A parent has created a whole sensory playroom designed specifically to suit the needs of his son with ADHD featuring a climbing wall, swings and a trampoline. Dr Bradley Hall, 35, built the room himself and set up all the equipment for less than £850.
Now his son, who he has asked not to be named, can enjoy a room that specifically stimulates his needs in different ways than children without ADHD. Bradley, a plastic surgeon, said: "We modelled our playroom after the gyms found in occupational therapy offices, which seemed to really allow him to get sensory and proprioceptive input (stimulation for joints and muscles), burn energy, and have fun."
The items in the room cost £790 ($955) and only took around two hours to set up in total. The room also contains wooden playset, a gymnastics bar and climbing rope.
ADHD is described as "a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse." In children, the symptoms are recognised before the age of six and are usually inattentiveness and hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Bradley, from Nashville, Tennessee, USA, said: "Our oldest child was having social difficulties and my wife, and I spent a lot of time reading and working with therapists to figure out what was going on. We were referred to several different services in the community such as Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Occupational Therapy (OT).
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"We also sought out a neuropsychologist who ultimately diagnosed our son with ADHD and anxiety." Since he set up the sensory room, Bradley has noticed significant improvement in his child's behaviour and the behavioural difficulties his child was experiencing in school have subsided.
Bradley explained: "I do think that the playroom benefitted as he often wants to spend time up there and seems to be more regulated after spending time up there. The outbursts have largely stopped, and he is more aware of his emotions."
It's not just Bradley's son with ADHD who uses the room to have fun, his other kids, himself and his wife all spend time in there. "In retrospect, he and my other children probably use the climbing wall, the yoga swings are sturdy also and can hold at least my wife and all three kids in the yoga hammock at the same time.
"The climbing wall took about two hours to put together and consists of climbing rocks mounted to two 4x8 foot boards which are mounted to 2"x4’’ boards that are secured to studs in the walls. All of this material was purchased online."
The fundamental difference between this sensory playroom and a room designed for a neurotypical child is that the items are designed to physically challenge the child. Bradley said: "I think that this playroom differs from a traditional playroom with toys and games in that they are able to be more physically active which allows for the children to be active, use their muscles, and receive proprioceptive feedback.
"I think that any parent could do this, and honestly, I also enjoy the hammock. These items were super easy to install, not that expensive, and only resulted in a few holes in the wall that we will later need to patch when we remove them.
"I wish we would have done this sooner."
