MSI Equipment for Children

Children and young people with MSI all have access to any of the equipment provided for pupils with vision or hearing impairment as appropriate.
 

In addition, the Sensory Consortium Service aims to provide pupils with MSI, access to a range of reactive environments in order to help them develop a sense of agency through immediate feedback. This encourages pupils with MSI to explore the world around them and through this, develop their early play and sensory skills. 

Examples of these reactive environments include:

The Little Room

The Little Room is a safe space in which a child can explore toys, textures and sound-making objects. It encourages movement and supports the child’s understanding of object permanence through providing interesting things to explore using their hands, feet or other body movements. The Be-Active Box is a commercial form of The Little Room.  Parents sometimes like to make their own Little Room and personalise it to suit their own child’s strengths and needs.

Resonance Board

A resonance board is typically made of a sheet of plywood with battening all round it. When a child lies or sits on this, it provides immediate feedback through vibrations and sounds in response to the tiniest movements or sounds.  They can also be used to make sensory stories, poems and songs more accessible to pupils. The Sensory Consortium Service has resonance boards in each local authority across Berkshire to loan to parents. 

Space Blankets
 

Many young children love playing with space blankets. These plain or coloured sheets of reflective foil provide the child with motivating rewards such as sound, touch and reflective light for their efforts.

Switched Toys
The Sensory Consortium Service provides young children with opportunities to try a range of switches such as a light touch paddle switch which can work toys that reward the child with music, lights, sounds and/or vibrations.

Be-Active Box

The Be Active Box provides a safe and secure environment to enable the MSI child to play and explore independently. It encourages movement and enables the child to listen to sounds that he might make when moving about. Interesting items that make a noise, contrasting textures and colours that are also interesting to explore are suspended in the box.