Snoezelen multisensory rooms can be highly effective resources for helping students regulate their emotions and giving them a sense of control over their surroundings. To get the most value out of these learning environments, however, teachers, therapists, and other staff should be well versed in how to guide students in the use of Snoezelen equipment.
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, a school system with about 6,000 students in California’s Central Coast region, worked with School Specialty to design, furnish, and equip a Snoezelen multisensory environment for children in its Marie Bauer Early Education Center, and the room is making a big impact in helping students self-regulate so they can focus and learn. A key component in the district’s success is the professional learning that School Specialty experts provided to help district staff use the room effectively.
“A room is only as successful as the way we use it,” said Heather Wahlberg, the center’s director. “We wanted to make sure our staff felt empowered in knowing when to use which types of tools and for what purpose.”
Matching Students’ Needs with Appropriate Interventions
A key advantage of hiring School Specialty to help design, furnish, and equip educational spaces is the knowledge and expertise that company employees bring to the job. School Specialty Learning Environment Specialists are former educators and school administrators who understand the wide-ranging needs of today’s students—and how learning environments can effectively support those needs.
Not only does School Specialty excel at designing and equipping learning environments for success, but the company also provides training to help school staff leverage these environments to meet their learning goals.
The Snoezelen room at Marie Bauer Early Education Center was completed in February 2025, and in March, the school hosted a full day of professional learning for all staff members, as well as district occupational therapists and school psychologists.
During this training, attended by about 50 people in all, School Specialty Category Account Manager Alessandra Pucci and Educational Strategist for Special Education Lynnette Cornett explained the theories behind using Snoezelen multisensory learning environments and shared practical advice on when—and how—to use the room’s equipment with students.
They talked about the seven different senses that children develop, including the five senses traditionally taught—as well as balance (vestibular) and body awareness (proprioception). They discussed the needs of students who have low sensory input (sensory seekers), as well as those who find too much sensory input overwhelming (sensory avoiders). And they demonstrated how various items in the school’s new multisensory room could be used to help students with sensory processing disorders self-regulate, such as swinging gently back and forth on the platform swing to calm down or using pressure rollers or weighted blankets for more sensory input.
“When we’re looking at aligning appropriate practice and support, it’s important to understand each child’s special learning needs and match them with an appropriate intervention,” Cornett said.
Laying the Foundation for Success
Wahlberg characterized the professional development session as “wonderful,” adding: “Now that teachers are getting more comfortable with the materials and their uses, the room is being used really well. Teachers and support staff are feeling more empowered to use the room when students are dysregulated.”
As a result, students are spending less time dysregulated and can focus more effectively on instruction.
Paso Robles Occupational Therapist Kerry Schmidt has been able to build on the training that School Specialty provided by modeling the use of sensory equipment and materials for teachers who need further support.
“The School Specialty team did a great job of laying the foundation,” she said. “We’re very lucky to have this space, but it takes time to model its use.”
Pucci noted that it can be overwhelming for teachers to be introduced to new products and not know how to use them. Professional development is critical in helping educators plan how to use the space effectively.
“Snoezelen rooms are spaces for students to explore and have control over their environment, but it should be a guided learning experience,” she concluded. “Teachers need this type of training to ensure they’re giving students a successful experience.”
Creating a sensory space in your school actually helps support students in spending more instructional time in class. A well-equipped multisensory room allows students to hone in on the exact type of self-regulation or stimulation they need, which also enables them to get back to class in less time. Discover how to design a multisensory space tailored to your school’s specific needs with the help of our Inspiration Gallery.
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