People in wheelchair arms up in air at sunset

Spaces For Multi-Sensory Learners and those with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities

Helen Edgar (Autistic Realms) and Ryan Boren (Stimpunks) have been exploring radically inclusive learning environments. Cavendish learning spaces are based on flexibility, interaction, movement and the role of embodied responsive experiences. We reject the boundaries of traditional classroom settings and look at how they not only restrict embodied experiences but lead to disembodied experiences and can cause harm.

We have been inspired by Thornburg’s (2012) concept of alternative learning spaces, where he explores the idea of caves, campfires, and watering holes. We are promoting embodied, person-led learning experiences and spaces which offer psychologically and sensory safe environments and opportunities that are responsive to a person’s needs at any given time. For those with profound and multiple learning disabilities, these spaces will look, sound, feel and even smell different for each individual person and group.

Cavendish Learning Spaces for Multisensory Learners and those with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities:

Caves: Spaces for quiet reflection and self-directed or inter-dependent exploration, recovery and rest.

Campfires: Spaces for learning with a storyteller — teacher, mentor or carer.

Watering Holes: Spaces for social learning with or alongside peers and carers.

Embodiment: to stay present in our own bodies to sensations, emotions and the external environment without going into dysregulation without going into fight/flight/freeze/fawn.

A radical change to learning spaces is needed to enable people to be embodied, feel safe and feel liberated enough to explore and be curious about the world around them in which ever ways work for them and their sensory bodyminds. We can work and learn in infinitely creative ways, but we need to be embodied in order to do that. To feel embodied, you need feelings of safety; people need to value strengths, validate difficulties, and provide support where needed.

The work by McGreevey et al.(2023) based on the Life World Model by Todres et al. (2009) applies equally to health care and education and we believe it can be exteneded far beyond autistic young people to meet the needs of everyone and multisensory learners. It offers a humanising framework for everyone, not just autistic people. Everyone deserves to feel a sense of togetherness and have their journeys make sense so they have as much agency and autonomy over their learning journeys as possible and a rich meaningful life.

The foundations of a trusting multisensory environment

What do people see?

What do they feel?

What do they smell?

What do they hear?

How can they move?

How can you create a sense of place, meaning and belonging?

How can you cultivate an ecology of care, trust and safety?

A human need is “an innate and in-built requirement for each human to thrive ….”

It is clear to me that in order for something to be classified as a need, it must be something that universally drives all humans to some extent, and in certain circumstances, in order to thrive. Thriving as a human does not and cannot be a perfect state of being because nothing is permanent, nor would it be best served by being static. Therefore, at the most basic level, humans need to be regulated. They need to oscillate between states within a spectrum and to constantly correct towards relative balance.

Wilding, T. (2023, October 8). What is a human need? Human Needs. https://human-needs.org/theory/what-is-a-human-need/

Aspects of being human that need regulation include:

  • Physical body
  • Emotions
  • Senses
  • Cognition
  • Psychology

Understanding that every human needs to be regulated is a good start, but more detail in useful and careful categories will make this much more helpful. For instance as Wilding suggests within psychological regulation, we need:

  • Regulation of the other areas include:
  • Protection
  • Predictability
  • Connection
  • Recognition
  • Novelty
  • Autonomy

Niche Construction

Cavendish multisensory learning spaces are spaces of niche construction inspired by nature that enable EVERYONE to thrive. In nature, we help ensure the thriving of an organism by directly modifying the environment to enhance that organism’s chances for survival. We can enhance a person’s chances for success and a rich sensory experience by creating niche spaces.

In his book, Neurodiversity in the Classroom, Thomas Armstrong argues that the concept of neurodiversity is a “concept whose time has come.” What he means by this is to re-imagine how special education is constructed in our education system. The idea Armstrong highlights in his book is called, “positive niche construction” (PNC). Armstrong proposes this idea as an alternative to the more classic idea of “least restrictive environment” (LRE).

Reimagining Inclusion with Positive Niche Construction

Positive niche construction is a strengths-based approach to educating students with disabilities.

Reimagining Inclusion with Positive Niche Construction

Each person’s and each group’s Cavendish space will look and feel different depending upon their needs. For those with profound and multiple learning disabilities, we need to consider how sensory differences, physical impairments and medical needs may also impact people’s learning experiences. We need to adopt a neurodiversity-affirming strengths-based approach when setting up personalised learning environments and be open and flexible to changes that will be needed.

