Within This Issue
The theme for this issue is Sensory Experiences and it attracted a wealth of fascinating and varied articles. Flo Longhorn starts us off with a short history of multisensory education. Articles describe children with complex needs engaging with dance, taking part in theatrical performances, and creating images and sounds through movement sensitive technology. Then there is the research into the musicality of children with PMLD and the development of a Music Curriculum to provide a path for possible musical progression. Focussing on the sense of touch, there is a case study describing the effect of warm, frequent, physical human touch on a child with extreme PMLD and this piece includes a review of the situation on physical contact issues. Touch, and how children with complex needs and visual impairment can be encouraged to explore and find objects, is considered in a later article, and there is a description of new tactile books currently being trialled for these children. The pros and cons of using a Sensory Room are re -visited and whether other simpler cheaper equipment might be just as effective. Another writer describes how she used a simple resonance board to create a communication game with a very young child with PMLD. There are also papers on auditing sensory exposure to reduce stress, and a useful list of resources for helping staff to identify and alleviate an individual’s sensory difficulties. Finally there is a celebration of the work of Phoebe Caldwell on Intensive Interaction.
