Multisensory Environments: Helping the brain to compensate
in positive ways
The Multisensory Environment (MSE) is a powerful way to
communicate with people with profound disabilities. Instead
of communicating at an abstract level through language
we're trying to communicate at a concrete level directly
through the senses.
Internationally recognised speaker Associate Professor Paul
Pagliano from the School of Education at James Cook
University in Australia will present an exciting new way of
thinking about the Multisensory Environment. In this
two-day presentation of eight 90-minute workshops Paul will
argue that the MSE is a device for communication like
newspaper, film, television or the internet. The difference
between the MSE and other forms of media is communication
delivered in the MSE is at a pre-cognitive or concrete
level whereas other media often communicate through more
abstract ways such as speech and language. Often these more
abstract forms of communication are too complicated for the
person with sensory input difficulties so they are excluded
from large chunks of socio-cultural life.
The beauty of multisensory stimulation is that it can
generate tangible messages that relate to relaxation,
choice making and personal agency. It's important to
provide people with profound disabilities some control over
their own lives and switches can do that. The person can
press a switch and it turns on a light or a fan, which is
very different to having someone else do it for you. The
MSE helps to organize stimulation in ways that maximize the
client's potential to concentrate and make adaptive
responses that increase personal control. When stimulation
is successfully controlled to match individual needs,
interests, and abilities stress levels are reduced and
feelings of wellbeing and happiness achieved. This may
result in the person feeling tired and wanting to sleep or
feeling aroused and wanting to engage in the multisensory
activities. The MSE therefore has two levels: passive and
active.
Day 1 - The MSE: What it's
all about?
9-10.30 Workshop 1 - A place where I can be me
This workshop introduces the idea of the MSE and proposes a
rationale to support its use with people who experience
sensory differences, difficulties, disabilities and
dysfunctions.
11-12.30 Workshop 2 - Neuroplastic rehabilitation
In this workshop we learn about the basic principles of
neuroplastic rehabilitation and how this new science might
be used to present sensory stimulation in more accessible,
relevant and meaningful ways.
1.30-3.00 Workshop 3 - Where did MSEs come?
Participants in this workshop will explore where the MSE
idea came from. In particular we will learn about the five
different sense logics that inform the way we use the MSE
when working with clients.
3.30-5.00 Workshop 4 - The MSE has two levels: Passive and
active
In this workshop we identify core ideas that help to ensure
that multisensory stimulation is presented in ethically
controlled ways.
Day 2 - The MSE: Understanding the context
9.00-10.30 Workshop 5 - Different types of MSEs
The MSE can assume many different physical, psychological
and socio-cultural forms. The focus of this workshop is to
learn about the different types of MSEs and the different
messages each form can convey.
11.00-12.30 Workshop 6 - Different theoretical approaches
The MSE may employ a wide range of different theoretical
methods and strategies and be used in social care, therapy
and lifelong education. In this workshop participants will
learn about the how these different theoretical approaches
might be successfully applied to particular client groups
in the MSE.
1.30-3.00 Workshop 7 - Different socio-cultural experiences
In this workshop we will investigate how the MSE uses the
client's own multisensory socio-cultural experiences to
build an individualized behavior scaffold that supports the
development of relaxation, arousal, engagement, choice
making, social interaction, creativity and learning.
3.30-5 Workshop 8 - Observation and assessment
The final workshop will be devoted to understanding how the
MSE practitioner can use frequent monitoring, systematic
evaluation and both short and long term adjustments to the
MSE to design activities that promote the brain's ability
to positively compensate for neurologically challenging
conditions.
Paul Pagliano PhD is Associate Professor in the School of
Education at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.
He has a passionate interest in making multisensory
stimulation more accessible to individuals with
disabilities and has published widely on this topic
including the books: Multisensory Environments and Using a
Multisensory Environment (David Fulton Publishers, London).
An internationally recognised public speaker Paul has
delivered keynote papers and seminars throughout the United
States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Netherlands,
Germany, Norway, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji,
Malaysia and Singapore, and his work has been translated
into French, German, Finnish and Swedish. Currently Paul is
on the editorial boards of the Journal of Intellectual and
Developmental Disability, British Journal of Visual
Impairment, Australasian Journal of Special Education,
Australian Education Researcher and the Journal of the
South Pacific Educators in Vision
Impairment.
