AEIOU News
State-of-the-art sensory garden opens to children with autism
Tue, 13 Oct 09
A revolutionary sensory garden for children with autism will be opened this week at AEIOU Bray Park in a special ceremony at 10am Thursday 12 October.
Centre Manager of AEIOU Bray Park, Katrina Langtry said 'children with autism can become overwhelmed with movement, strong smells and different textures, tastes and sights making sensory exploration very important to their development.'
'This special garden features textured rock walls, spinning wheels, mud and water play, edible herbs and flowers and brightly coloured poles to weave around and will have a huge benefit to the early intervention therapy for the children in our care at AEIOU,' Ms Langtry said.
'It is quite common for children with autism to feel high levels of stress and this garden will also help with relaxation and provide a wonderful play environment to allow the children to express themselves', she said.
'We're really excited to be able to include this sensory garden in our early intervention program', she said.
The Toni Redstone Sensory Garden has been named in honour of the Australian philanthropist and avid gardener, Toni Redstone who donated the funds to build the $40,000 garden.
His widow, Helen Price will travel from their home in Norfolk Island to be part of the official proceedings.
The AEIOU Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation and provides Queensland's only full time early intervention and learning program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders between 2½ and 6 years of age.
While there is no cure for autism, specific education programs targeting these early years in life can greatly improve the skills of these children and the lives of their families.
AEIOU Bray Park is located at 1 Hopetoun Street, Bray Park.
Donations to AEIOU can be made by visiting their website www.aeiou.org.au
A sensory garden encourages children with autism to utilise their senses as well as providing tactile opportunities. They are gardens that appeals to all the senses: smell, sight, taste, hearing and touch.
