If elementary student Sarah Rudko is feeling stressed or anxious, she doesn’t have to let it impact her schoolwork.
She steps into the sensory room at Edmonton’s Elmwood School, a place where she can go to regroup or take refuge for a while.
Rudko was diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder when she was a young child. She becomes anxious, emotional and has trouble concentrating when her senses are overwhelmed by loud sounds, bright lights, or even some kinds of clothing.
‘We knew that … it would be a great space to serve our children, and it has done that.’ – Karen Keats Whelan, Elmwood School principal
The room helps students with unique learning needs. These include students with autism, students who are non-verbal, or anyone overwhelmed by loud noises and bright colours.
It’s outfitted with fibre optic curtains, a marble wall, vertical tubes with coloured bubbles, and the lights are dimmed.
Rudko can go to this room at any time, and emerge less anxious, more confident, and ready to tackle the day.
The space is something Elmwood principal Karen Keats Whelan would like to see in other schools.
“It enabled her to get back to learning and back to being the best that she can be,” Keats Whelan said.
“We knew that … it would be a great space to serve our children and it has done that.
“They’re restorative in nature. They … get them right back to where they need to be.”