Autism Therapy: Snoezelen (multisensory environment)

Adults with autism showed improvement in certain behaviors after Snoezelen occupation therapy (OT) sessions.

Snoezelen OT is a form of therapy that gives controlled sensory input (e.g., sights, sounds, etc.) during therapy to help people with autism better deal with sensory input. Three adults with autism, intellectual disability, and severe challenging behaviors were tested in this study. They received Snoezelen an average of twice per week. Two of the three adults showed improvements in certain behaviors (interest in a task and challenging behaviors) that continued between therapy sessions, and one did not show improvement during or after therapy. The authors stated that this study was the first study to show that when there were improvements, they lasted for a few days after each therapy session ended.