Children and young adult patients at SUNY Upstate with sensory challenges have a new and unique one-million-dollar playground to try out. Dr. Henry Roane says play in general is therapy, even without a sensory playground like theirs. He said play tends to sharpen kids’ socialization skills, for example, a child with Autism being spun around on playground equipment.
“The child might make a noise or might actually say, ‘Spin me, again,” depending on what the child does. But, it gives us a level to engage with the child and also promotes kind of that socialization which is really part of the therapy," he said. "So, you kinda want to think about it like they’re able to engage in the behaviors that they like but, in the way that brings other people into that, as well.”
This green truck is part of the playground equipment kids can climb aboard and pretend to drive.
The more than nine thousand square foot brightly colored playground has sensory wall panels, adaptive swings and typical playground equipment like slides. Roane said Upstate’s playground is only one of a few of its kind to have the specialized playground with turf.
“They don’t have access to greenspace like we happen to have here. When we moved into this building, this area was all grass and really wasn’t practical for our patient population," said Roane. "But, we were able to put in this unique surface and be able to make a safe play space that really very few places have.”
Patients in Upstate’s Biobehaviorial Health Unit and Inpatient child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit get to use the playground. It’s already becoming a model for other hospitals across the country. SUNY Upstate is a supporter of WAER.
