Schmieding Foundation Sensory Room to serve students, faculty, Arkansas and beyond

In the College of Education and Health Professions Speech and Hearing Clinic, a new sensory room will benefit practicing healthcare professionals, students and community members thanks to a donation from the Foundation Schmieding.

This new facility, which has now officially opened after a year of planning and construction, will function as a research and training space enabling students and current professionals from several health-related disciplines (nursing, sciences and disorders of Communication and Occupational Therapy) to learn and grow, and as a service to families in Northwest Arkansas who have children and adolescents with sensory integration needs.

The Schmieding Foundation Sensory Room features a wealth of state-of-the-art sensory and observation equipment that will help provide faculty and students with an ideal space for assessment, intervention, and research participation. Bubble tubes, mirrors, fiber optics, a sensory swing and more will be used during intervention sessions to enhance sensory processing.

“This new sensory room provides our students and families with many opportunities to deepen understanding of sensory processing differences and evidence-based treatment strategies,” said Michele Kilmer, assistant professor of nursing and founder of the Access program. for Autism. “The room has been designed to provide services to all age groups and can be modified to meet the specific therapeutic needs of each individual.”

“We are very excited to provide caregivers with a hands-on experience to learn and practice sensory strategies to integrate into the client’s daily routine, thereby increasing the value of therapy offered by researchers and teachers,” she added.

Spending time regularly in sensory rooms can help children improve their sensory processing and teach them to self-regulate and focus. Due to a significant lack of training and qualified professionals, families can find themselves on long waiting lists for assessment and intervention for their child.

The Sensory Room represents a unique partnership opportunity between the Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and Communication Sciences and Disorders programs in the College of Education and Health Professions. Together, hundreds of graduating students from all three programs will directly benefit from classroom training each year.

In addition to the abundance of training and research opportunities for students, faculty members anticipate being able to create training videos for students and professionals who work with children and adolescents with special needs. sensory integration. These videos could benefit programs and professionals in Arkansas and beyond.

In May 2023, the Schmieding Foundation donated $100,000 to develop a new sensory room and purchase equipment that would enhance student training resources and support research excellence.

From left, Dean Kate Mamiseishvili, Schmieding Foundation President Lance Taylor, and Department of Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy Head Fran Hagstrom cut the ceremonial ribbon for the Sensory Room.

“We are pleased to once again partner with the University of Arkansas to create the Schmieding Foundation Sensory Room,” said Lance Taylor, president of the Schmieding Foundation. “The sensory room is expected to help students in the College of Education and Health Professions gain additional experience and also help children in Northwest Arkansas by expanding assessment and therapy services.”

The Schmieding Foundation’s new sensory room will go into operation this summer, with training already underway for faculty and graduate students.