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Our team was tasked with creating a sensory play gym for an 11 year girl with autism who has recently been to physical therapy but has become unmotivated at home. She still goes to occupational therapy for fine and gross development. Our group needs to build some indoor play equipment that promotes core exercises and muscle building.
Children with autism often face significant challenges in sensory processing, which can impact their ability to engage in typical play activities. Traditional play environments may not provide the necessary sensory inputs or may even exacerbate sensory overload, making it difficult for autistic children to benefit from play in the same way as their peers.
While researching the options for a sensory play gym, we looked into materials first for a 11 year old. Most gyms we found were made for toddlers and wouldn’t be very beneficial for this girl as the obstacles seemed to not be challenging enough. We found most sensory gyms that include rope ladders or a climbing wall use wood as their frame like similar products we looked into. Looking at a 9 in 1 Swedish ladder wall gym set and other designs with a variety of obstacles helped when trying to decide how to design our project.
A sensory gym with a rope swing, climbing wall, and a swing. Could also add a hearth song swing big enough for the boy and girl to sit in together made out of fabric.
Another sensory gym with different equipment and adding the padded mats for safety. Add a double slide and farm animal noises.
