The Lilli Nielsen Little Room

This page is about a wonderful piece of "equipment" that our local Early Intervention Vision Department brought to my home for Molly to use and utilize. Because I was unable to find any information about this subject anywhere else on the internet, I decided to create my own page.

"The purpose of the 'Little Room' is to facilitate blind children's achievement of spatial relations and reaching behaviour, but it can also be of considerable help for sighted low functioning children.(S1)"

Before Molly started using the "Little Room" she really didn't play with toys or explore things around her. Now she grabs at things that are placed within her reach. The room has also helped with the muscle tone in her arms, which was very tight before the "Little Room."

When Molly is ready to play in her "room" we lay her on the floor in front of it. We slowly bring in down over her, she gets very excited when she hears the noise of the objects moving as they come over her. Usually when a child is first introduced to the "Little Room", within 10 minutes they are ready to get out. Molly spent 45 minutes her first time and still wasn't ready to get out.

The "Little Room" has helped Molly learn how to explore and play. She grasps the objects in the room and bangs them against each other. We are not allowed to talk to her or move any of the objects in the room. She must do everything herself and she is becoming aware that she IS doing it herself.

As you can see, the use of every day objects is standard in the "Little Room". The things in the room should have the following qualities:

Additionally, "children who are in the early stages of learning to use their hands need objects that, once let go of, can be found again. In the 'Little Room', all the objects are firmly secured with elastic and return to their position in space when they are not being handled.(S2)"

Nielsen also thought that this would be very useful for the premature infant. "If the infant is premature and placed in an incubator during the first weeks or months, he will learn less and practice less than the infant who has been in the uterus for the normal period of time. Furthermore, because of the treatment necessary for the infant to survive, the infant staying in the incuabator has no opportunity to perform as many movements as the fetus in the uterus or as a newborn infant normally does. Apparently , this means that the infant 'forgets' how to move or that he is too exhausted to move. (S1)" So when a Preemie is big enough and strong enough to utilize the room, it would be very benificial.

If you would like more information on this subject or would like to get your child involved in the "Little Room" contact your local Early Intervention People. If they are unable to help you, contact me. I can get you the names and numbers of EI people in my area that can give you more information.

If you are interested in purchasing a "Little Room", please visit this web site: Lilliput L

I want to thank Sherri Lyle of Loess Hill Area 13 Education Association for bring the "Little Room" into our home.

S2-Dunnett, J. (1997). Nielsen's Little Room: Its Use with a Young blind and Physically Disable Girl. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness.

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