Melrose Primary breaks ground on sensory room to support neurodivergent pupils

What began as an off-the-cuff idea raised by a parent during an Individual Education Plan meeting at Melrose Primary and Junior High has now taken physical shape, with ground officially broken for a sensory room at the St Andrew school.

Sensory rooms are purpose-built therapeutic spaces created to assist neurodivergent persons, such as those living with autism or ADHD, by helping them settle during periods of overstimulation or engage in guided sensory activity.

The initiative, dubbed Project Spectrum, was formally launched on Tuesday at the school's Kew Road premises, with a symbolic turning of the sod. The build is being delivered through a joint effort by the Rotary Clubs of Grand Cayman, Kingston and Montego Bay.

Principal Keisha Waller told those gathered that the unfamiliar idea quickly found momentum, leading the school to approach the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman for support. "Without hesitation, they jumped on board, and so a vision and a project were born. So the conversation began and the foundation was set, and the team started to merge. We have been receiving students with and without exceptionality for at least eight years, and we have never had a programme such as this," she said.

The spark came from parent Sherrion Robinson, whose daughter is on the autism spectrum. She told The Gleaner that her ongoing hunt for ways to soothe her child introduced her to the value of a sensory room. "It was during the IEP (Individual Education Plan) discussion. I was giving her (the principal) developmental feedback. I was just information dumping, data dumping, and the idea came," she recalled.

Robinson, who identifies cost as the heaviest burden families of neurodivergent children carry, said her choice of Melrose was a deliberate one, guided by strong recommendations from both specialists and ordinary parents. "They recommended that this was the top-performing school in the region – number one. I spoke to her dad and said, 'Okay, the ministry said even though she is severely autistic, there are children that are more severe than her, and she is to go into the primary education system, and this is as good a choice as any'," she told The Gleaner. Her daughter was non-verbal at the time of enrolment.

PROJECTED START DATE

Project director Laureen Robinson of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman told the launch that the actual building work is scheduled to begin during the next school holiday break. She used her remarks to challenge the social shame that often surrounds autism.

"More importantly, as we do this, we must take a sledge hammer to the wall of silence stigma that insulates these children. Too often, society whispers that autism is a life sentence of limitation. The very chains that define autism – intense focus, pattern recognition, and minds that see the world differently – are the engines of genius that guard our modern world today," she said.

"Think of Albert Einstein, think of Isaac Newton, think of Nikola Tesla ... . These are not just historical figures. They are proof that when you remove stigma and provide support, an autistic child has the potential to change the world, not despite their autism, but because of how their unique brain is wired," she added.

The diagnostic tools used today did not exist in the lifetimes of physicist Einstein, calculus pioneer Newton or electrical engineering trailblazer Tesla, so none was formally identified as autistic. Some historians, however, have looked back at their behaviour and concluded that traits consistent with neurodivergence were likely present.

Once completed, the Melrose facility will be outfitted with research-backed sensory equipment along with assistive and augmentative communication technology. Its long-term effectiveness will rest on structured teacher training and capacity-building activities. The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman is also supplying a qualified occupational therapist to deliver direct support at the school and to ensure local staff absorb the necessary expertise.