What began as one child’s need has become a movement to bring sensory rooms to every school.
The story of The Sensory Room began with one family’s search for solutions and has grown into a national mission to help children thrive through sensory integration therapy. Combining personal experience with professional expertise, our team designs, builds, and installs customized sensory rooms in schools to support students with autism and sensory processing challenges, and the educators who serve them.
Meet the Founder, Jay Perkins
Jay Perkins, founder of The Sensory Room, has been pioneering the design and implementation of sensory rooms for autism and other special needs since 2009. His work began as a deeply personal mission to support his daughter, who was born with a rare genetic condition resulting in significant sensory integration challenges. Through their journey, Jay saw firsthand how sensory rooms, sensory room equipment, and structured sensory integration therapy could help children manage behavior, cope with anxiety, and build essential pathways for learning and emotional regulation.
Jay went on to create and operate Sensations TheraFun, the largest sensory-based activity center in the United States, where he advanced his expertise in autism sensory room equipment, calming sensory room ideas for autism, and inclusive play environments engineered for safety and durability.
Today, our team at The Sensory Room partners with school districts nationwide to design, build, and install highly customized sensory rooms in schools, complete with sensory room furniture, sensory room lights, bubble tubes, swings, and other sensory room items proven to support successful student outcomes. We offer true start-to-finish support: assessment, design, equipment sourcing, installation, and staff training.
We ensure every sensory room for autism and other special needs meets safety standards, aligns with district goals, and may qualify for IDEA funding for special education. With decades of combined experience and hundreds of installations, our work continues to be guided by the same belief that started Jay’s journey: every child deserves a supportive environment where they can feel comfortable, regulated, and ready to learn.