Charlotte Varcoe
A NEW sensory room has opened at Miroma Cottage to help those learn how to regulate emotions.
Those who attend Miroma Cottage will now have access to a private room with light installations, galaxy projectors, a bubble tube with interchanging colours and fibre optic cables for clients to run their fingers through.
The room also has a range of sensory toys and tactile floor mats.
Miroma Cottage service support officer Melissa Ratzlaf first began working towards the room last year after receiving a small donation.
She said upon receiving the donation she began researching sensory rooms with the idea growing into what it is now.
“It started off as a small donation then it grew into researching for grants but by chance of having our van evaluated we were approached by Barrey Maney CWV committee who gave us a fantastic donation which made it all possible,” Ms Ratzlaf said.
“I did not need to apply for grants in the end and so for about six months I researched and visited other sensory rooms, spoke to the parents of the children we have in our service to see what would work and came up with this.”
She said Miroma Cottage had a number of children who came to the facility regularly as well as young adults and emergency respite.
“This room will help when the children who come here are overstimulated or need to regulate their emotions and help calm themselves,” Ms Ratzlaf said.
“That is the main focus of this room so the children who come here have a room to go to when they cannot regulate their emotions.
“I am really looking forward to seeing how the children react with the room and how they use it and how happy they become from it.”
Miroma Cottage executive officer Anneliese Bates said she also felt “wonderfully happy” to have the room open and operating.
“This is going to be a room which will be used everyday and it is a purpose built room particularly for the children we support with low-functioning autism and high sensory needs,” Ms Bates said.
“This will be a specific place where they can calm themselves down and regulate themselves as we provide support, particularly for little children, in this facility and all the children we support are currently non-verbal so they cannot speak to us about what they are anxious about.”
She said the children were typically “very much into their own routine” and sometimes when coming to the cottage after school they could be “out of sorts”.
“If they are able to go into a room with some calming lights and everything, they can sit there and be able to regulate their emotions and calm down without needing to communicate,” Ms Bates said.
“Anybody who feels overwhelmed needs to be able to have the tools to regulate their feelings but particularly with autism and those that have no language.
“The children who come here have to be able to be in an area where they can remove themselves when it all gets a litt bit too much for them to be able to calm down.”
The room will now be open for all children and young adults who visit Miroma Cottage.
