AAMSE is the officially recognized U.S. collaborating partner with ISNA, with each sharing their goals, objectives, ethics, and guiding principles.

What is a Multi-Sensory Environment or Snoezelen® Room?

It is a dedicated room that attempts to block out noise, control space, temperature, and lighting. It is an artificially created venue that brings together multi-sensory equipment in one place to stimulate the senses. This venue promotes pleasure and / or feelings of well-being and can be utilized as part of the learning or treatment experience or for leisure and relaxation. It is Controlled Sensory Input (CSI), especially designed to promote choice, interaction, and relationships through planned stimulation of the senses. It relieves stress, anxiety and pain. MSEs have been shown to help with autism, brain injury, challenging behaviors, dementia, developmental disabilities, mental illness, palliative care, pre and post surgery, PTSD, special education and of course wellness. It aims to maximize a person’s potential to focus and then to act on this change through an adaptive response to their environment. An adaptive response is defined as the individual initiating and reacting in a meaningful, productive way to situations, things and people in their environment. An adaptive response is a dynamic and ever changing process. Simply put Multi-Sensory Environments help change behavior, increase focus and attention and add to the feelings of positive self-esteem and well-being. (Written by: Linda Messbauer, MA, OTR/L)


Multi Sensory Rooms by Type (pdf file)

We forget we are a part of the environment ... (pdf file)

Background of AAMSE

AAMSE was established by a group of professionals who came together in March, 2006 at a workshop on multi sensory environments (MSE) in Miami, Florida. Due to an increasing awareness and interest in MSE, the group decided to establish an Association as a way to bring together different disciplines to improve education, research, training and awareness in the use of MSE. It was also a way for those interested in MSE to network with each other and find out where the MSE rooms are located throughout the nation.



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