Play

It can be difficult to find suitable play activities for children who have disabilities and sensory impairment.

Sensory room

Most children’s hospices have sensory rooms which is a special room designed to develop a person’s sense, usually through special lighting, music, and objects designed to enhance experiences of touch and smell. It can also be used as a therapy for children with limited communication skills.

You can buy sensory lights, bubble tubes etc to have at home, and, using your imagination, you can use every day objects creatively to give your child a sensory experience. For example, if you are reading a story about going to the beach you could have some sand, water, buckets and spades to use to tell the story. Play specialists (Condition Management, with symptoms, Services, Play Specialist) can help with ideas of sensory play.

Soft play areas

Soft play areas can be a really good resource for those with disabilities and some centres will run special sessions for children with disabilities.