Consider each individual person’s:

Likes and interests

Multisensory profile

Access to resources

Communication aids

Positioning and comfort

Health and wellbeing

Cavendish Spaces

The rest of this article will share some examples of how you can adopt the ideas of Cavendish Space with multisensory learners in your own setting or at home. We encourage you to involve people in planning and creating their own cave, watering hole and campfire spaces as much as possible. It is important to spend meaningful time together before creating a space and not plan for people and make too many assumptions. It is important the Cavendish Space creators/ carers and the person whom the space is intended for really know each other. The sensory learner needs to feel comfortable and trust the person they are working with above and beyond anything else.

The double empathy problem (Milton, 2012) creates a huge gap in and between many intersections of society. The gap between the lived experiences of those with multiple learning disabilities and their carers with differing physical, cognitive and sensory experiences and perceptions to them means that trust and developing meaningful connections and relationships are even more important. People with profound and multiple learning disabilities may not be able to communicate verbally using speech however, they can communicate in other ways, such as eye pointing or reaching out with a body part, vocalising or using other bodily responses. It is often down to the love and deep connection of a carer just ‘knowing’ what a particular sound, look, eye movement, facial expression or body response means that we are able to interpret their likes/dislikes and know when they are experiencing pain or joy or when may need a break and some downtime by themselves to rest and recover or for other changes to happen so their needs are met.

We need to cultivate an ecology of care and co-create environments for multisensory learners to help create a sense of belonging and to create spaces where love and deeper connections and relationships with others can grow and enrich and expand their multisensory learning experiences and promote good well-being and enhance their quality of life. We need to create spaces filled with trust so people can experience joy and learning opportunities in a safe way. We can do this by listening to people’s voices/actions/movements and by being responsive to their needs and being responsive and alert to the sensory experiences that may spark joy, excitement and glimmers of curiosity, awe and wonder.

By setting up different environments, people can move and be supported to move through different experiences as needed. For those with profound and multiple learning difficulties, it is important to acknowledge that they will need more time and space to readjust in preparation for any transition and also when settling into new surroundings. It can be really helpful to consider using Objects of Reference / Tactile On-Body-Signing alongside any other speech or augmentative alternative communication support that may help people begin to understand something new or different may be happening and to help develop understanding. A consistent communication method will help create safety and reassurance.

Examples of Cavendish Learning spaces for multisensory learners / those with profound and multiple learning disabilities:

Caves:

Spaces for quiet reflection and self-directed or interdependent exploration, recovery and rest.

Try creating personalised dens; you could personalise this space by adding a scent a person likes or responds well to so they begin to associate the scent with their cave space, which can help to create a feeling of safety and familiarity over time. Simple changes can make a big difference, such as lighting, textures or materials and the surrounding noise/sounds. For some people, their cave space will need to be a shared space to enable co-regulation and to meet needs; carers have to adopt the role of a space holder (Aldred, 2023) so they can help facilitate rest and recharge time in the best ways possible for those they are with.

Examples of Cave Spaces:

Over a bed: use a frame structure with lights/materials / favourite sensory toys nearby or hanging over so people can reach for or explore with different body parts.

On the floor: use a tent so a person’s physio equipment can be inside if needed (e.g., side-lyers / positioning wedges/cushions/beanbags or wheelchair/standing frame). For those who enjoy sensory lights, you could add a projector for light effects and have a basket or favourite items near by or attach items by Velcro or hang down from poles so they can reach out/ look or explore if able.

On the floor: use a large photography or golf umbrella and place it on the floor so a person can lie underneath. This can create a quick and easy way to create a portable cave space. You can easily transport this into other rooms as you change environments through the day so they still have a safe and familiar space. You can expand learning by attaching motivating or interesting times such a windchimes, ribbons, ballooons, mirrors or other media that are interesting for stimulation and to widen learning experiences.

Try hanging a large hoop on the ceiling or using curtain tracks to hang different-themed shower curtains. This can create a nice, cosy den that can fit one or two people inside (ensure you consider the size of wheelchair/standing frame or other seating needed). If you choose white material, you can use a projector to change the images to suit each person’s interests, depending on how they engage.

