Sensory Playground Therapy brings personalized play and care to children with autism
Sensory Playground Therapy has been in Englishtown for 14 years. Therapist Sean Cooper says playtime is a way for kids to work on their social skills.
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April is Autism Acceptance Month. This is a great time for people to learn more about autism and shine a spotlight on the everyday efforts to be inclusive.
Sensory Playground Therapy has brought personalized play and care to kids in Englishtown for 14 years. Occupational therapy is one way they engage with their young clients.
"Sensory playground was built on the concept of sensory integration a lot of these children have special needs, especially autism," Nicole Gasparo, Sensory Playground co-owner said.
Therapist Sean Cooper says playtime is a way for kids to work on their social skills.
"Taking turns is a huge thing," Cooper said. "Knowing that, 'Oh, we're in the middle of a game, we need to stay focused, and we have to be able to participate in order to engage with other kids.'"
Gasparo said that the activities are different for each child.
"They have all specific needs," Gasparo said. "Each piece of equipment is tailored to each child and what their needs are."
She said that it's important for people to know that autism is not a one-size-fits-all label.
"Some kids are high functioning," Gasparo said. "Some kids could be social. Some kids just have the sensory component to it. It all depends. It's a big spectrum, and lots of kids just fall in different areas of the spectrum."
That's why the different pieces of equipment cater to a variety of sensory experiences.
