Florence Cty, SC: Sensory room created to "reduce discipline issues"

Feb 5, 2018, Florence, SC, SCNow: Early Childhood Center in Lake City cuts ribbon for new sensory motor room http://www.scnow.com/news/article_0760e532-0ac8-11e8-a156-3fb739dc6922.html Just as some adults need coffee in the mornings or need to go to the gym before starting their day, children sometimes need a sensory diet, too, said Florence County School District Three Special Education Director Cheryl George. And the school district now is accommodating the diet of children with disabilities through a new sensory motor room at the Lake City Early Childhood Center. A special ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the school Monday morning for the district’s first sensory room. … When a student is not in optimal learning state, it can look like impulsiveness, fidgeting, low frustration, incomplete work, falling asleep and a variety of other things. The sensory motor room at the Lake City Early Childhood Center is designed not only to engage learning but also to reduce discipline issues. George said if students are “just right,” they are ready to learn and are not engaging in negative behavior. Equipment in the room include peanut balls for bouncing, stepping stones, gel floor tiles, a barrel roll, a punching bag, jumping boards, calming flexible lights, a Thomas the Tank Engine tent and sensory bins, among other things. … George said she hopes the district’s next sensory room will be at Ronald E. McNair Junior High School. “We’re looking at, of course, more expensive equipment because the kids are bigger,” George said. “So that’s going to be a huge endeavor to figure out what those children need over there.”