A new sensory room in Aberdeen for children with additional support needs (ASN) is offering a lifeline for families with “nowhere to go.”
The ASN sensory room at Kincorth Community Centre is the brainchild of Claire Rose.
Claire’s sons Harry, 12 and Danny, 7 are both autistic non-verbal.
“They were my inspiration behind it all,” she said.
“There was nowhere for my boys to go that wasn’t judgmental of their behaviour.
“So I started up an ASN playgroup. But for my youngest son, it’s sometimes a bit overwhelming for him: the noise, the lighting and so on.
“That’s when I decided to create a sensory room that’s a bit more calming.
“It’s just somewhere kids can be, and have some time out, while still being out and about and part of the session.”
New Aberdeen sensory room a reaction to dearth of facilities for ASN families
Claire fundraised £3,000 for equipment and the interiors. Her partner, who is a painter and decorator, was roped in to help out, which kept costs down.
The sensory room is now ready to go, and Claire is ready to open it up to the public “as soon as possible”.
Eight committee members and six volunteers will keep it running.
Claire explained the dearth of facilities for ASN kids, not just in Kincorth but across the city and beyond.
“It’s not just Kincorth, we’ve got people from Cove, Bridge of Don, there’s even someone who drove all the way from Mintlaw, who come to my play sessions. So there’s clearly a need for this kind of thing.
“Not having these facilities is really detrimental. It’s perhaps difficult for people who don’t have someone with autism in the family to understand, but it can be very lonely.
“It’s hard to access things, there’s a lack of playschemes or groups or even speech therapy.
“And it’s hard to access financially, or you’ll be put on a big waiting list.
“I looked into play sessions during the holidays for my kids, and they were completely sold out within five minutes.
“And so that leaves thousands of people thinking, ‘what am I going to do with my children?’”
‘You’re almost like outsiders’
Part of the thinking behind the new sensory room is giving families with ASN kids a safe space where their children can play and be themselves, without judgement.
Something Claire herself has struggled to find, having been through difficult moments with her children in public play areas.
“I used to take my sons down to Duthie Park.
“Mainstream families say, ‘oh, going to the park’s a great day, a happy day, and it’s easy to do.’
“Well, I went to the park with my two sons and my oldest used to tap people on the shoulder to say hi, because he can’t talk.
“One time, the mum of a boy he’d tapped on the shoulder came over to me and instead of letting me explain, she just said ‘stay away from him’, and pulled her kid away.
“That really upset me, it made me feel like everyone was looking, and we just left the park.
“It’s stressful, you’re made to feel like you shouldn’t be there, or your child shouldn’t be there.
“You’re almost like outsiders.
“So this sensory room will make a massive difference for families.”
‘You don’t need to keep apologising for your child’
As well as opening the sensory room up to families with ASN children, Claire is looking into hiring it out to ASN groups, or even individual children who want to go there with their parents or a teacher.
A number of ASN groups have visited Kincorth to see the new facility for themselves, and their enthusiasm has convinced Claire she’s done the right thing.
She also highlighted that it will give parents of ASN children the chance to connect, in what – as she said – can be a lonely existence.
“We’ve had some ASN groups in to have a look, and they’re like: ‘This is absolutely amazing.’ The kids all love it.
“It’s just a wonderful place to go for all those families who are in the same situation. You don’t need to keep apologising for your child.
“And just sharing ideas with each other, like sleep, or toilet training for example, which is really difficult for children with autism.
“You feel like you’re the only person in the world going through it, but once you meet all these other people going through the same thing, it’s a sigh of relief. You know you’re not alone.
“There aren’t enough places where these kids can go and be safe and just be themselves in a non-judgmental environment.”
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