Giving Compass' Take:

• Sensory-friendly classrooms are proven to have positive effects on student learning and behavior. 

• Although some sensory-friendly classes require more funding,  there are options for educators to make smaller changes that do not need extra financing. How can education administrators work on making more sensory-design changes accessible to all schools? 

• Read about the success of sensory-designed schools for students with special needs.


Sensory-friendly design — which means controlling the sights, sounds and scents in a classroom that can over- or under-stimulate students, especially those with special needs — can be built into a new classroom or used in adapting an existing one, Disability Scoop reports.

Minnesota’s Northeast Metro Intermediate District 916, for example, has built several new schools that were designed to be sensory-friendly by incorporating shortened and curved hallways to discourage running, venting ducts in the hallway rather than in classrooms, and including breakout rooms for one-on-one sessions or as a quiet space for students. The result has been fewer behavioral issues and higher student achievement.

For students with special needs, these elements may be even more important because many of these students are more sensitive to their environment and outside stimuli. Students with autism, for instance, react more positively to predictable environments designed to engage their interest.

While many schools do not have extra funding for elaborate remodels, there are several aspects of classroom design that require little additional funding. For instance, rearranging classroom furnishings to create well-defined activity spaces can help students transition from one activity to another and allows for more movement in the classroom.

Read the full article about sensory-friendly classrooms by Amelia Harper at Education Dive