The activities carried out as part of everyday therapy also serve, time and again, to train the senses.

The colour-matching exercises are designed to help children arrange and match colours and shapes. This promotes concentration, coordination and fine motor skills.

A very popular activity for improving concentration and memory is the Memory game. We received it as a gift from a sponsor in Germany and it has been in constant use ever since. A great source of joy for everyone!

On the barefoot trail or ‘sensory mat’, pupils can train and develop the sensory perception in their feet. Walking on different surfaces promotes sensory perception and, as a result, cognitive and motor development, whilst also stimulating blood circulation. For some pupils, simply walking on this limited area presents a challenge that requires practice.

The coordination and targeted practice of fine motor skills in the hands is an important regular therapy session, particularly for our pupils with neurological impairments.

Our volunteer, Milena Bender, has made the sensory mat and a wonderful motor skills board for these activities. Both are very popular and are used with great enthusiasm.

For our pupils with autism, everyday school life – with its many classmates and few places to retreat to – presents not only joy but also a major challenge. The sheer number of sensory stimuli often overwhelms them. For this reason, we have set up our own Snoezelen room. This is a quiet, dimly lit room with a place to lie down, which is comfortably furnished and available as a quiet retreat for our pupils with autism.

In addition to this retreat, however, our special needs teachers also regularly try to split the groups so that pupils can be given tasks tailored to their needs.

To promote relaxation and sensory development, our physiotherapists also regularly incorporate massage sessions.

The aim is to enable these pupils to take part in everyday school life without feeling constantly overwhelmed, despite the large number of people in a small space.