Multisensory Frequently Asked Questions

All of our senses, sight, sound, touch, smell and taste provide us with the basis for our understanding of the world around us. If one or more of these senses are impaired the world is less accessible and our level of understanding of it all decreases.

A Multi-Sensory Environment encourages and stimulates the senses supporting interaction, discovery and communication all enabling an increased awareness of our surroundings. These environments can focus on particular senses through special sound and visual effects, tactile experiences, vibration, use of aromas, use of music and all in any combination.

In the late 1970's the innovative concepts behind a MSE began, developing originally only for people with learning disabilities. These inventive spaces were designed to relax the person while allowing exploration in a relaxing safe environment. Since their humble beginnings, MSE's have developed dramatically and now more emphasis is placed on interaction and giving the person control over their own surroundings. These days their use has become popular for children, adults and the elderly with special needs, learning difficulties, people with dementia, brain injury and terminal illness.

Multi-sensory rooms have been shown to enhance sensory development, increase hand/eye co-ordination, promote language development and encourage relaxation. They have become stimulating places that allow an escape from everyday life. The aim is to create a non-threatening environment where users don't have to perform any specific activity, just enjoy the sensations and experiences.

MSE's include light rooms, dark rooms, soft play areas, multi-sensory rooms and multi-sensory gardens. At Multisensory PlaySafe we design all our MSE's specifically for each individual user and their own personal requirements.. With our enthusiasm, experience and expertise we can make the perfect multi-sensory environment for your loved one whether you choose to convert or update a room, build a garden or adapt an area of a room.

A multisensory room can be a dedicated room or can be established within a curtained or partitioned off area. In this space lights, sound and a variety of special effects can be directly controlled by the participants, or set to run automatically.

The Multisensory PlaySafe team have created over 1,000 multisensory environments over the years and have gained invaluable experience in delivering the perfect multisenory environment for their customers. Whether you require a small multisensory environment within a larger area, or a dedicated multisensory area, the Multisensory PlaySafe team will work with you to design, develop and install the perfect environment to meet all of your needs.

A light room, (or white room as they are sometimes known) uses light and sound within an environment of white walls and furniture to calm, relax and stimulate an individual. Colourful lights can be used to produce a world of colour and imagery. Imagine an area of soft white easy to clean floor pads, with relaxing music playing in the background; we can add vibrating elements to enhance the whole experience. A light room is a blank canvas where the only limitation is the imagination.

A dark room (or black room as they are sometimes known) also uses sound and light but in a black setting. The black surfaces do not reflect light making brightly coloured items easier to identify, which helps a lot with certain visual problems. Ultra Violet light and UV reactive paints, shapes and fabrics can be used to great effect in a dark room. This powerful sensory experience has proved very therapeutic for people with varying difficulties from moderate to profound needs.

Soft Play Areas are possibly what we at Multisensory PlaySafe are best known for. We design, make and install each soft play area individually using only the best of materials; obviously they meet the most stringent safety requirements and are available in a huge range of colours. We can even add your child's favourite cartoon characters in a plush finish onto the vinyl panels. We make and fit wall and floor pads, ball pools, chairs, sofas, steps, whatever you want to make the soft play area an ever changing stimulating safe area to explore challenge and play.

A multi-sensory room is designed to cut out noise, control space, temperature and lighting. These rooms promote feelings of well being and pleasure using multi-sensory equipment to stimulate the senses. Through maximising someone's potential to focus, they can help change behaviour, increase attention and add to feelings of well being and positive self-esteem. They can also be a place where someone can relax, control stress, anxiety or pain. In reality a multi-sensory room gives people control for possibly the first time in their lives.

A multi-sensory garden replicates the interactions available in a multi-sensory room but in the great outdoors. The colours, sounds, aromas and textures combined with the fresh air, all add to the experience and stimulation of the senses.

Research has shown that as well as being pleasurable for the user a multi-sensory environment can:

• Develop and enhance tactile skills
• Increase awareness of the surrounding world
• Help develop communication skills and relationship building
• Maximise use of residual sight and hearing

Make a call to our information line on 01299 250669 and arrange an appointment for one of our team to come out and visit you. You will have chance to discuss your requirements and ideas and what you want the space to achieve. We will take all the measurements and assess the best options. We will then send you a quotation and drawing of your proposed area. If you like what you see, we then arrange to come and install it when it suits you best. What are you waiting for?

Multisensory PlaySafe offer an extensive and innovative range of multisensory contemporary educational toys and learning products for children from 0 – 18 years. Please call us on 01299 250 669 for more information or visit our online shop.