Sensory rooms in schools are designed to help students regulate emotions, reduce negative behaviors and enhance learning readiness. Whether or not your school has a sensory room yet, you may wonder: Do they really work? This post explores how schools across the U.S. track the effectiveness of their sensory spaces— and the real-world behaviors that show results.

Key Indicators That a Sensory Room Is Working

Sensory rooms can positively impact many areas of a child's behavior and development. Before assessing the impact, we must first decide what constitutes success. Below are some of the behavioral changes we want to see.

Data Collection and Progress Monitoring

Once you define your goals and determine what success looks like, the next step is systematic data tracking. Consistent monitoring helps determine what’s working— and where adjustments are needed.

Daily Progress Records

Use a simple template (like our Sensory Diet Sheet) to note changes in behavior, emotional state and activity engagement. Record student reactions to different sensory inputs and log any changes in their environment or intervention plan.

Weekly or Monthly Summary Reports

Combine your daily notes into a progress summary using tools such as the Sensory Intervention Tracking Form.This helps identify patterns and progress over time. Many schools find that assigning a percentage toward behavior improvement (using aData Collection Form) helps when reporting outcomes or applying for grants.

Parent and Educator Collaboration

Ongoing input from teachers and caregivers offers essential context. Use tools like our Self-Regulation Tracking Tools to gather feedback from adults and children. Collaboration ensures consistency across home, school and therapy.

Additional Ways to Measure Impact

In addition to the methods detailed above, there have been many studies done around the world that utilize a variety of ways to collect data. Below are some of the other strategies you can use to help evaluate the effectiveness of your sensory room. 

1. Anecdotal Evidence

While not as scientific, firsthand observations are incredibly valuable. Schools report fewer disciplinary calls to parents after adding a sensory room. One school shared that they no longer needed to send students home after meltdowns—students were instead offered sensory tools or access to the room. A dementia care facility reported less need for patient restraints after installing a sensory room with us. These results have been backed up at different facilities as well.¹ Parent and teacher interviews or rating scales are another great way to gather anecdotal information.

Want to share your own experience? Reach out to us!

2. Standardized Assessments

Researchers often use standardized checklists to track changes in areas like social skills, communication and sensory processing. In one study involving children with autism, Goal Attainment Scaling was used to compare two groups: one receiving fine motor intervention and the other sensory-based intervention. Results showed that children in the sensory group scored significantly higher after the intervention than those in the control group.²

3. Longitudinal Studies

Long-term studies offer strong evidence for the effectiveness of sensory room use, especially when combined with occupational therapy. In one 10-year study, researchers used parent questionnaires and therapy records to compare traditional OT with OT that included sensory room sessions. They found significant improvements in communication, motor skills, and behaviors related to autism in the group that used sensory rooms.³

Clinical studies also support these findings, often combining standardized assessments, observations and health records to measure progress.⁴ While these studies are more complex to run in schools, they highlight the real potential of sensory rooms as part of a well-rounded intervention plan.

4. Internal Program Evaluation

Program evaluations have been used to assess how sensory room interventions impact specific settings. One evaluation in Muskegon County schools⁵ used several data collection methods, such as data collection sheets completed by adults and documentation of student engagement before and after the sensory intervention. These also detailed the activities children did and how much time was spent in the sensory room. These types of evaluations can be very beneficial for your specific school or program, but cannot be generalized to others due to the specific factors that affect its population.

As sensory rooms continue to gain popularity, schools must show measurable outcomes—especially when seeking funding or support. By using the evaluation methods outlined above, you can demonstrate how your space supports behavior regulation, learning readiness and emotional well-being.

Explore our ready-made Data Collection Templates, Sensory Diet Tools, and Progress Tracking Forms to start monitoring success today. Need help creating or enhancing your sensory space? Visit our Sensory Rooms for Schools page to see how we can support your team from planning to implementation. For personalized guidance, contact our team. We're here to help.

¹Use of sensory rooms in adult psychiatric inpatient settings: A systematic review and narrative synthesis onlinelibrary.wiley.com

²Effectiveness of Sensory Integration Interventions in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Study

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluating the Efficacy of Combining Sensory Room and Conventional Therapies for Lebanese Children With Autism: A 10-Year Study

³ pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

⁴Mixed Methods Study www.google.com

⁵Program Evaluation of the Impact of Sensory Room Interventions on Student Readiness in Muskegon County

scholarworks.gvsu.edu