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What is a Snoezelen and Sensory Motor Room?

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

Everyone has various sensory and movement needs. That’s why it’s important to create a safe and welcoming environment that meets clients where they’re at to ensure they can learn and thrive to the best of their ability. The Snoezelen Room and a Sensory Motor Room at Surrey Place is meant to do just that.

Snoezelen Room

A Snoezelen Room works by allowing individuals to control their environment to best meet their sensory needs. The Snoezelen Room at Surrey Place can change sound, colour, and frequency depending on what clients need. Inside the room, there are also fibre optic cables, tactile panels, vibrating rugs and other sensory stimuli items. The room is a chance for staff and clients to better understand how the nervous system affects everything we do.

The focus of the Snoezelen Room is all about connection, building rapport and providing a calming space for clients. The Snoezelen Room allows clients to take ownership of their environment, with the support of clinicians and staff. Clients who might otherwise be overwhelmed or distracted are now able to have a space where they have control over the environment and what will best suit them.

“Having a Snoezelen room at Surrey Place has created an environment where clients can take the lead which really allows us to support them with these strategies and self-advocacy.

Amy Tran, Occupational Therapist (Children & Youth)

Sensory Motor Room

A Sensory Motor Room acts similarly to a Snoezelen Room by focusing on sensory needs but with the integration of motor needs. The room allows clients to work on movement in fun ways.

The Sensory Motor Room at Surrey Place is equipped with swings, mats, trampolines, sit and move cushions, yoga balls, and other types of movement equipment for clients of all ages to engage with and move around in a safe space. Our Sensory Motor Room is used for occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and different types of group and 1-to-1 sessions to provide clients with an environment that suits their sensory andmotor needs.

We can adapt the physical spaces and plan programs to meet clients where they are. When clients are better able to engage, caregivers and clients are better equipped to take more away from their services block to reach their goals.

Rachel Gottschling, Occupational Therapist (Autism Services)

Visit our website to learn more about our services like occupational therapy and physiotherapy

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By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO