All shook up, vibration in the sensory room

Many years ago, I visited the DeHartenburg Institute in the Netherlands, the birthplace of Snoezelen, the original sensory room. One of the rooms I saw made a great impression on me. It was not how it worked, it didn’t, but the concept behind it. The room was largely taken up with a raised dais. Beneath this were two powerful speakers, beefed-up versions of those used in the large early discos that had sprung up in the UK in the late sixties. These were so positioned that their output played directly onto the underside of the dais. The user had a microphone taped above their heart, and the heartbeat was played through an amplifier to the speakers. The intended result, as I explained above, which I did not actually experience, was that the room vibrated in sync with the heart. The problems at the time of my visit were entirely technical with the equipment, surely now sorted out. I have often wondered why this imaginative idea has not been developed elsewhere. Maybe it has. If so, I would be interested to know whether the results have been satisfactory.

What is unquestionable is that vibration has a fascination to many with special needs. It has been observed that the shaking of the washing machine is an attraction. Our vibrating snake has been a staple of our listing and that of our many trade customers for over twenty years. The vibration caused by the bubbles in a bubble column and probably by the pump itself can lead to clients resting their cheek against the plastic column.

While the `’heartbeat room” does not appear to have caught on much, if at all, vibration and particularly resonance has a strong presence in many sensory rooms. A massage mat or a floor pad is an inexpensive option. More immersive is a musical water bed where the base notes provide a rippling sensation. Enjoyment is an important part of the sensory room experience, and by making vibration available, we are enhancing it.

Tony Tidmarsh

Chairman and founder, TFH Special Needs