Breakout Rooms… You may have heard of a breakout room before, but do you know what they are? A breakout room is a separate room in a home, designed for participants who fall under the Robust SDA category. The room helps a participant find a calmer self and can be used as a safe space for learning, exploring or relaxation.
Often breakout rooms are described as sensory rooms.
Due to this, the rooms can be filled with objects that light up, furry material or sound equipment. All durable and personalised to the participant. Participants are able to build new neural connections in their brain by having multisensory equipment in a relaxing environment.
Participants can use a breakout room for enjoyment and safety. This means they shouldn’t be locked in there. In fact, seclusion rooms which are used on an involuntary basis can even cause greater harm to the participant and those looking after them.
Breakout rooms are dedicated rooms, and under the NDIS SDA Design Standards they aren’t to be mixed with another use, like a living room. Breakout rooms enhance a participant’s ability to cope with the outside world and increase their quality of life. While Breakout Rooms are great for Robust Participants, they aren’t mandated by the NDIS Robust SDA Design Standards.
At SDA Australia Group…
To minimize distraction in our breakout rooms they are by default painted black. However, they can be painted any color to suit the participant’s needs. Curtains can also be matched to the color of the room. To prevent the room being used as a seclusion room, we don’t allow locks on the door, so the participant is able to freely use the room as they wish.
Below, you can see some pictures of one of our sensory rooms to show what they look like…
Here are some links explaining what makes a Robust Home and more about sensory rooms