Forest Hills opens sensory room at Eastern High to support students with autism

At the Oct. 13 Forest Hills Board of Education meeting, Eastern High School Principal Amy Kello described a sensory room added this school year to support students with autism and to help integrate them into general education classrooms.

Kello said the sensory room was implemented with help from the Forest Hills Foundation and has “been a game changer in our building,” providing “a wonderful space for our kids with sensory needs to be composed and really get ready to move on with the rest of the day.”

The presentation explained why sensory supports matter: behaviors are a form of communication for many students on the autism spectrum, and sensory overload, changes in routine, pain or social distress can trigger dysregulation. Kello described staff work on co-regulation strategies—staff modeling calm to help students return to a state where they can learn. She said the room is used on a scheduled basis, not as a punitive measure.

Members of Eastern’s autism support team were introduced: Stephanie Thornton (school social worker), Stephanie Brown, Chris Thomas and Eddie Vincent. The board saw a video segment about Carly Fleischman, a person with lived experience who spoke in the video about communication and stimming; student peer helpers also spoke about benefits they have observed.

Student peer helper Tobin said, “My favorite part about the sensory room is the scooters,” and described how the space helps students “keep calm.” Another student, Nina, told the board the room helps classmates “become calmer” and return to class ready to learn.

Kello and others noted that the sensory room benefits not only students with autism but also other students who have sensory needs. The presentation emphasized classroom supports (co-regulation, scheduled use, staff training) and said the room has helped students rejoin peers and participate in school activities.

The board heard that the room was made possible by a foundation grant; members of the board and administrators praised the district foundation’s work in funding classroom innovations. No formal board action was taken on the sensory-room presentation; it was presented as an instructional highlight during the meeting.

The district outlined that staff will continue to integrate sensory strategies into day-to-day instruction and that the sensory room is one element of broader special-education supports across schools.