NCKU Department of Occupational Therapy Manages Tainan City Social Affairs Bureau's Multisensory Therapy Classroom-國立成功大學永續發展SDGs

Since August 2023, the Department of Occupational Therapy at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has fully managed the Tainan City Social Affairs Bureau's Multisensory Therapy Classroom. Professional occupational therapists provide therapy services to support the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. By the first half of 2024, the classroom had already served over 500 people, hosted 4 group courses, and offered stress relief services for caregivers. It also promoted service learning opportunities for NCKU occupational therapy students and various outreach programs in the community. These achievements have not only led to invitations from other institutions to share their experiences but also attracted organizations from other counties and cities seeking to learn from their success.


The Social Affairs Bureau's Multisensory Therapy Classroom, also known as "White House," is a key platform for promoting the welfare of people with disabilities. The classroom features a soothing white color scheme and a variety of sensory facilities, such as projection equipment, bubble tubes, a sound and light wall, a fiber optic waterfall, and a vibrating chair. These facilities create an engaging and interactive environment that effectively enhances users' sensory perception and comprehension. The classroom is suitable for alleviating emotional distress, encouraging interaction, and facilitating learning. Since its opening in June 2017, the "White House" has collaborated with NCKU’s Department of Occupational Therapy, which fully took over its operations in August 2023.


Beyond providing therapeutic services, the multisensory classroom actively promotes international professional exchange and collaboration. Recently, Professor Ling-Yi Lin from the NCKU Department of Occupational Therapy invited Associate Professor Xin-Ying Zhu from the School of Health Sciences at the National University of Malaysia to visit the Multisensory Therapy Classroom. They conducted an in-depth discussion on the applications of multisensory therapy and the latest developments in early intervention services. They also plan to promote overseas student exchange visits and practical training to further deepen cross-national professional exchange.


In addition, the classroom is currently conducting related research projects to validate the effectiveness of the multisensory therapy model for individuals with disabilities. The research aims to assist clinical professionals in developing more effective, family-centered multisensory therapy interventions to improve clients' functional performance, empower caregivers, and promote family health and development.


Professor Ling-Yi Lin stated that the multisensory therapy room, staffed by professional occupational therapists, evaluates users' physical and mental conditions, sensory processing patterns, sensory needs, and social interaction abilities. Through carefully designed lighting, sound, and various advanced technological facilities, it creates an attractive and comfortable interactive environment. The room provides users with diverse sensory stimuli, including visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, vestibular, and proprioceptive inputs. The arrangement of the environment and training courses increases opportunities for environmental exploration, reduces anxiety and maladaptive behaviors, enhances attention, and strengthens interpersonal interactions. The goal is to provide users with a variety of sensory stimulation activities to draw their attention to the external environment, thereby establishing interactions with surrounding objects and reducing self-stimulatory or self-injurious behaviors.


NCKU's Department of Occupational Therapy is committed to fulfilling its social responsibilities, aiming to maximize the use of the multisensory therapy classroom to provide professional and appropriate services to people with disabilities and residents of Tainan City. Looking ahead to the second half of 2024, the classroom plans to host two continuing education seminars for professional healthcare personnel and one exchange visit with overseas scholars. These initiatives aim to further enhance the quality and impact of multisensory therapy services, providing more comprehensive support to individuals with disabilities.