(03-06-2012, 10:01 AM)owensmum Wrote: does anyone use anything like bubble tubes fiber optics at home?

My son loves going to our local snoezelen and using the star tunnel which is a blacked out UV room and also the two rooms that have bubble tubes fiber and heated vibrating water beds in. [snip]

Am I really mad to be wanting to create a chill out zone? Is it really that odd to think of that sort of equipment for a sensory seeker/sensory defensive child? He also has dyspraxia so gets tired and achey easily and has hypermobility so often wakes up in pain.

Goodness! I understand the core of your message, but there's definitely an ocean gap between us! ;-) What is a snoezelen?

In a limited way, I agree with the OT that you don't want a full-blown therapy room at home, but I definitely would give my child a "chill out zone". We have certain OT tools at home - therapy ball for sitting on, mini trampoline for bouncing out the stress, special lights in the room where my son spends the most time. I'm focused on making his home my son's "safe place" - no food he is allergic to in the house, adjusted lighting, etc. but we still do some OT work at home. The full OT program is reserved for when he goes for his session, and I think replicating that at home would actually be a stressor for my son: he'd fell like he never could get away from OT.

We may be dealing with totally different issues, so what I see here might not fit well for you, but I would just select a few elements of the sensory room for the home, and not go for the whole thing.