The Effect of A Multisensory Program on Children with Autism

• Main Authors: See Ching Mey, Lee Mui Cheng, Lee Woey Ching
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development 2015-07-01
• Series: International Journal of Child Development and Mental Health
• Subjects: Autism; Children with special needs; Multisensory
• Online Access: https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/cdmh/article/view/64250
• ISSN: 2286-7481; 2586-887X

Children with autism often show a wide range of difficulties in sensory processing where they might experience over or under sensitivity to sound, touch, taste, smell and light. There is a need to provide appropriate sensory stimulation or comfort to help children with autism to integrate their senses and have more pleasurable interactions with people and their environment. Snoezelen® is a multisensory environment that provides a range of sensory stimulations that are tailored to meet the needs of children with autism. The multisensory environment provides direct and indirect stimulation of sensory modalities and can be used individually or collectively to provide sensory training. The purpose of this study was to experiment with the use of equipment in the multisensory program, as an intervention approach to provide appropriate sensory stimulation or comfort in a sensory environment that addresses the sensory processing needs of children with autism. The study focused on three main sensory areas - visual, auditory and tactile. The study comprised of six children with autism from ages 5-8 years old. Each autistic child attended an hour session twice a month over a year (24 sessions). The findings show that children with autism improve in their visual, auditory and tactile sensory functioning, using a structured program. The children learn to follow instructions, understand specific concepts, and became more aware of their surroundings.