Civitans aid special needs students in SOCSD

The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District will be able to help some of its special-needs students thanks to a grant from a Starkville community organization.

The Starkville Civitan Club presented a $3,500 check on Monday to the district’s special education programs for the construction of special sensory rooms at Sudduth Elementary and Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary. The rooms will give children on the autism spectrum and with other sensory disorders a place to calm down after being overstimulated.

“We’re hoping to reduce the number of outbursts in the classroom due to overstimulation, and to give them a place to go to keep them in school so they won’t have an outburst and be sent home,” said SOCSD Director of Student Support Services Julie Jones.

Jones explained why some children could end up being overstimulated.

“Some have autism, some just get overly stimulated by their environment,” Jones said. “It’s too loud. It’s too bright. In order to reverse that overstimulation, there are some things that they can do.”

The rooms will offer various sensory tools to help children calm down, including weighted blankets children can wrap up in and large balls they can bounce on to release energy.

Jones said she didn’t have a timeframe

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