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Memory and standing balance after multisensory stimulation in a Snoezelen room in people with moderate learning disabilities

2019; Wiley; Volume: 47; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/bld.12289

1468-3156

Brigitte Toro,

Infant Development and Preterm Care

Accessible Summary Multisensory stimulation improves attention, which can also improve memory and standing balance of people with learning disabilities, even at a high age. Improved standing balance and body awareness may help reduce falls in people with moderate learning disabilities. Therapeutic treatments could be more effective if preceded by multisensory stimulation. Abstract Background The Snoezelen room provides a multisensory environment for people with learning disabilities. Method Thirty‐five residents were recruited from a convenience sample of people living in a residential centre. A repeated‐measures, within‐subject design was used to evaluate the participants during three conditions: a) Snoezelen room, b) control period and c) watching television. The outcome measures were digit span memory tests and Romberg balance tests. One‐way repeated‐measures ANOVAs and paired‐samples t tests were performed on the data. Results ANOVA results show that there was a significant effect over time in the amount of digits remembered and in balancing ability between the three conditions ( p < .0005). T tests confirmed that the Snoezelen condition was responsible for the significant improvements in memory and balancing ability. Conclusion Participants performed significantly better with memory tasks and balancing skills after having attended multisensory stimulation in a Snoezelen room. This may be due to improved mindfulness, which is correlated with improvements of concentration, learning ability and motor skills caused by neurophysiologic changes of the brain.