The “Alternative spaces” section of “Multiple Multisensory Rooms: Myth Busting the Magic” offers guidance on creating sensory spaces on any budget.

A striking similarity in these books and studies about accommodating the senses is the power of the dimmer switch.

One of the most powerful features of a multisensory room is the ability to control the lighting.

Multiple Multisensory Rooms: Myth Busting the Magic – 1st Edition – Jo

It may come as a surprise to some people that the most noted feature of a multisensory room by my interviewees was the darkness of the space, not the sensory nature of it or the ability to exact control over equipment and experience cause and effect. The ability to make the room dark was most commonly cited as being the thing that made the difference in causing the response or promoting the relaxation.

Multiple Multisensory Rooms: Myth Busting the Magic – 1st Edition – Jo

Artificial lighting was a major source of sensory distress identified in CAMHS inpatient environments. Good natural light, a view of outside, natural space, user-controlled switches and a range of lighting options can all support self-regulation in the sensory environment.

Full article: Improving the Sensory Environments of Mental Health in-patient Facilities for Autistic Children and Young People

Soft lights and dimmer switches, rather than hard lights.

CAMHS Emotional Wellbeing Report

Classrooms should be fitted with dimmer switches as standard.

Neurodiversity-affirmative education: why and how? | BPS

Darkness and Control

Recently I completed an 18-month research study that looked into the use of multisensory rooms in the UK currently. As part of this study, I asked practitioners to identify what aspects of their multisensory rooms gave them their power. Together, we identified 12 features of effective sensory rooms; many of these features can be replicated in improvised sensory spaces for a fraction of the budget.

Two of those features identified as being critical to the effectiveness of people’s multisensory rooms in my research, were darkness and control.

Darkness – participants in my research sited the ability to achieve blackout in a multisensory room as underpinning much of the focus and attention and calming responses they saw within their multisensory room.

Control – the fact that multisensory room users were able to control the sensory experiences they experienced in a multisensory room themselves, was cited by participants in my research as being critical to the success of the rooms. Control does not have to be a high-tech thing. Control can come from amazing remote-controlled effects, electronic buttons, or it can come simply from holding a torch oneself or from banging on the space blanket and changing the way it looks and sounds for oneself.

Alternative sensory spaces: the essentials | Parenta.com

We make dimmer recommendations and other recommendations for accommodating the senses in our piece, “Creating Cavendish Space on a Budget”.