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ACMH recently installed an innovative enhancement for pediatric therapeutic engagement: The Sensory Sea Adventure Wall! This interactive installation, located in the hallway between the rehab services entrance area and the rehab gym, provides children with 'sea themed' activities and engagement tools along with a rotating selection of artwork created by ACMH therapy patients.

This new addition to the ACMH rehabilitation department was championed by Occupational Therapist Kim Harbison, OTR/L, and Speech-Language Pathologist Heather Baileys, MS, CCC-SLP.

“Therapy can be intensive,” explains Kim. “It's very attention focused. So, to help these kids expend a little bit of energy and help them pay attention better during their therapy sessions, we needed something to assist in the process of releasing some of that energy before we begin.”

“Children can engage in these fun sensory activities, and it gives them a little bit of excitement and joy,” stated Kim. “We use it as a reward system, too, at the end of their therapy sessions for performing well.”

Studies show that sensory activities offer numerous benefits for pediatric patients in speech and occupational therapy by helping to regulate their sensory systems, which can enhance attention, emotional regulation, and overall participation in therapeutic tasks. Additionally, sensory input can help reduce anxiety and increase engagement, making patients more receptive to therapy interventions.

“A lot of these kids have coordination and strength issues, for instance, which all play into the motor skills component of their treatment” added Kim.

“The wall allows them to creatively use their motor skills, refine their coordination and enhance their strength.”

“Our sensory wall also provides opportunities for speech and language development and encourages social engagement,” Heather added. “Children can talk about the colors, shapes and animals that they see. They can describe what they are doing and engage in turn-taking.”

Since the installation, reactions to the project have been nothing short of extremely positive, according to the duo. “I think the kids really enjoy it. It's been so positive,” relayed Kim.

Kim (left in photo) went on to share a story that occurred shortly after the installation was completed. “I was in my office one day and I heard a mom out in the hall with her child. She said, 'This is great!' and I was so excited to hear that. I was like, okay, so we did a good thing,” Kim continued. “It made me feel good.”

“I can hear the laughter and instrument noises all the way down the hall.” Heather (right) added. “The children's enjoyment, it is like music to our ears!”

 

FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE

Brittany Zahradnik, mother of 4-year-old Jaxon, describes her son's initial reaction to seeing the wall. “He just loves it,” she said. “When he first saw it, he went right to the dolphin and then he started playing with the shark. I mean, he probably spent 15, 20 minutes just exploring it the first time!”

Jaxon, who is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, is enrolled in speech therapy at ACMH.

Brittany appreciates the therapeutic benefits that the wall provides to Jaxon and talked about the connection between his motor skills and his speech development. “It's just something we don't think about,” Brittany said. “We take it for granted how easy some things come to us, whereas some kids really have to work at it. For him to be able to express himself, it's perfect.”

“It's also really nice to be able to walk down the hall and see the kids' artwork that they make,” Brittany pointed out as she noticed a piece of artwork Jaxon made on the wall. “I think he likes to be able to look up and see his artwork on display, it gives him a sense of pride.”

Brittany is a Staff Nurse on the ACMH Hospital Maternity Unit and she takes pride in knowing that this project was just unveiled at her home hospital.  “The staff here are so creative and good at what they do, and this wall really shows how much they really do care.”

Charity Moore, Director of Rehab Services, echoes that sentiment. “We are very fortunate as a hospital to have individuals like Kim and Heather as part of our rehabilitation team,” said Charity. “It was rewarding to help their idea take shape, and there was no hesitation to begin implementing it.”

“I knew that this project would touch a lot of lives and affect outcomes in a unique and positive way.”

Charity also reflected on the fact that ACMH is one of only a few providers who offer outpatient occupational and speech therapy for adolescents in the surrounding area. “Being that we are the primary regional resource for pediatric rehabilitation services, we see a large number of children who visit ACMH regularly for therapy. This Sensory Wall gives them yet another reason to choose ACMH.”

 

HOW IT BEGAN… THE SENSORY SEA ADVENTURE BEGINS

The project started simple, with kids creating pictures during therapy sessions and Kim hanging them on her office door. After that door was covered, the display expanded to encompass the neighboring closet doors and walls.

”So, I started looking at and researching different ideas and I started to see sensory areas in schools and different places. I thought that would be really great for our location here with the kids coming up and down the hallway.”

With that in mind, the ladies settled on making use of the hallway area just outside of their offices. The Sea Adventure Sensory Wall idea grew from there, and it was submitted to the ACMH CAREs Portal for consideration.

“They said, 'let's do it!' and it was amazing because Heather and I had talked about the idea for a while and we thought 'they'll never go for this,' you know?” Heather recalled. “So when Charity said let's move forward, we were so happy. There was some validation that this was important - and that made us very excited to move forward.”

 

“We then worked towards what we felt would be a good theme,” Kim recalled. “And we decided to make it sea oriented. We have a wide range of ages coming in, so we tried to find something that's not geared towards just toddlers, but also early elementary and middle school children. It seems to be working!”

Bill Daniel, Manager of the ACMH Facilities Department, was enlisted early on to provide recommendations and have his team help with the installation of the project.

“It's rare for the Facilities Department to be able to do something that's public facing since much of what we do is unseen,” stated Bill. “For this project, it was just a matter of logistical planning and doing something that's never been done at the hospital before. There was no past precedent, but I think it came out very nice with the collaboration we had.”

Bill stresses the importance of collaboration for a project like this. “I think this sensory wall project is a testament to the fact that even though we're a small hospital, we can do a lot with a very little,” stated Bill. “And we have so many people wearing so many different hats, you know, Facilities was involved, Marketing was involved, Rehab was involved, all working together.”

“It just takes people with the heart and the willingness to want to make change,” he concluded.

 

 

 

THE FUTURE OF THE SENSORY SEA ADVENTURE WALL

The future of the project is as wide open as the ocean, according to Kim and Heather. “We're already talking about what the next stage for what the wall will be” exclaimed Kim. “We're going back and forth and working on a future expansion plan.”

In the meantime, four sea-themed artwork pieces will be added to the sensory wall area, to further add to the décor and theme. The artwork was designed and created by Linda Zaun and was part of the hospital's Art of Healing display's most recent rotation.

When asked why this project was so important to them, Heather and Kim had this to say: “I would say it means so much because I feel like my job is not just a job to me. My job is part of who I am. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. My patients become my family,” Heather said. “I get very close to them. I get emotional.”

“I agree with Heather, our patients do become part of us here, they become family.” Kim added. “We share in their successes. It's the little things that become big moments for them, and that brings a smile to my face, to see those things that we've been working on forever and all of a sudden - they get it, and we can say, okay, we're finally there… we've made it.”

“So, it's the little successes, the little things that bring a smile to your face and makes your day and we feel that we've made a difference,” Kim continues.

“It's a win, and that's the biggest reward - to see those little successes... It truly is.”