No matter your age and ability, COVID-19 has brought a lot of uncertainty and disruption over the last year. Fortunately, multi sensory environments have been specifically designed to support and encourage those with varying abilities to continue learning in a peaceful and engaging environment. Using an immersive learning environment as a supportive sensory aid for those with autism and other sensory processing disorders provides many benefits. Let's take a closer look at what an immersive learning environment is and their benefits.
An immersive environment is a multi-sensory room that is purposefully designed to transform the user into a new environment. An immersive learning environment allows the user to be captivated by the projections around them. This creates a relaxed and calming environment; a very important safe space to escape to during the current pandemic.
An immersive learning environment is a new and exciting experience for all ages and abilities to engage and develop colour recognition, communication, concentration or fine and gross motor skills.
A multi sensory environment engages all users' senses to let children and adults with sensory and learning difficulties progress with objectives. Multi sensory rooms let the user get directly involved with the equipment around them as they have complete control of the IRiS technology to change their surroundings with the press of a button. This makes each lesson instantly more fun!
It can be difficult for those with autism or sensory needs to cope with a change in their routine following the Government's national restrictions. However, multi sensory environment's can be personalised and altered to reflect users' needs best. The user can completely relax from the outside world as they engage with their surroundings as they take in the visual scenes, smell new aromas, hear new sounds, and experience colour in a whole new light.
As a teacher or carer, you can create a fun and unique learning environment using the visual displays around the room to help achieve the lessons outcomes. For instance, you can change the room's scene, so the user is surrounded by projections of space, the ocean, a forest or even snowy mountains.
Although the COVID-19 national lockdown means that most public venues are closed until further notice, an immersive learning environment is an inclusive space for all ages and abilities. Regardless of ability, the user can control and change the colour of any sensory IRiS listener with the press of a button on an IRiS talker.
When libraries or special and mainstream schools re-open, students with needs such as autism will benefit from the multi-sensory environment as a space to de-escalate from everyday sensory triggers. An immersive learning environment is a purposefully designed sensory aid in one place to engross the user's curiosity and emotions to experience a truly magical sensory room.
Being able to adapt to learning and working from home is essential to ensure the user continues to learn at the same rate as before COVID-19. However, for those with sensory needs, working from home can be a difficult change to adjust to. With most educational settings being closed until at least the Spring, a multi sensory environment creates a tranquil and soothing environment to engage users' senses whilst learning from home.
An immersive learning environment is perfect for all learning locations, whether in nursery's, schools, libraries or at home. For the user to experience the visual wonders of colourful fish, divers and coral reefs in the Wanderlust immersive room, all your space needs are three plain walls to allow for the projections.
For those with autism or other sensory-related disorders, an alteration in daily routine can be difficult to deal with. COVID-19 has brought many uncertainties, from multiple lockdowns, navigating social distancing, working from home, staying indoors and not knowing when our normal routine can resume. A multi-sensory immersive learning environment is a great sensory aid for those with autism to have a safe and comfortable environment designed for their needs to overcome daily obstacles. It's a space where any individual, regardless of how they see the world, can gain relief and most importantly have fun!
We understand that a certain sound, smell or colour might trigger a sensory overload. In our MiLE controllable immersive sensory room the child or adult can use the IRiS talker to pick their preferred colours for the rooms atmosphere and colour changing bubble tubes to support their concentration and encourage social interaction skills.
Immersive learning environment equipment, like the IRiS qube and IRiS colour selector deluxe, is often touched, pressed and played with. Therefore, it's no surprise that you want to ensure that all multi sensory equipment can be thoroughly cleaned to avoid any germs being passed from one user to the next. Fortunately, our sensory equipment can be easily wiped down, cleaned and sanitised to ensure your sensory room is a safe space for all.
And there you have the benefits of immersive learning environment during the current pandemic. At Experia, every multi sensory environment can be personalised to each user's needs to create a bespoke and personalised experience. If an immersive multi sensory environment would benefit the user you have in mind, please don't hesitate to get in contact with one of our friendly experts.
