June 28, 2019, South Florida Sun Sentinel: Synagogue preschool’s sensory room provides pathway to learning https://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/broward/fl-jj-coral-springs-temple-beth-orr-sensory-20190703-20190628-h36s45kqzveormfahuzewzqehm-story.html A sensory room at Temple Beth Orr's Kuhn Early Childhood Center in Coral Springs has benefited children who need time to regroup, be redirected or are just on overload. Nina’s Sensory Room and Computer Lab, opened in May in dedication to a deceased beloved teacher named Nina Tanner. The room, which features sensory items and computers, has been used by preschool children who are enrolled in TBO’s Early Childhood Center and Camp Yeladim. Eileen Kaplan, the synagogue’s ECC and camp director, said that the whole idea for the room is to turn the lights off, play soft music and have aromatherapy. "A lot of kids just need some extra play time," she said. "For example, their playtime ended too quickly in the class and now they're upset and they have a little meltdown, so we bring them in here to this sensory room as everything here has a feel to it. There's sandpaper, carpeting, bouncy toys, kinetic sand and other kinds of similar stuff. The kids need that kind of stimulation."… “I’m a special ed elementary school teacher, so I’m really familiar with a lot of the sensory items and I work a lot with children who have ASD [autism spectrum disorder] and who need a lot of that sensory type intervention. I’m familiar with it, and I know it works with preschoolers, both with and without disabilities. It’s something great for them to be able to do, so when Eileen brought the idea to me, I said that of course I will help her and put the room together. I thought it would benefit my children and everyone at Temple Beth Orr.”…
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Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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