In Bracigliano, in the province of Salerno, ASL Salerno (the local public health authority) opens its first centre for the early diagnosis and treatment of autism. Among its spaces there is a SENSEi room, where children and young people can move, play and communicate inside worlds that respond to their gestures.
It is an important step: an interactive multisensory environment enters a local public service, close to families.
The context: the Bracigliano autism centre
The centre is located on the ground floor of Palazzo De Simone and is inaugurated in the presence of the president of the Regione Campania. It is designed as a point of reference for families in the northern area of the province, between the Agro and the Valle dell’Irno.
It supports children and young people with autism spectrum disorder from diagnosis through to the transition to adulthood. A long journey, which needs flexible tools.
The project: a room for moving and communicating
The SENSEi room is a large environment, also suitable for psychomotor activities. The wall and the floor become interactive: steps and gestures move water, animals, colours and sounds, with no sensors to wear. The operator chooses the activity from a tablet and adjusts its stimuli and difficulty in real time.
The room does not replace the team’s work: it is one more tool in their hands, integrated into the pathways the centre already offers.
The experiences: what role does it play in the children’s journey?
The local press describes the centre as a service that uses immersive multisensory stimulation to encourage interaction and communication in its young patients, through play. In the room, operators can offer:
- Regulation: slow and predictable scenes to regain calm;
- Communication: choices with projected images, including ARASAAC pictograms;
- Movement: floor games that respond to footsteps;
- Relationship: turn-taking and shared goals between children and the operator.
The link with research
Movement-based and touchless activities for autistic children are one of the long-standing strands of SENSEi research: from studies on gesture-based interaction with autistic children (Motion-based touchless interaction for ASD children) to motor activities in the classroom.
That strand originates at Politecnico di Milano, in the Magic Room and Magika projects, and continues at SUPSI in a body of work that counts more than 40 publications (listed on the Research page). In Bracigliano this knowledge reaches a public child neuropsychiatry service.
The impact on the local area
- Proximity: families in the northern area of the province find an interactive environment without travelling to large cities;
- continuity: the room can accompany children and young people throughout their journey, from diagnosis to adolescence;
- a common language: play in the room becomes a meeting ground for children, operators and families;
- a replicable model: a public service shows that innovation can be accessible to all.
Why is this a significant case?
Bracigliano brings an interactive multisensory environment into a local public service, not only into a private centre or a hospital in a large city. It is the same approach as SENSEi CARE. For a similar case in a hospital setting, read about the Autism Centre at San Paolo hospital in Milan; to learn more, see the use of multisensory rooms for autism.
Frequently asked questions
Can SENSEi be included in a public service?
Yes. Health authorities, hospitals and schools can integrate it into their services, adapting it to existing spaces and pathways.
Do people have to wear sensors?
No. SENSEi recognises the gestures and movements of several people at once, without wearable devices.
Who is the Bracigliano centre for?
For children and young people with autism spectrum disorder and their families, especially from the northern area of the province, from diagnosis through to the transition to adulthood.
How much does an environment like this cost?
It depends on the configuration: space, experiences, training and services. Contact us for an assessment.
Do you work in a school, a centre or a museum and want an environment like this? Tell us about your project: we start from the needs of the people who will use it.
Sources
- Lira TV, A Bracigliano il primo centro dell’ASL Salerno per l’autismo
- 105TV, ASL Salerno: inaugurato a Bracigliano il primo centro per la diagnosi precoce dell’autismo
- SENSEi CARE
- SENSEi, Research and publications
In the press
- Inaugura a Bracigliano primo centro ASL Salerno, soddisfatta la Sindaca di Baronissi, Salernonotizie
- Comune di Baronissi, la Sindaca Anna Petta: “Un servizio all'avanguardia a supporto delle famiglie”, Punto Magazine
- A Bracigliano il primo centro dell'ASL Salerno per l'Autismo, Lira TV
- Asl Salerno. Inaugurato a Bracigliano il primo centro per la diagnosi precoce dell'autismo, 105TV
