A comparison of the effects of four therapy procedures on concentration and responsiveness in people with profound learning disabilities.
Pick snoezelen or simple relaxation to boost attention in clients with profound ID, skip massage or bouncy play.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested four therapy sessions on adults with profound learning disabilities.
Each person tried snoezelen, relaxation, hand massage with lavender oil, and active play on a bouncy castle.
The staff used an alternating-treatments design so every client got each therapy in random order.
What they found
Snoezelen and relaxation lifted concentration and were rated most fun.
Massage and bouncy-castle time either did nothing or made attention worse.
How this fits with other research
Weiss et al. (2001) reviewed many snoezelen studies and also saw short-term mood gains in people with ID.
The review warns the benefits fade once the room is gone, matching the mixed results seen here.
Stasolla et al. (2013) and Shih et al. (2012) used single-case designs for clients with severe needs, but they tested tech aids, not sensory rooms, so they point to other low-cost options.
Why it matters
If you run day or respite programs for clients with profound ID, swap loud or oily sessions for calm snoezelen or quiet relaxation. You can run both in a small darkened room with fairy lights, soft music, and scented pillows. Track eye contact or stillness for five-minute blocks to see if attention rises. Staff and clients rated these options as fun, so compliance stays high without extra tokens or breaks.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Run a ten-minute snoezelen session and count how long the client looks at stimuli.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
This paper is an investigation into the efficacy of four therapeutic treatment procedures increasingly used with people with profound learning disabilities: snoezelen, hand massage/aromatherapy, relaxation, and active therapy (a bouncy castle). In particular, the effects of these procedures on concentration and responsiveness were examined. Eight subjects with profound learning disabilities took part in the study and each subject received each of the treatments. To assess the effects of the treatments, simple concentration tasks were administered and the subjects' responsiveness to each treatment was rated by independent observers. The results suggest that both snoezelen and relaxation had a positive effect on concentration and seemed to be the most enjoyable therapies for clients, whereas hand massage/aromatherapy and active therapy had no or even negative effects on concentration and appeared less enjoyable.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 1997 · doi:n/a