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Date: 4/20/2021
GRANVILLE/SPRINGFIELD – A Granville resident is working with a Springfield College senior to help local youth by turning a room in the Springfield College Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement into a space that is sensory friendly for youth.
The “Spirit Space” is being developed by Occupational Therapy Chair Lori Vaughn and Springfield College Occupational Therapy senior Kait Bonsignore. It will be used by youth who are participating in the Springfield College Homework Heroes and Middle School Mentors initiatives.
Vaughn, who lives in Granville, said that the Spirit Space will consist of things like bean bag chairs, weighted materials, lap pads and fidgets for students who may be on the autism spectrum or are very sensitive to certain sensory inputs.
Much of the room will be painted in a very neutral color, but Vaughn said that she reached out to the Art Therapy program at Springfield College to create a mural on the wall space in the room.
When she was a mentor for middle school students, senior Bonsignore observed some of her students being physically unable to participate due to sensory exhaustion.
“As a mentor in the Middle School Mentors Program, I would observe students coming to the center completely exhausted from a long day at school and some students physically could not participate or be engaged in the social setting,” said Bonsignore. “When the third floor space opened up, I recognized its potential to be utilized as a sensory space. The space is separated into two rooms, quickly I was able to visualize one of the rooms as a calming room and the other more of an integrative room. That way a student can have the option of deciding which setting would support their needs best.”
Vaughn is also a volunteer for the Start ‘Em Early Foundation out of Southwick, a group whose goal is to teach youth the basics of CPR, first aid, and community service. The Start ‘Em Early Foundation also focuses on youth autism and early intervention outreach. One of their key projects is the “Sensory Sack,” which is a tool that can be given to law enforcement to help calm down a youth who may be going into sensory overload.
“When a first responder goes on a call with someone with sensory sensitivities, their nervous system will go into overdrive,” said Vaughn, “The idea is to provide ambulances with tools that can help them calm the person with sensory deficits.”
The foundation was founded by Erik and Jo-Ann Davidson of Southwick about five years ago. Erik said that he started teaching CPR and basic first aid to Boy Scouts and Young Marines at Westover Air Reserve Base at least once a month, with some results to show for it.
“Four of the kids from these classes have actual documented saves,” said Davidson, “Two choke saves, one respiratory save and an allergic reaction save.”
Davidson said his foundation’s involvement in youth autism began after he read an article about a paramedic firefighter who created sensory bags for youth. The firefighter had taken his sister, who is on the autism spectrum, to a touch-a-truck event where she experienced a sensory overload.
Davidson put out a Facebook post before the pandemic seeking to do something similar here to give sensory bags to first responders so they can give them to kids who need them. Vaughn got involved shortly after, and she started doing the research and development and creating the weighted stuffed animals for the sensory bags.
He said there is no real training for first responders to handle a child who is experiencing a sensory overload.
“There is not enough [training] when it comes to dealing with this demographic of patients,” said Davidson, “The simplest thing can tip these kids.”
Davidson said that since the project began, 127 sensory sacks have been sent to 43 different first responder’s departments in eight states. Davidson said they have gone as far as Minnesota so far.