Many schools now have sensory rooms, de-escalation rooms, OT rooms, or motor rooms-but these spaces, often labeled and used interchangeably, actually serve very different purposes. There is a growing trend to rely on sensory rooms as universal solutions for regulation and de-escalation, yet this is a problematic, research-disconnected practice that may undermine student development and safety.
Defining the Space and Its Purpose
Sensory Room: Designed to offer desired sensory input, supporting sensory preferences and sometimes participation in calming or stimulating activities.
De-Escalation Room: Intended for use only during crises when a child requires a safe environment to regain control.
OT/Motor Rooms: Spaces for developing fine and gross motor skills under therapy guidance.
Each serves a distinct purpose; confusion between them leads to widespread misuse and conflicting outcomes for students.
Where Schools Get It Wrong
Currently, sensory rooms are often the default intervention for disruptive behavior, positioned as an intervention for de-escalation or calming. This is not evidence-based. Using a sensory room as a response to undesirable behavior (removing a student from class or situation and sending them to a preferred sensory space) actually reinforces that behavior-making it more likely to occur in the future, not less. Children are especially sensitive to behavioral reinforcement, and when access to a desirable sensory space is contingent on challenging behavior, schools inadvertently worsen the very challenges they intend to address. While this comes from a place of compassion there is a high chance for unintended harm.
What the Research Supports
The only evidence-based sensory practice for individuals with autism is Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI), which goes beyond mere exposure: it targets motor planning, sensory tolerance, and functional use of sensory input through carefully structured, personalized interventions guided by a highly trained OT. General sensory spaces used as behavior management are not evidence-based for improving challenging behaviors-nor are they substitutes for functional skill instruction.
How Sensory Spaces Should Be Used
Integrate as part of proactive support for sensory or motor planning needs, never as a reward for problem behaviors.
Pair the use of sensory rooms with positive behaviors or skill-building opportunities, reinforcing the socially significant behaviors.
Rely on comprehensive sensory needs assessments and professional guidance to design and deliver activities within these rooms.
Ensure staff receive adequate, research-based training-not just on equipment, but on using spaces in a way that builds independence and does not reinforce disruptive/interfering behaviors.
What Different Spaces Are Really For: Practical Examples
De-Escalation Room:
Typically an empty, safe space. The goal is protection-reducing stimulation and physical risk during crises (like meltdowns or aggression). There should be minimal sensory items; this space offers safety, not reward or engagement. Example: A bare, softly lit room potentially with padded floors and walls, possibly with neutral, calming colors, used strictly when a student’s escalation poses a safety risk until they regain self-control. *Being mindful of escape functions when this type of response can be reinforcing.Sensory Room/Space:
A space equipped with items such as swings, textured objects, bubble tubes, and soft lighting, intended for proactive sensory exploration, regulation, and motor skill-building. It should not be used reactively in response to unwanted behaviors, as this can reinforce such behaviors. Example: A student who communicates appropriately or meets behavior goals may access the room for a sensory break as part of their reinforcement of replacement behavior or effort. It can also be part of a daily routine or schedule of activities. (not as a sensory diet which does not meet criteria as an evidence based practice).Best Practice: Sensory spaces can be a positive tool when students are taught how to earn or request access (with verbal language, picture exchange, or AAC), and when use of the space itself is explicitly taught-learning to take turns, follow safety rules, and engage appropriately.
Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI):
Requires specialized certification and training for occupational therapists and is generally delivered in a clinical setting-involving individualized assessment, structured activities, and ongoing skill progression focused on motor planning and adaptive responses to sensory experiences, not merely calming. Schools must ensure that only trained OT providers deliver true ASI interventions.
Sensory and Motor Breaks: Not a Behavior Solution
Sensory spaces should reinforce desired behaviors-not serve as a reactive escape/access. When students are allowed/encouraged to use sensory rooms in response to escalated, disruptive, or dangerous behavior, that behavior may be accidentally strengthened (because it results in access to a pleasant break). Instead, teach students to:
Request preferred activities using appropriate communication.
Access sensory inputs after exhibiting or practicing desired skills.
Learn routines for entering, using, and ending time in the sensory room.
In summary, the mere presence of a sensory room does not make a school inclusive or effective for students with sensory needs. Appropriate use is proactive, evidence-based, and focused on skill-building, not reactive removal in response to challenging behavior. It is time for agencies and schools to bridge the education and training gap, using these spaces to foster progress rather than inadvertently reinforce the very obstacles students are facing.
Progressive ABA Training: Staff-Wide Knowledge Is Critical
True change comes when every staff member understands basic behavioral principles-including reinforcement, punishment, and antecedent strategies-not just those in specialized support roles. Schools must:
Provide training in progressive ABA approaches that focus on teaching and strengthening socially significant behaviors, not just managing problems.
Ensure each team member understands behavior functions, contingencies, and can differentiate between reinforcement and punishment, as well as recognize the long-term impacts of each.
Foster collaboration and a consistent approach to reinforce positive behaviors and teach essential skills for independence and quality of life for each individual, ensuring students with autism and developmental differences have the support needed for durable, positive change.
When staff apply progressive behavior science and use school spaces intentionally, students are empowered to learn real skills-for regulation, communication, and daily living-leading to greater autonomy and long-term success.
For information on how to do this contact:
(949) 287-3683
practicalsolutions.jw@gmail.com
_____________________________________________
info@psbiacademy.org
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