Bourgeoning playground designs focused on sensory activities offer social interaction as well as therapeutic learning time. While all children benefit from stimulating play, research shows that those with special needs progress considerably when such play environments are integrated with their school routine. Common playground activities such as swings and trampolines inherently encourage socializing, concentration skills and physical awareness, which the steadily increasing number of children with autism and other attention-deficit conditions lack. However, parents, caregivers and educators of special needs children should note the recent advent of KidSense "sensory playgrounds," as the industry lexicon now describes them. LeAnne Cantrell, an oil drilling engineer turned sensory playground pioneer, has established the KidSense Pilot Yard on the shared campus of Pontchartrain Elementary and Tcherfuncte Middle schools in Mandeville, La. where her autistic son is a student.
The Safe Child Campaign is the only leading organization dedicated to the “Collective Safe Play Environment” that is safe, innovative and rewarding to our children. We educate, train, advocate, and certify. We build alliances and partnerships with the community to provide a superior learning environment for our children. We are engaged in a broad range of children safety issues, concerns and lobby to change federal and state laws to protect our children.