Stacey Givens, founder of Make A Way, talks sensory rooms

Published 2:00 pm Tuesday, August 16, 2022

The sensory rooms at schools across Limestone County “help to bring (students with sensory needs) back to a state of normality,” said Stacey Givens, founder and chairman of the Make A Way Foundation.

Students who display coping mechanisms such as hand flapping, jumping, pacing, rocking, and other mannerisms when experiencing overstimulation or a buildup of energy can use the room’s features, such as a spinning wheel and mini trampoline, to burn energy and recenter themselves in a productive manner.

“Then there are other children who need to come in and they’ve had too much stimuli and they need just to relax,” said Givens.

Bean bags, a hanging tent, dim lighting, and soft padding provide a safe, quiet, and comfortable area for an overstimulated student to retreat for a few minutes and relax before returning to their classroom.

After returning to the classroom, “they have reduced anxiety and stress, and they’re able to focus better,” said Givens.

Both of these situations are proactive.

“We give them this opportunity before they have a meltdown, before they get overloaded. That’s the real goal, is to have kids come in and take a break before their anxiety kicks over the edge,” said Givens.

The room also provides a place for a student to come if they are already in the midst of having a meltdown.

“If a child is in a meltdown, they can come to these spaces and release their anxiety,” said Givens. “Eventually they’ll get to a calm place, and they’ll chill for a little bit and then go back to the classroom.”

Givens began her journey founding Make A Way and creating sensory rooms in local schools when her autistic son was a student at Brookhill Elementary School.

“We had him in sensory therapy beginning at the age of four. and we saw the change in him. He would come out of therapy and for some period of time, for about an hour, he would be focused. He was not anxious,” said Givens. “Then we would see that dip again, and if we could give him an opportunity in a sensory space, he would improve again.”

Givens began incorporating sensory therapy in their routine at home, but she worried what would happen when he would have to be in a classroom for a normal eight-hour school day.

With this in mind Givens, in cooperation with Brookhill Elementary, built the first sensory room in Limestone County, which serves as the beginning of Make A Way’s initiative.

Following the success of the Brookhill sensory room, Givens solicited support from philanthropic organizations such as the Lions Club and built rooms at Julian Newman and Cowart Elementary.

The sensory rooms cost anywhere from $3,500 to $9,000 depending on supply costs at the time of building and the extent of room renovations. The funds for the room come from philanthropic support.

“Our sensory rooms provide the space some of our students require to meet their diverse sensory needs, which enable them to have a successful school day,” said Jessica Lynn, Athens City Schools Exceptional Services Coordinator.

Now, only Elkmont Elementary and High School and Ardmore High School lack sensory rooms, and Givens’ is working with those schools to have sensory rooms installed.

“It’s a joy to see kids all over Limestone County really benefiting from these rooms. and my son is at the high school now. We have a sensory room there and he’s still using it,” said Givens.