At the heart of every sensory room are calming sensory lights. Sensory lights providestunning effects and help to create stimulating environments for all needs. For autistic users, autism-friendly lighting in a sensory room can improve a child's focus and attention to detail while in a fun, relaxing and safe space.
Those with needs such as autism, ADHD, Alzheimer's, dementia, and sensory processing disorder (SPD) can feel a lack of control in this world. That's why calming sensory lights are among the most effective products for those who need a controlled sensory environment to focus. Many interactive sensory lighting options encouragea sensory solution to create a calm and relaxing space.
Let's explore the best autism-friendly lighting for a multisensory room, including bubble tubes, projectors and fiber optics. We discuss how calming sensory lights can assist those with sensory needs and the many benefits of fiber optics.
Autism-Friendly and Calming Sensory Lights For Sensory Rooms
Sensory light products have a range of benefits to the user, from the tactile experience with fiber optics to developing visual senses with bubble tubes. For those with autism, calming sensory lights help users interact with their environment in a safe and fun way, as lights can bring anyone joy.
The correct lighting with sensory products helps to promoteinteraction and development for users with a wide range of sensory disorders. The user can witness tantalizing and calming sensory lights in asensory room with just one or two of our favorite sensory lighting options. These include:
- Bubble tubes
A sensory bubble tube is one of the most useful and calming autism-friendly lights on the market. With bright and colorful bubbles, bubble tubes are a great tool for developing skillsets such as visual tracking, auditory awareness, cause and effect, and social interaction. Abubble tubeis a key component of any autism-friendly sensory room to create a fun and engaging sensory experience for any age.
A sensory room's bedrock is abubble tube, positioned in a corner and placed in front of mirrors. Bubble tubes grab the attention of a user with their calming sensory lights and effects. They can calm or stimulate those who engage with them due to their moving, color-changing bubbles, which cansoothe and catch users' eyes. The user of a sensory bubble tube can change the color of the light themselves to offer a mesmerizing experience that's both soothing and alerting with the use of an IRiS talker paired with any IRiS model bubble tube. Bubble tubes come in calming andinteractive modes and are available in various sizes to suit any need or budget.
- Projectors
Autism-friendly lighting can be projected onto walls, floors, ceilings and mirrors to create stunning effects to improve orientation through visual stimulation. Whether you need to add more visual stimulation or emphasize communication in your sensory room, a sensory light projectoroffers the perfect solution which can prompt discussion through themed storytelling.
Projectors provide an element of movement to a sensory room, and the effects can be changed regularly to keep the space interesting. Aprojectorwill project light onto your walls, ceiling, or floor to display imagery and createtheatmosphere you'd like in your environment. You can isolate a projector to one wall or move the projector across the room to offer a full multisensory room effect.
- Mirror balls
For those with autism, mirror balls reflect light to splash it onto your walls, ceiling, and floor to create a therapeuticmultisensory experience. Mirror ball lighting does create dazzling, stimulating and calming sensory lights across any room. They are a relatively low-cost and fun way to add some pizzazz to your sensory room. However, a mirror ball might not suit everyone, depending on your child's needs.
- LED strips
LED light strips help direct soft lighting wherever you wish to create a calm and relaxed atmosphere. LED light strips can be mounted on to the wall to produce a color wash of intense colors. This creates a special effect for users, regardless of the sensory room location.For those with autism or who are non-verbal, color changing LED strips are a useful way to communicate their emotions.
- Fiber optics
Sensory fiber optic lights create a fabulous visual effect while being tactile and safe to touch. Calming or interactivefiber opticsappeal to all ages and abilities, including those with autism and other sensory disorders.
Fiber optic sensory lightscreate calming sensory lights in various forms, from strands to sprays, curtains, and even carpets. Drape your fiber optic strands across a chair, beanbag or mount yourcascadefiber optics for a compelling effect. You could lay afiber optic carpeton the floor to encourage motor planning and floor work. What's more, fiber optics utilize small fiber optic filaments that transmit light without the use of electricity. They contain LED light that can be touched and manipulated, making them inherently safe with no need to change any lamps!
The Benefits of Fiber Optics
If you walk into a multisensory room, you will more than likely see the very attractive, color-changing sensoryfiber optic strands. These spaghetti-like light strands can take on the form of various presentations and are very useful for stimulating both vision and touch.Fiber optics come in a range of designs for those with sensory needs to be engrossed in the lights, from sensory corner showers and more.
The benefits of fiber optics are endless, but here are some of our favorites:
- Sensory fiber optics can be used to entice individuals to interact with their sensory room environment.
- Fiber optic light helps those with neuro differences such as Autism, ADHD, sensory integration dysfunction, learning differences, andAlzheimer's.
- Fiber optics benefit sensory integration and sensory processing to allow those with sensory challenges to engage with their environment.
- Fiber optics provide a unique and personalized experience.
- It's a chance for users to get close to touch and engage with the fiber optics.
- Fiber optics provide a stimulating yet safe interaction without electricity or heat.
- The sensory interaction is relaxing, bright, and colorful.
- Fiber optics encourages a cause and effect
- Fiber optics can be placed in classrooms, office waiting rooms, sensory play areas, bedrooms, and living areas.
- Sensory fiber optics are super easy to set up and provide hands-on lighting for everyone to enjoy.
- Fiber optics are the perfect tool for calming and reducing anxiety and alerting and engaging those who are withdrawn.
Autism-friendly lighting should be at the heart of your sensory room to encourage increased mood and help engage all senses. If you want the lights to go even further, place mirrors around the room for the light to bounce off. This will help the calming sensory lights to be reflected for a more immersive experience.
Experia USAsupplies a wide selection of autism-friendly lighting so that you can create a custom sensory room suited to the user's needs. Please don't hesitate tocontact ustoday; our knowledgeable and informed team is dedicated to providing the best possible sensory environment for you. For further sensory resources, our blog is a great place to start.
