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Devereux awarded $4,000 grant to create sensory room for youth with disabilities
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Devereux was awarded a $4,000 grant from Macy’s, Inc. to create a sensory room for youth at Devereux Pennsylvania’s Children’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services center.
The grant was used to purchase items including a bean bag sofa and chairs, yoga mats, massagers, music, fiber optic lights and activity books for adolescent boys enrolled in a residential treatment program.
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Devereux Advanced
Behavioral Health
was recently awarded a $4,000 grant to create a sensory room for youth with
emotional, behavioral and cognitive differences at Devereux Pennsylvania’s
Children’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services (CIDDS) center.
The
grant, from Macy’s, Inc., was used to purchase items including a
bean bag sofa and chairs, yoga mats, massagers, music, fiber optic lights, and
activity books for adolescent boys enrolled in a residential treatment program
at Devereux Pennsylvania CIDDS.
Sensory
rooms are designed to either calm or stimulate the senses of individuals with
intellectual and developmental disabilities and other special needs through the
use of special lighting, music and objects.
“Our
youth absolutely love their new sensory room and we are grateful to Macy’s for
helping to make this dream a reality,” said Devereux Pennsylvania CIDDS
Executive Director Carol Anne McNellis,
Psy.D. BCBA. “The room has opened up a new world for the individuals we
serve, providing a safe and calming space for them to go when they are feeling
overwhelmed, stressed or anxious.”
Benefits of utilizing a
sensory room
Sensory
rooms provide a supportive therapeutic environment where individuals can self-soothe
and regulate their behaviors and emotions. McNellis said additional benefits for
the individuals we serve include:
- Heightened
awareness and alertness
- Improved
focus and concentration
- Increased
cognitive development
- Improved
coordination and motor development
- Mental
and physical relaxation
- Improved
communication and social interaction
“The
sensory room has something for everyone,” McNellis explained. “Some of our
youth will sit in a bean bag chair and listen to a sound machine or soothing
music to relax, while others will engage in more interactive activities, such
as drawing, coloring or putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The benefits are
endless.”
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