Remember as a carer and cavendish space facilitator you need to be responsive, check in with people and change things as needed / move together into other spaces as needed.

Campfires:

Spaces for learning with a storyteller — teacher, mentor or carer.

To learn, engage and be able to respond to external stimuli, people have to be as physically comfortable as possible and have their needs met. Changes in position and care routines are important to consider. It takes time to develop relationships and understand needs at this deeper level. By opening up communication and connection in an embodied way, it allows for a deeper understanding a person’s whole bodymind. Embodied connections and approaches like intensive interaction can be a great et to know someone and foster more meaningful relationships and, better learning opportunities. The frequency of care routines means that these regular interactions can help develop trust and a better understanding of communication. Outside of careroutines people need their own safe spaces where they can just be, process, recharge and rest which is why Cave spaces are important alongside Campfire experiences.

Campfire spaces allow opportunity for lateral progression with carers. They offer time and space to explore diffferent sensory experiences and next steps and a rich learning experience. How this looks will depend upon each person; for example if they show an interest or some joy in listening to music or certain sensory experiences you could extend this laterally into other their other routines and activities (eg light up toys, musical toys, simple cause and effect responses, massage sensory touch experiences, or certain textures/scents or movements).

Examples of Campfire Spaces and activities:

Campfire space construction will depend upon the individual’s well-being. It may be a nice idea to incorporate a person’s physio plan into their ‘campfire experiences’ and try to time events around any medical interventions/feeding /positioning that may need to take place. The following activities can be easily adapted for different positions and care needs of people if you take time and plan things ahead.

Natural treasury baskets

Dance Massage

Messy Play (dry/wet/warm/cold / food / non-food/combination of textures /scents /colours)

Story Massage

Multisensory Stories

Rhyming Multisensory stories and more..

Themed sensory explorations, e., moon sand, shaving foam bubbles, exploring percussion instruments, switch-activated toys and technology

Watering Holes:

Spaces for social learning with or alongside peers and carers.
Watering hole spaces and interaction will depend upon the individual’s needs and well being at the time. Much like campfire experiences, if caregivers plan ahead, they can create meaningful moments in the day for people to be with their peers when they may feel more comfortable, be more alert and interested in others. Even if the person is not showing much awareness of other people, I believe there is still great value in being together in shared spaces so people get to experience a sense of togetherness and belonging as part of a community. Belonging and togetherness is something that can only really be felt, it is about having a good quality of life and rich human experiences with others. Watering holes can also be a wonderful opportunity for co-regulation, exploring and experiencing things together, a shared space allows connections to develop at a more profound emotional level and share presence and love.

Examples of Watering Hole Spaces and activities:
Being responsive and thinking about access to resources is really important. It is also essential to consider the positioning and practicalities of people sharing spaces, e.g., two or three people in wheelchairs/people lying or sitting next to each other on floor level or in their standing frames. Whilst practical considerations are important it is not the governing factor, some people will naturally gravitate towards being with some people more than others and that needs to be validated and respected too.

Setting up activities people can access, experience, and share together can be really meaningful and bring joy. It is an opportunity to build relationships and form new connections and can enhance some learning experiences. The following activities can be easily adapted for different positions, and people’s care needs if you take time and plan things ahead.

Shared sensory messy play

Shared trays or mats of paint to explore with different body parts

Baskets or a hanging clothes rail with musical instruments or sensory toys on for both people to share and engage with / reach out for with feet/hands/ arms

Create a shared multi-sensory environment — use projectors on the floor/ceiling/add scents/other sensory resources to create different experiences, e.g. Winter Wonderland, SeaSide, and Woodland scenes.

It is really important that supporting adults/carers work with people and share the space, too, so they can adapt and change resources so that people do not get overwhelmed or left with an activity or sensory resource they no longer want to engage with or dislike.

Cavendish learning spaces are embodied, responsive spaces that can help create feelings of safety, trust, and belonging. They can be spaces of familiarity and comfort, such as a person’s Cave, but they also offer opportunities for shared experiences in Watering Hole environments and to learn and be supported by others in Campfire spaces. We have listed a few ideas below for further reading. We encourage you to explore Cavendish Learning Spaces together and co-create meaningful, valuable embodied sensory experiences that add richness and meaning to people’s lives to support their wellbeing.

For more ideas and signposting:


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