, may require additional downtime throughout the day to sort through all the information they have taken in.

A neurotypical student may be able to take in all the information without needing extra downtime every day, but all students, all people, need extra support at some point. Everyone should have the opportunity to visit a calming space, a social space, or whatever space they need when they need to self-regulate, even if they don’t need that support every day. Ideally, schools would have more than one sensory space. The goal is always to meet students where they are, and a space just provides an opportunity to meet them. This is no different than what we should be doing academically.

Every school has a continuum of services for students with different abilities. One student may be highly gifted and also have autism issues. One general education student may have physical challenges, and another may need an aide throughout the day. I would encourage educators to think about sensory spaces in the same way they think about the continuum of services they already offer. What are the different environmental needs of their students, and what kind of spaces do they need to meet them?

Sensory spaces can meet the needs of many different students, but if 40 students try to use a relaxation space at the same time, the purpose of the room is defeated. A hallway gathering spot, on the other hand, could accommodate more people as well as some social noise and other activities. Even in general instruction, a student should be able to say, “I’m paying attention, but I need to do some movements,” and then ask to change his or her seat to a wobbly stool, soft seat, or standing desk.

In addition to being tools for regulating students' moods and emotions, sensory spaces help them learn to do those things on their own, as well as to advocate for themselves. Sensory spaces help students understand where they need to be and how they can help themselves to accomplish whatever they want to do at a given time.

Planning your sensory spaces

The first step in designing sensory spaces for your school is to set goals and make sure all stakeholders are on board. Goals for students may include calming, calming, self-organizing, sensory integration, individualized sensory input, self-regulation, controlling emotions, or improving communication.

To help define goals and guide further planning, find neurodivergent adults in your school who are comfortable sharing their ideas. Also ask students what they need. Check in with a representative group of people from the school, including special education teachers, school psychologists, general education teachers, wellness coordinators, and your principal, just to name a few. Everyone will bring different perspectives, ideas, and even resources to help plan spaces that meet a variety of needs.

For example, general education teachers may notice that their students seem very stressed before a test and suggest a space in their classrooms to help them relax. District-level staff may have suggestions for spaces that align with a larger vision for the district. I always advocate for creating sensory spaces for teachers as well, because sometimes they need to self-regulate too and should have input into the space they will use.

Where to create a sensory space

A sensory space can be a quiet corner in the back of a classroom that students can visit to get away from classwork or take a break from interpersonal interactions. This type of place can include a canopied bean bag or some type of corner furniture, along with a quiet sound machine to help reduce noise from outside the space.

Hallways can get crazy, so one type of sensory space could be a place between classes where students can sit and socialize. You could even install a small enclosure with acoustic panels to dampen noise, along with soft or curved furniture to encourage socializing. In large enough hallways, you could even have places where students can sit and work, perhaps with a table or a few small desks grouped together, making it useful for intervention work during class time, too.

Support for teachers and students

In any new environment introduced to a school, providing professional support is essential. Teachers need to understand the goals of any sensory space, when students can access it, and how to use it. Spaces that are customizable and flexible can meet many needs for many students, and teachers and administrators need to know how to adapt those spaces to meet different needs.

Introductory professional development might begin with the idea that sensory spaces are neither a reward nor a punishment. Students and educators need to feel comfortable seeking out what they need before becoming dysregulated. Sensory spaces are no different than furniture, pencils, or manipulatives in a classroom: they are tools that students and teachers can access when they need them.

Once they have learned how to use these spaces, educators will be ready to teach students how to use them as well. For example, the time to visit a sensory space is before A student is so overwhelmed that he or she cannot handle his or her surroundings. Therefore, it may sometimes be appropriate to check in with a student to see if he or she needs to visit a space, as trained educators may see triggers or other clues to a student's emotional state that the student has not yet learned to identify in themselves.

When students need support, educators need to be there to meet them. Sensory spaces not only do that, but they also help support students as they learn to advocate for their needs, whether sensory or academic. In the end, the two go hand in hand. Students who are happy and excited to be in school are more academically successful, and academically successful students are happier and more excited to be in school.